The raging fire that broke out Thursday at the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar, Germany, has destroyed as many as 30,000 irreplacable books. The damage is estimated to be in the millions of dollars, and the German culture minister has pledged that public money will play a major role in restoring the surviving books and the library building itself.
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Hopper A Hit At Tate Modern
“Crowds who flocked to admire some of the loneliest paintings of the 20th century have helped to make the Edward Hopper exhibition at London’s Tate Modern one of the gallery’s most successful… By the time the exhibition closes tomorrow night, the Tate expects to have sold more than 420,000 tickets – a total beaten only by Matisse-Picasso two years ago. The gallery has stayed open late every night for weeks to meet the demand.”
Fahrenheit 9/11 For The Well-Read Intellectual
“Whatever the critics make of it, David Hare’s Stuff Happens is undeniably one of the cultural events of the year – a remarkable dramatisation of the events that led to the war in Iraq.” The critics, as it happens, have been finding the play overly simplistic and too willing to slosh around in “gray areas.” But to the politicians, weapons inspectors, and other political insiders who lived through the runup to war that Hare has dramatized, Stuff Happens is a powerful reenactment of a divisive year in global relations, “the thinking person’s Fahrenheit 9/11: much more sophisticated, but just as angry.”
The Rock ‘n Roll Cello
It’s a fledgling movement, to be sure, but more and more rock bands are turning to the traditionally classical cello to bolster their sound, and add an unusual twist to a genre which has for decades relied on screeching guitars and hammering percussion. From indie-goth band Rasputina, which sports multiple cellos, to a Colorado-based acoustic rock quartet which recently decided that a full-time cellist could improve their sound, the cello seems to be overtaking the violin in the role of the classical instrument best suited to crossing over into the nightclub scene.
Extension And Mediation In Chicago
The musicians and management of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have agreed to extend the musicians’ current contract through October 31, and are bringing in a retired judge to mediate further negotiations. The extension will insure that the CSO season will run for at least six weeks without interruption by strike or lockout, and the joint selection of a mediator suggests that, while the talks remain contentious, there is at least a desire on both sides to avoid the public relations disaster that a work stoppage would likely precipitate.
Philosophy For The Masses
Philosophy, while usually an exalted profession in academic circles, has rarely held much interest for the public at large, with its convoluted language and bafflingly theoretical views of real-world events. “These days, though, philosophers are engaging with the world more readily than before. During the past 10 years there has been a spate of books intent, not so much on taking philosophy to streets, as taking it to the dinner parties. And they’re a mixed bag. Many are just crass attempts to cash in on the movement – the worst kind of arranged marriage between publishing and opportunistic editors.” But some of the books are legitimately moving philosophy into the mainstream without much dumbing down.
What Sank City Opera’s Ground Zero Move?
“The thrill of the initial idea of an opera house at Ground Zero seemed to have bowed to a fear of highbrow stuffiness and the burdens of a 2,200-seat venue in the cultural complex’s construction. But criticism surrounding New York City Opera’s proposal was aimed less at the institution itself — and at its innovation and its vital niche within the greater scheme of the New York cultural world — than at preconceived notions of a musty old opera house, largely filled by the elderly with the occasional sleeping grandchild in a clip-on tie, in the midst of an economically thriving Ground Zero.”
Non-Profits Wait As Congress Mulls Oversight Changes
The US Congress is considering serious reform in the oversight of non-profit organizations. “The overall drive to nonprofit reform began after the passage of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which Congress enacted in the wake of Enron and other accounting scandals. After revelations that a small number of charities, such as those handling the millions received after Sept. 11, 2001, had engaged in similar abuses and administrative waste, the drive quickly intensified.”
Pushing The “Reality” Of Serious
“More than ever this summer, television, with its headlong pursuit of “reality,” has influenced the tone and content of serious films. From the unusual spate of commercial documentaries, to domestic dramas that reflect the shrinking realm of personal privacy, smaller films are continuing to push the frontiers of psychological realism and sexual candor.”
Coming Soon: Operas About Gadhafi And Bill Gates
“With many opera companies facing stagnating ticket sales and aging audiences, composers and producers are turning to contemporary conflicts and headline news in a bid to lure new crowds. A new batch of contemporary operas — from rappers rhyming about Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to an experimental musical about Microsoft boss Bill Gates — sets out to change that stuffy image.”