They’re back. London’s Proms concerts are the summer music fest every critic seems to love to hate. Big, showy, popular and rippling with gaudy nationalism, they also seem to grow each year. “As though to reinforce its paramountcy, the BBC has announced a season, to open on Friday, with more concerts than ever, more special events and an expansion of the Proms in the Park to embrace all four UK nations for the first time.”
Blog
Simplifying Historic Protections
The British government proposes to overhaul and simplify the complicated listings and protections of the nation’s historic buildings, sites and monuments. “A single list, maintained by English Heritage, covering everything from Victorian horse troughs to Stonehenge, is proposed to replace the present separate registers of buildings, sites, gardens and battlefields. Buildings are listed, monuments scheduled and gardens registered, each with different criteria and grading systems.”
Britten In Words
A trove of Benjamin Britten’s writings show how he tracked success through his career. “Although the sound and shape of Britten’s prose remained consistent throughout his life – a sturdy, knockabout style befitting an intelligent former public schoolboy – its function changed dramatically. Unlike his letters, which were never conceived as public proclamations, the tone of his published articles illustrates his evolving reputation.”
Appreciating Celia Cruz
“Celia Cruz, who died yesterday of brain cancer at 78, was one of the great singers of the century. Her voice inspired awe, her phrasing was unimpeachable, her output was prodigious and she had more of the ineffable quality sabor than perhaps any other singer in the history of Latin music. Sabor means flavor, but in this context it translates best as swing, and that’s what she did – swing hard – for 50 glorious years. She was the Aretha Franklin of salsa, the unchallenged queen. She practically invented the genre, and then went on to perfect it.”
Dylan Lyrics Trace Interesting Path Of Appropriation
“Bob Dylan’s appropriation of material from Junichi Saga’s ‘Confessions of a Yakuza,’ first published in 1989 and translated into English in ’91, isn’t merely another tale of purloined text (see Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jayson Blair, et al.). It’s a fascinating study in artistic process and influence. The path from a forthrightly anecdotal history of a professional Japanese gambler to a set of elusive, emotionally turbulent songs set in the American South is steep and mysteriously twisted.”
Miro Uncovered At The Guggenheim
A large Miro mural not seen by the public since 1990 is on show at the Guggenheim this summer. “The 20-foot-long mural comprises 190 ceramic tiles, with the name ‘Alice’ in huge, exuberant letters surrounded by Miró’s characteristic celestial shapes. The artwork was permanently installed in 1967, but it is usually hidden behind a false wall to accommodate the museum’s array of special exhibitions.”
The Mob Boss Wife And The Art Gallery
The widow of crime boss John Gotti is apparently an artist. And she’s having a show. “A Chelsea gallery is opening a show of Victoria Gotti’s artwork tonight – and a portrait of the late Dapper Don is one of 20 paintings up for grabs. Gotti, who is rarely seen in public, told the Daily News she’s been painting for years. She doesn’t have any professional training, which may be obvious to some art critics. But like Picasso, she apparently does have a blue period.”
This Year’s Emmy Nominees
This year’s Emmy nominations are out. HBO’s “Six Feet Under” got the most nominations, with 16, followed by three-time best drama winner “The West Wing” with 15. HBO’s “The Sopranos” received 13 nominations, along with the comedies “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Sex and the City.”
Boston To Create New Artist Center
Boston is about to break ground on a new project to develop artist spaces in three hundred-year-old warehouses. The Fort Point artist project is a $23-million, 206,000-square-foot complex. “Architectural designs for the project include 200-seat and 50-seat black box theaters, classroom and rehearsal space, an art gallery and cafe, and 89 units of artist housing ranging from 920 to 2,300 square feet. The collaborative also plans to rent about 7,000 square feet of office and retail space to nonprofit arts groups and arts-related businesses.”
How Costco Hurts The Book Business
Blockbuster books have led to huge sales this summer at places like Costco and Walmart – as well as smaller bookstores everywhere. But bookstore owners are not smiling. “The major discounting efforts of these non–bookstore chains are not stimulating and growing the market but simply shifting consumer dollars away from bookstores and other potential book sales. Consumers buying a mega–seller at a Walmart will not be discovering a book of promise, as such chains do not invest in authors and non–bestselling books. Bookstores do, and we are losing an opportunity to handsell other good books to these consumers who do not regularly visit and browse in a bookstore.”