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On The Trail Of An Elusive Translation

The Voynich manuscript, once owned by Emperor Rudolph II in 16th-century Bohemia, is filled with drawings of fantastic plants, zodiacal symbols and naked ladies. Far more intriguing than its illustrations, however, is the accompanying text: 234 pages of beautifully formed, yet completely unintelligible script. Modern scholars have pored over the book since 1912, when Wilfrid Voynich, an American antiquarian, bought the manuscript and started circulating copies in the hope of having it translated. Some 90 years later, the book still defies deciphering.” Now a computer scientist thinks he might have an answer.

Oldest Figurative Art Ever Discovered

The oldest figurative carvings ever found have been discovered in a cave in Southeast Germany. “While precise dates for the objects are unknown, an analysis of related deposits indicates that the artists lived from 30,000 to 35,000 years ago. The three small ivory carvings suggest a high level of artistic skill among craftspeople living at this time, experts claim.”

St. Thomas Choir – Where Did The Boys Go?

St. Thomas’s Choir in Leipzig was once Bach’s choir, and it is an illustrious musical institution. “But the number of boys auditioning for a place in the choir has been declining for years. The choice among those boys with good voices is still large enough, but there is no longer a surplus of boys with very good to outstanding voices. And that trend didn’t develop just a few years ago.”

Matthias Pintscher: History Moving Forward

“Musical notes and actions have been handed down historically; they bear the signs of their use. A composer, and especially a young composer, does not have to know these signs of use. He must feel them, however, for composing also means developing idiosyncrasies and reacting hyper-sensitively. This is possibly the secret of the astronomical success that has set the tone of Matthias Pintscher’s musical career for more than 10 years and has showered him with more contracts and prizes than any other artist of his generation.”

Contemporary Passion – Champions Of The String Quartet

“Passionate, unflagging champions of new music, the [Kronos and Arditti string quartets] have, between them, commissioned nearly a thousand works; that achievement alone should earn them a lasting place in music history. They have also inspired a wave of young string quartets that specialize in contemporary music, including Ethel and the Meridian and Flux Quartets in America, and the Brodsky, Keller and Balanescu Quartets in Europe. Not to mention the salutary impact they have had on the classical music scene as a whole, which has become a little less staid and a little more open.

The Metropolitan Opera’s General

Joseph Volpe is “the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera and it is his job to ensure that those 3,800 seats are occupied every time the Met opens its doors. Or at least most of them. Volpe is celebrated for his lack of tolerance for all the characteristics most associated with opera: preciousness, snobbery, temperamental superstars. But what he can’t abide most of all is unoccupied seats.”

New Start In Minnesota

The Minnesota Orchestra declared a $2.4 million deficit last month, but there’s no need to panic. The orchestra has a popular new music director and a new executive director who arrives with new ideas and a forthrightness that impresses those who have worked with him. Of course, there’s a new musicians’ contract to be negotiated…

The Barnes: Doing The Numbers

“Could a new Barnes thrive in a $100 million building with a $10 million annual budget, two figures floated in court? Yes, observers believe. There would be new revenue opportunities, and the Barnes would be more attractive to prestige-seeking but cautious donors. In the worst case, though, donations and attendance might drop off after an initial rush, and expenses could spiral.”