The Barnes Foundation could raise $50 million by selling off some of its art. Though some of the artworld establishment would frown on the idea, selling some assets might allow the Barnes to stay where it is without moving to Philadelphia. The judge hearing a motion to relocate said last week: “If it appears that adequate capital can be produced [through a sale], the ethical problems presented thereby may have to yield to the donor’s expressed wishes.”
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Crippling Classical Music On iPods
Digital music players are great… for pop music. For classical? Well, the way music is indexed on these things makes it impossible to sort and search. It’s a nightmare. “It’s enough to make you scream. Before classical music is ever going to take off in digital downloads, the whole classical-recording database–this is a mammoth job, but it’s got to be tackled–will have to be rejiggered. Music has to show up correctly labeled, and fully searchable, by composer, composition and performers (with each artist’s role correctly specified).”
Lingua Franca – Suing Freelance Writers For Sport And Money
The hearings drag on for freelance writers who are being sued by the trustee for the Lingua Franca bankruptcy. The trustee is going after writers for fees paid to them for stories they wrote in the last three months of the magazine’s life. But there are indications that the judge hearing the case isn’t taking the claims for payment very seriously…
Star Struck
A few weeks ago playwright David Hare blasted The Guardian for topping its critics’ reviews with stars. Now readers weigh in about the shorthand practice…
UK Circus Performers Protest Licenses
Circus owners in the UK are protesting a new law that will require them to get licenses for every place that they perform. “Licences, which could cost up to £500 each, will be needed when the Licensing Act 2003 comes into force in April. The act is designed to ensure public safety and has already prompted outrage from other performers, including folk singers and Punch and Judy operators.”
When Biology and Technology Converge
We’ve tended to distinguish sharply between things and biology. Biology has always occupied a special status, but “advances in fields as disparate as computer science and genetics are dealing our status another blow. Researchers are learning that markets and power grids have much in common with plants and animals. Their findings lead to a startling conclusion: Life isn’t the exception, but the rule.”
West End Musicians Protest Virtual Orchestra
The British musicians’ union is protesting plans by producer Cameron Mackintosh to replace some musicians with a virtual orchestra. “Any fan of West End musicals will recognize that the orchestra is the beating heart of the production. Take the musicians away and you remove at a stroke one of the vital elements of the live theatre experience.”
FCC Chair Calls For Investigation Of Janet Jackson Superbowl Stunt
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission called for an investigation of how Janet Jackson’s naked breast got on the Superbowl halftime broadcast Sunday. Jason Timberlake “blamed a ‘wardrobe malfunction,’ but Federal Communications Commission chief Michael Powell called it ‘a classless, crass and deplorable stunt’.”
The Weight Of Success On Thomas Ades
Thomas Ades is the latest British composer to burst on the scene carrying the hopes of British music. “He’s been acclaimed as a pianist, and as a conductor of his own music with (among others) the BBC Symphony Orchestra. For several years he was musical director of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and is currently artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival. Then there’s the string of prizes he’s been awarded; the biggest is the Grawemeyer Award, normally given to composers with decades of achievement behind them.” The question is – can he live up to the hype and deliver?
Havel Comes To America
Playwright Vaclav Havel plans to move to the United States for several months this year, giving lectures and maybe resuming his writing career. “Havel, who was invited by the Library of Congress, plans to stay from April to July, mostly in Washington.”