The Greek coastal city of Epidaurus is one of the most theatrically significant places in all the Western world. The city’s history as a center of classical theater has made it a haven for directors and actors all across Greece. “At the same time, the long shadow of tradition has transformed Epidaurus… into a bulwark against innovation. For the most part, the acting style that dominates is one of contrived high artifice. An army of conservative critics carefully polices every production, savaging any whiff of novelty and pouncing on even the vaguest suggestion of modernism.”
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Rattle In Berlin: No Sparks Just Yet
When Simon Rattle, the most heralded young conductor of the last several decades, signed on to head the Berlin Philharmonic, widely considered to be the best orchestra in the world, it seemed like a failure-proof partnership. Rattle could shake up the stodgy Berlin establishment, while at the same time gaining the support of the musicians with his undeniable talent with the baton. But more than a year into the Rattle era, Stephen Everson isn’t seeing much to back up all the hype. At this year’s Proms, “it was very striking how little attention the players seemed to pay to their director, and how little his gestures seemed to demand of them.”
Best of Luck, Koo-Koo-Ka-Choo
A new magazine called Walrus launches this month in Canada, with the aim of becoming the Canadian version of The New Yorker or The Atlantic Monthly. Other publishers have tried this sort of thing before, of course, with generally disappointing results. But many in the industry are betting that the time is right for a homegrown mag catering to the highbrow crowd to seize the Canadian consciousness.
If Only They’d Known…
This month, a politician from Canada’s Liberal Party sent out a mailing to artsy types, urging them to vote Liberal, because the party truly cares about the arts. This was news to Martin Knelman. “Prior to that moment, few people in or out of the cultural world had any notion at all just what Dalton McGuinty’s view of arts and culture might be… If the arts are so important, why have the Liberals had so little to say that hardly anyone of my acquaintance knows anything at all about their policies?” Of course, none of the major parties have had much to say about the arts lately, but at least no one else is parading around like some sort of cultural savior.
What’s In A Logo?
New York’s Museum of Modern Art, better known the world over as MoMA, is changing its logo. Well, sort of. It actually looks about the same as it did before, with big block letters spelling out MoMA on a white background. In fact, even the typeface is the same. So what’s the difference? Well, you see, the old logo was awful and soulless. The new one is fresh and charming, but with a nod to tradition. Really, it is. Just ask them.
Whither The Blues?
“Can a media blitz save the blues? Do the blues need to be saved? And if the blues were to be saved, what would be their 21st-century role?” These questions have arisen because of a congressional proclamation, a PBS documentary, and the general perception that traditional blues music is fast become a museum piece. “The blues was once as audacious as hip-hop, as intimate as emo and as insubordinate as punk. So there’s never a bad time to recognize the blues.”
Trying To Hold On To An Orchestra’s Paper Trail
The now-defunct Florida Philharmonic will soon begin liquidating its assets, signaling the final demise of the organization. But many are hoping that, as has been the case in so many other cities where orchestras have failed, a new ensemble will rise from the ashes of the old one. The musicians are still around, for the most part, and a new board could be cobbled together fairly quickly. But there is one piece of the old orchestra that almost has to be preserved if a replacement group is to get off the ground successfully: the library. An orchestra’s library is its paper trail, the only physical directions its musicians have. But the Phil says that no one in the area has yet come forward with an offer sufficient to acquire the library.
Media Consolidation, UK Edition
The fight over how many separate media voices a single company should be allowed to own is not only an American issue. In Britain, two of the nation’s four broadcast networks are now owned by American media tycoons, a situation made possible by a change in the law governing foreign-owned television franchises. The general director of the BBC is still furious over the decision to allow American businessmen to control British programming, and he warns that new media legislation passed this summer will only further U.S. dominance of English culture.
Toronto’s Art Deco Renaissance
“When art deco arrived in Toronto in the late ’20s, it was more than an aesthetic or just a style; it was a declaration of faith — faith in the future and the power of technology. From the vantage point of today, such optimism seems naïve, even touching. The notion that art and industry can be combined, brought together in the service of mass-produced beauty, has been reduced to the lowest common denominator of mass marketing. Now, thanks to the Royal Ontario Museum and its London partner, the Victoria and Albert Museum, art deco is about to make a comeback, a rather splendid one at that… But the one form that the show can’t fully cover, architecture, can still be enjoyed in buildings around the city.”
Looking For Crumbs In California
This summer, the California Arts Council’s budget was slashed from $16 million to $1 million, a near-zeroing out of the state’s commitment to cultural spending. But at least one San Francisco legislator isn’t accepting the cuts: Mark Leno is attempting to restore about half of the council’s original budget through what he calls a “‘minimal’ entertainment-related fee — not a tax, he’s quick to point out — to directly fund the council.”