“Many concert-goers would agree that there tend to be more bad encores than good. There’s nothing worse than an indifferent encore after an indifferent concert, when all one wants is a stiff drink. There’s a particular sort of heart-sinking moment when an overkeen recitalist settles back to their instrument, having taken only a single curtain call. The last gesture in a concert is as potent as the last sentence of a book: you take the atmosphere of it out into the world with you, and if the final encore is crass or inappropriate, it can undermine the whole of the rest of the concert.”
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This Rubens Is Mediocre? Hmphhh!
It’s easy to disparage great art, comparing it to other works. That’s not a reason not to collect it though, writes James Fenton. “Don’t imagine, when you read that some declared expert has spoken out rather forcefully against this Rubens or that Raphael, that this is the first time in history that this daft game of disparagement has been played. Whenever a strong claim is made on behalf of a work of art, there are plenty of dim individuals (inside and outside the art world) who are simply provoked into opposition – offended that something should be admired when they have had no say in the matter.”
La Fenice Rises Again
After years of delays, Venice’s La Fenice opera house, which was burned down eight years ago, has been rebuilt and reopened. “Standing amid the charred rubble on the morning of January 30 1996, the then mayor of Venice, Massimo Cacciari, pledged that La Fenice would be rebuilt “com’era, dov’era” (as it was, where it was). And, within the bounds of the possible and desirable, that is exactly what has been done.”
Why La Fenice Is So Beloved
“A stunningly beautiful building La Fenice certainly is. Ingeniously wedged into a tiny space surrounded by canals just to the west of St Mark’s square, it had only 814 seats, now 990 (compared with La Scala’s or Covent Garden’s 2,000). With its curves, its rococo decorations and its five levels of blue-and-gold boxes, galleries and its crystal lamps, it radiates a matchless theatrical warmth. But the reason the Venice opera house has a special place in the hearts of opera lovers is also the reason why it burned to the ground in January 1996.”
The Skinny On MP3 Players
MP3 players come in all sizes and shapes these days. “For some people, MP3 players represent the physical endgame of music collecting, where there’s a vast stockpile of music at hand but no CD towers or groaning shelves of vinyl. In extreme cases, they also mark the end of an old reliable gift-giving strategy; what’s the point of buying a CD for someone who snaffles all the tunes they want from the Web?”
Toronto’s Fly-In Art – Where Are The Canadians?
The expansion of Toronto’s airport has generated some major new public art by some of the biggest names in contemporary sculpture. But. “Costing approximately $30-million, less than 1 per cent of the total budget, it will no doubt still be perceived as wild extravagance in a country where the idea of tourism promotion through the arts is still a weakly flickering light bulb. But the controversy should not be about the money; it should be about the heavy emphasis on non-Canadian artists.”
Minnesota Orchestra Posts $2/4 Million Deficit
The Minnesota Orchestra posts a $2.4 million deficit, its fifth shortfall in five years. The orchestra says that this season it won’t end up in the red. “We put together a budget that was balanced, and we believe in it.”
A Bad Lay (At Least In Print)
Wanna read some really bad writing about sex? Here are excerpts from the shortlisted nominees for the Bad Sex award. We’d print some samples, but we’re… well… too bashful.
Jim Wolfensohn’s Birthday Party
“It’s good to be Jim Wolfensohn, no question about it. He runs a global institution with 10,000 employees and doles out $30 billion annually to make the world a better place. A career in investment banking made him personally rich-rich-rich. He’s got friends in high places and, because he loves music, is pals with some of the world’s greatest musical artists. So Wolfensohn pulled some strings for the evening. Last night’s performers included Bono, cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Cho-Liang Lin and Sharon Robinson, pianist Vladimir Feltsman, violinists Jaime Laredo and Pinchas Zukerman — and the amateur of the bunch, Wolfensohn. ‘Not a bad group,’ he said with a chuckle.”
Art Basel, Miami Branch
Art Basel converges on Miami Beach after a successful first outing last year. “The Art Basel people have utilized the Miami location to make it a fun event, creating something of the same atmosphere that they have in Basel. It becomes the event. Equally important is that museum directors, curators and patrons are coming. So it’s not just a place for sales. It’s a meeting place.”