“Maggie’s, a cancer care centre designed for free by the renowned US architect Frank Gehry, was yesterday declared British building of the year. It came top in the Royal Fine Art Commission’s annual awards. Gehry has called the design – which seeks to welcome the centre’s patients with light gently reflected from an undulating steel roof – ‘about my best yet’.”
Blog
Birtwistle’s Plot Man
When composer Harrison Birtwistle put out the call for a “gloomy poet” to write the libretto for his next opera, Stephen Plaice, who prefers to think of himself as “lyrical and ironic,” found himself with the job. Over the ensuing three years, a story emerged which blends Greek myth with disturbing sexual undertones and a complex relationship which ended before the opera begins. It’s a process that few opera lovers ever think about, but a successful relationship between librettist and composer can mean the difference between success and failure.
Those Riots Just Aren’t Drawing ‘Em In Like They Used To
With widescreen TV making sporting events ever more enticing to view from your couch or your barstool rather than in person, the people who market soccer in Europe are turning to stadium architects to help draw the cheering crowds and create a unique sense of place. “The aim has been to maximise roof spans and minimise obstructed views and the basic problem is that there are only so many solutions for big roofs, most of which have been used.”
Jacksonville Breaks Even
The Jacksonville Symphony, which has been running massive deficits in recent years, rode an 18% rise in single ticket sales and a 23% uptick in donations to a break-even season for 2003-04. The orchestra’s endowment also performed better than expected, allowing the organization to begin digging out from under the multi-million dollar debt it had amassed.
Lost In Translation
Would government subsidies for publishers help more translated books to appear on American bookshelves? John O’Brien doesn’t think so: “On average, a very good novel from another country will sell fifty percent fewer copies in the United States than a rather mediocre novel written by an American… I doubt that we can expect foundations to lead the way in an effort to support translations by working with nonprofit presses; however, what would be interesting to speculate on is whether the NEA couldn’t enlist foundations in this country in a joint undertaking with government agencies in other countries to create a fund for translations that would take into account all of the publication expenses rather than just the cost of the translations.
Laziness or Xenophobia?
What has caused the dropoff in translations in the English-speaking literary world? It surely has something to do with the pervasiveness of English around the globe, but Eric Dickens fears that a “selective xenophobia” may have crept into even enlightened minds in the UK and US. “United States power and prestige prop up the English language internationally; and yet English is only the mother tongue of a relatively modest number of people worldwide. Translation obviates the necessity of people having to write badly in English when they can be writing well in their respective mother tongues.”
Paging Eliot Ness
Two Silicon Valley art galleries were suddenly and unexpectedly raided by California law enforcement officials last week for illegally serving alcohol on the premises, with an official charge of misdemeanor sale/furnishing of alcohol without a permit being leveled against the owners and executives. The crime carries a possible penalty of six months in jail and a $1000 fine. The raid occurred during Palo Alto’s monthly Art Walk event, and gallery officials are complaining about the timing and tone of the raid. The state contends that it warned the galleries in April that they needed a license to serve alcohol, and that the warning was ignored.
Maybe He Wants To Spend More Time With His Family?
Buffalo Philharmonic CEO Larry Ribits has apparently been fired, only days before the conclusion of the orchestra’s season. Official word from the Philharmonic’s board chairman is that the abrupt departure was Ribits’s own decision, but the head of the musicians’ union is publicly questioning that stance, and is also pointing out that no musicians, even those who serve on the board, were informed of the decision until Wednesday morning. Ribits’s fate may have been decided this past weekend, while he and the BPO were in New York City for a concert at Carnegie Hall.
Report: State Arts Agencies Must Change Their Tune
A new study notes cuts in funding for US state arts agencies in 2003 and suggests that the cuts are not an aberration. “The reason for these cuts is not just a one-time fiscal crisis, but the political weakness of state arts agencies that has arisen because of a growing mismatch between their roles and structures and the cultural and political realities they face. A shift in the arts agencies’ focus and funding may be a solution, but it cannot take place until important conceptual and practical issues are resolved.”
The Right To Boo (It’s Essential)
“Freedom to express opinions is a cornerstone of our liberties, and if one has the right to bravo noisily, one must stand up for the right to boo noisily too. In any case, as a critic, I suppose I rank as a professional booer (and cheerer too, on occasion), so it would be hypocritical of me to argue on the side of politesse. Nevertheless, there are complexities and contradictions in our attitude to booing.”