Nearly 40 years ago, architect Jorn Utzon walked away from his most famous project, the Sydney Opera House. The interior of the building was finished by others – but not in a successful way. In 1999 Utzon was finally convinced to complete the inside in an extensive renovation. Now the first results of that work are being unveiled.
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Building For The Web
A show of skyscrapers at the Museum of Modern Art is a rare exhibition that actually is better to see on the web than in person. “Choose a building, and the site presents a full page portrait of the subject, along with such facts as height, date-of-design (and projected date-of-completion if applicable), and links to detailed information.”
Banning Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code has been banned in Lebanon because church officials call it ofensive to Christians. “Catholic leaders called for the book to be withdrawn because of its depiction of Christ marrying Mary Magdalene and fathering a child. Shop owners said security officials had told them to pull French, English and Arabic copies off their shelves.”
Atlanta Symphony’s Gains
The Atlanta Symphony closed out its fiscal year with some progress: “A balanced $28 million budget. Increased ticket sales. A 23 percent rise in annual-fund contributions. An 18-month wage freeze for musicians and staff.”
Philadelphia Orchestra, Musicians Far Apart On Contract
The Philadelphia orchestra and its musicians appear to be very far apart in their negotiations for a new contract. Under the orchestra’s latest proposal, “Philadelphia players would not achieve their goal of keeping pace with colleagues in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Philadelphia players are making a minimum of $105,040 in the contract about to end, while the Boston musicians’ minimum salary will reach $108,160 in the season about to start, and $112,840 in 2005-06.”
That Sound? It’s All In Your Head
“A wristwatch phone that lets you listen by sticking a finger in your ear, an MP3 player that vibrates the bones in your skull to play music that only you can hear — these are some of the products being developed using a technology called bone conduction that sends sound waves through the bones around the ear.”
This Year’s Kennedy Center Honorees
They are: Elton John, soprano Dame Joan Sutherland, composer John Williams, and actors and producers Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, who have been married for 56 years, and actor, director and producer Warren Beatty. The awards will be presented December 4.
Art Of Stamps In A Digital World
So famous your face is on a US postal stamp? Fame just got a whole lot cheaper. A new service lets you take a snapshot with a digital camera and send it by computer to a website. “Within five to seven business days, usually sooner, the stamps arrive… in the mail. But you can’t take an action shot of your favorite Eagle, or an unflattering photo of your pesky next-door neighbor. No celebs, no politicians, no nudity.”
Who Owns The Philadelphia Vermeer?
Who owns the rare Vermeer that’s been hanging at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the past month? “The painting was lent to the museum anonymously after changing hands at a London auction early in July. A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals (an early harpsichord) was the first Vermeer to be offered at auction since 1921.” And the speculation on who owns it is…
Artistically Yours At The New RSC
Yes, the Royal Shakespeare Company has revived its fortunes in the space of a season. But the best things about the revived RSC under new director Michael Boyd, are artistic. “The best thing about his plan is its intellectual coherence. He took over a company which was fitfully brilliant, but which lacked purpose. While this year’s season of Shakespeare’s tragedies and Spanish Golden Age drama has been artistically diverse, it has given the company an identifiable style, conspicuous for its narrative and linguistic clarity.”