New research suggests that happy people are not all they’re presented to be. “Researchers found that angry people are more likely to make negative evaluations when judging members of other social groups. That, perhaps, will not come as a great surprise. But the same seems to be true of happy people, the researchers noted. The happier your mood, the more liable you are to make bigoted judgments — like deciding that someone is guilty of a crime simply because he’s a member of a minority group. Why?”
Blog
Welsh Built Stonehenge?
Archaeologists now believe that some of the builders of Stonehenge were Welsh. “The finding, which comes just before Sunday’s summer solstice, not only sheds light on Stonehenge’s origins, but also provides clues to prehistoric migration patterns within Europe following the Stone Age, which was the earliest known period in human culture.”
Of Conductors Who Compose
There are plenty of composers who take up conducting (and do quite well). There are few conductors who can turn the other way. So why are Lorin Maazel and Andre Previn both writing operas well on in their careers?
Correcting The Punctuation Book
“Eats, Shoots & Leaves” present itself as a call to arms, in a world spinning rapidly into subliteracy, by a hip yet unapologetic curmudgeon, a stickler for the rules of writing. But it’s hard to fend off th suspicion that the whole thing might be a hoax.” So Louis Menand takes a blue pencil to the book and finds plenty to circle.
Scottish Opera: Director Quits, Chorus Axed
Scottish Opera’s woes mount. The director of the company’s “La Boheme” has quit over a dispute about scenery. And “the opera’s own tragedy reached a new low yesterday. After 34 chorus members singing in La Bohème were told minutes before the curtain went up on Thursday that they faced redundancy, the rest of the 88 staff facing the axe were formally informed by the company yesterday.”
Scottish Opera Resignation
A vice president of Scottish Opera has resigned in protest of the government’s funding decisions. “I believe the company has been treated in an appalling way and as I predicted it is now being put about that the plan to diminish the company is the Opera’s choice. The Scottish Executive has made a serious mistake in not providing the necessary additional funding. However, as I have always believed that additional funding is necessary it would be inconsistent for my formal association to continue with the reduced Scottish opera that is envisaged. In these dark times the only light is the near unanimous voice in Scotland against the Executive’s actions.”
Muddying Maazel At The New York Phil
What was the New York Philharmonic doing with its announcement of an extension of music director Lorin Maazel’s contract, asks Barbara Jepson. Naming three guest conductors during Maazel’s last three years does nothing but muddy the issue of leadership after Maazel’s tenure.
St. Louis Symphony Matches $40 Million Challenge
The St. Louis Symphony has raised the $40 million it needed to meet a challenge grant six months ahead of schedule. “The 125-year-old orchestra received funds toward the challenge grant from symphony patrons, board members, corporations, foundations and individuals. More than 10,000 pledges were made in 54 months, the orchestra said.”
Up And Down On The Library Steps
Dancing in the Streets brings a program to the steps of the New York City Library. “”The thing about a staircase, though, is that, once you’ve gone down, there’s no place to go but up, and so the dancers stood and did so, which was something of an anti-climax. Apart from a repeat of the lava-pouring-down-the-mountainside roll (compelling even the second time around), the balance of the dance consisted largely of the figures’ grouping and regrouping in formal clusters and making semaphoring sorts of gestures with their arms.”
A New Choreography Program In California
“This is the first National Choreographers Initiative and it’s unclear if it will continue beyond this year. The initiative is a duplicate of Ballet Pacifica’s Pacifica Choreographic Project, founded by former director Molly Lynch, who resigned last October. When Ballet Pacifica’s Board of Directors canceled the project for this July, a number of local dance lovers approached Lynch about running the initiative as an independent entity for one year. They got the go-ahead from Ballet Pacifica’s board president, and Lynch invited choreographers whom she knew and respected. The project has a $100,000 budget, and the community members have raised almost the full amount.”