Blog

Dallas – Looking For The Mainstream

Dallas theatres seem to be making a rush to produce “mainstream” theatre. “The premise seems to be that a lot of theatrical material has ventured away from the concerns of average folks. The trouble is, there’s not a lot of consensus about where the mainstream is. What seems like the broad channel to some might be a stagnant eddy to others.”

Carlos Kleiber’s Laser Focus

Carlos Kleiber was a singular conductor. “There was, in fact, only one guiding force in his life — music — and he gave himself to it with almost supernal passion and intensity. Every concert and opera performance he conducted was a genuine event, and not simply because he conducted so seldom. His painstaking preparation, his abhorrence of routine, his fanatical musical idealism made it so. ‘Difficult’ was the word most commonly used to describe the Berlin-born Austrian conductor, who was the son of another famous conducting Kleiber, Erich.”

Two Jailed In Van Gogh Theft

Two men have been jailed for stealing two Van Gogh paintings. “The thieves were arrested separately in 2003, in Spain and in Amsterdam. The Van Gogh Museum has put in a claim for 1.8 million euros for the two uninsured paintings, which were stolen in 2002 and have never been recovered.” (a judge has rejected that claim…)

The Phantom Lives In Vegas

A production of the mega-musical Phantom of the Opera is taking up permanent residence in Las Vegas. “Clear Channel Entertainment, a unit of Clear Channel Communications (CCU), will produce a 90-minute, $35 million version of the Tony Award-winning musical, set to open in the spring of 2006 at the Venetian hotel-casino.”

A New Initiative In Public Cultural Discourse

This Wednesday, in partnership with the Aspen Music Festival, ArtsJournal will host a new 10-day blog – Critical Conversation – featuring a dozen of the best classical music critics in America. They will discuss whether or not it is still possible for a Big Idea to animate classical music. Our bloggers include: Alex Ross from the New Yorker, Kyle Gann from the Village Voice, Justin Davidson from Newsday, Scott Cantrell from the Dallas Morning News, Charles Ward from the Houston Chronicle, Wynne Delacoma from the Chicago Sun-Times, Andrew Druckenbrod from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Kyle MacMillan from the Denver Post, John Rockwell from the New York Times, and John von Rhein from the Chicago Tribune. Then, on August 7 in Aspen, Greg Sandow of the Wall Street Journal, Anne Midgette of the New York Times, David Patrick Stearns of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle will participate in a live discussion of the topic, moderated by ArtsJournal editor and founder Douglas McLennan. That event is free and open to the public. This is a new initiative in public cultural discourse, the first of what we hope will be a series of such events.

Maxwell Davies: Scotland’s Ignorant Arts Policy

Composer Peter Maxwell Davies has lashed out at the Scottish Executive’s arts strategy, labelling it a jackboot in the face of Scottish culture. Sir Peter accuses the First Minister and the Cabinet of ‘absolute ignorance’ of cultural affairs, citing the recent £7 million restructuring of Scottish Opera as a prime example of the their ‘vicious’ attitude towards the arts.”

How Blockbuster Hopes To Stave Off Extinction

Many have predicted the death of the video rental business. But Blockbuster, America’s largest video rental chain, is fighting back. “Blockbuster is expanding programs that let customers trade both videos and video games. The strategy is to transform Blockbuster from a place you go to rent a movie to a place you go to rent, buy or trade movies and games: new or used, in store or online.”

Remaking Barcelona Through The Arts

“Barcelona is host to a 141-day-long cultural fiesta comprising art exhibitions, pop and classical concerts, dance and theater performances and assorted other happenings. Costing $400 million, the festival, called Forum 2004, which began in May, hopes to draw five million visitors through Sept. 26. By then, the organizers say, the whole city should have benefitted.”