Conductor William Christie has a cult following in his adopted France. But Peter Conrad discovers a dispeptic soul who gives no quarter. “A recent book by a French critic pays reverent homage to what it calls l’église Christique – the Church according to Christie not Christ. I didn’t imagine, when I set off to meet him in Paris, that I was going to encounter a redeemer or saviour. I’d have been grateful, however, for a little milky human kindness.”
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The Booker’s New Wrangler
Member of Parliament Chris Smith is heading up this year’s Book Prize jury, and he says he has no preconceptions about what the winner should demonstrate. “Cynics might argue that this absence of preconceptions is merely a spin on an absence of knowledge. After all, how much time does your average MP have to keep up with even a fraction of the 10,000 or so novels published each year? What sort of books does he have on his bedside table?”
Tate Gets Bacon Studio
The Tate has acquired the contents of Francis Bacon’s chaotic studio, after a decade of controversy about it. “Art world legend insists that when Bacon died in 1992 the Tate was offered the studio by his heir and last companion, John Edwards, who died in Thailand last year. The gallery is said to have rejected the offer and the room, with every scrap of paper and cigarette stub forensically recorded, went to the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, where it is a popular exhibit. The history of the material donated to the Tate is as eccentric as the artist.”
Music – Increasingly, We’re Hearing It Live
Sales of recorded music might be down in some places, but there was a lavish surge in concert-going in 2003. “I think that a lot of people have had enough of non-performing acts. A lot of the music of the 1990s was not real live performance music. The trend for real music is great news for us and great news for the industry in total.”
Comics Comeback
“At the culmination of the so- called golden age of comics in the 1950s, an estimated 250 million to 300 million comic books sold annually, transforming this country’s popular culture and becoming one of its most important exports. Even if unit sales of new comic books are down to about a third of that level, they’re still averaging about $200 million in sales each year. Combined with classic or back-issue comics and graphic novels, total sales may be more than $700 million a year. Beyond the financial throw-weight of the industry, comics have as much or more impact on American popular culture than ever.”
Paterson Wins TS Eliot Poetry Prize
“Scottish poet Don Paterson has won the prestigious TS Eliot Prize for poetry for the second time in six years. Paterson, 40, has become the first person to be awarded the Poetry Book Society honour more than once.”
Tenor Walks Across England Singing
American tenor David Pisaro is walking 200 miles across England. “He will stop each evening to perform Franz Schubert’s Die Winterreise in 13 venues along the route including village halls, shops and churches with pianist Quentin Thomas. The song cycle traces the physical and emotional journey of a rejected lover travelling away from home and Mr Pisaro says he hopes his trip will bring the music to life.”
Israel/Sweden Harden Stands Over Attacked Artwork
The row between Sweden and Israel over the Israeli ambassador’s attack on artwork in Stockholm is escalating. “The artistic director of the museum, which is keeping the work on display, has reportedly been attacked. Artist Dror Feiler, who is also said to have been threatened, said the envoy’s actions made reconciliation harder. He told the BBC World Service that his work was “absolutely not” a glorification of suicide bombers as had been claimed and criticised Zvi Mazel for a “stupid act”.
French Government Considers Giving Monuments To Local Governments
The French government is considering whether to turn over ownership of half of its monuments to regional governments. “The move is part of a wider trend towards decentralisation. Almost 400 monuments throughout France are owned by the ministry; many were nationalised following the French Revolution.”
US Customs Stolen Art Unit Is No More
The US Customs unit set up in 2000 to investigate stolen art has been subsumed into the Department of Homeland Security. “The agents who had concentrated exclusively on tracking and seizing smuggled art have now been redeployed to investigate cases related to the war on terrorism and financial fraud. Although cases of stolen art will still be investigated by Customs agents, no employees will work exclusively on art investigations.”