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Lang – Full Of Himself?

The young pianist Lang Lang is being extravagantly touted as the future of classical music. “Far from being intimidated by the pressure, Mr. Lang seems to be high on his success. But as on other recent occasions, his playing suggested that success is going to his head. When he first gained attention in the United States in 1999 at 17 he seemed an unformed but musically intuitive pianist with a white-hot, brilliant technique and an exuberant personality. On Friday, though, for all its color, flair and energy, his playing was often incoherent, self-indulgent and slam-bang crass.”

Sondheim – Listening To Audiences

A new Stephen Sondheim musical (his first in nine years) is preparing for Broadway, and producers are studying the audiences. “The conventional wisdom is that you are better off listening to the audience as a group than to any one individual member of it. As far as critics’ responses, because each review reflects the opinion of just one person, the show’s collaborators tend to discount them. In the case of Bounce, most notices have sounded disappointed. It’s not that critics dislike the musical; it’s more that they think it’s a minor work. Some, though, have added that even below-average Sondheim is better than almost everything else.”

Toni Morrison On Tour

Toni Morrison has published her eighth book. “Morrison’s intellect can be intimidating; it takes over her persona sometimes. This is the woman who, when Oprah Winfrey commented on her show that she had to read Morrison’s books more than once to totally understand them, replied, ‘It’s called reading’.”

iTunes As Apple Loss Leader

That 99-cent price to download music from iTunes still seems a little high to some, especially since it costs nothing for the recording companies to produce it. But then, Apple’s got to make some money too, right? Wrong. Apple CEO Steve Jobs says that all of that 99 cents goes back to the copyright holders – the recording companies, not artists. That makes iTunes a loss-leader. So how is Apple making money on the deal? Selling iPods…

Work As A Game

A new study reports that allowing workers to play games at work might increase their productivity. “The results suggest that, instead of games being a waste of time at work, they might help personal productivity and make people feel better about their jobs. A round of Solitaire could be used as a strategy to break up the day and help people work more effectively because it gives their brain a break from complex work tasks.”

Stolen Iraq Art Recovered In London

Some artifacts stolen from Iraq’s National Museum earlier this year have been recovered in London. “The men were arrested in connection with allegations of handling stolen goods – one of them was said to be a 76-year-old man. He is believed to be a British passport holder of Iranian descent. A stone sculpture found there, but stolen before the war, is thought by detectives to be worth between three and five million pounds. The frieze, showing sacred winged animals was taken from the ruins of a palace in the ancient city of Nimrud.”