Orchestras are not in the habit of telling conductors how to do their jobs – it’s supposed to be the other way around. But with Yakov Kreizberg stepping in at the last minute to fill in for the ailing Wolfgang Sawallisch on the Philadelphia Orchestra’s South American tour, the orchestra has taken the unusual step of asking the maestro to tone down his ‘antics’ on the podium, and to leave the tempos where Sawallisch put them. Kreizberg, by all accounts, has taken the chiding in stride, and Peter Dobrin says that the unusual talking-to seems to have done some good.
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Should The Barnes Audit Be Made Public?
Lincoln University, which has a major role in the oversight of the Barnes Foundation, has petitioned a judge to make public an audit of the Barnes that has been depicted in the media and in a book as being very critical of the Foundation’s management. “Keeping the audit confidential does a disservice to the public because the information contained therein in numerous instances reveals diligent and persistent efforts to improve the administration of the foundation.” The Barnes is seeking to lessen Lincoln’s influence and make a move to Philadelphia.
Cutting Out The Middleman
The recording industry is going after a website based in Spain, which claims that it has found a legal way to offer downloadable music without the consent of the labels which control its distribution. Puretunes, which plans to offer unlimited downloads for a much lower price than many comparable services, says that it will pay royalties directly to the artists, and will take advantage of a loophole in Spanish copyright law to bypass the corporate side of the industry. Not surprisingly, the industry has a very different interpretation of Spanish law.
James Wins Jerwood
“An Australian-born artist based in Wales has won this year’s £30,000 Jerwood Painting Prize. Shani Rhys James, best known for her colourful self portraits, beat fierce competition to receive the honour – the UK’s biggest single award for painters… Ms James was up against shortlist of established and talented artists – John Hoyland, John Wonnacott, Marc Vaux, Alison Watt and Suzanne Holtom.”
Blockbuster Breaker – Too Many People
It’s good to know that there’s an audience for art, but what about those exhibitions where so many people press in that you can’t see anything? “Big, high-profile loan shows are now so crowded it’s almost impossible to see what you’ve come to see – the art. Which raises a question: Has the blockbuster become a victim of its success? Is it now defeating the very purpose for which it was invented?”
Are Yank TV Stars Good For London’s West End?
The West End’s thirst for American TV and movie actors seems insatiable. But are they good for London theatre? “Some months, it seems that any Yank with their TV or film career on the skids can come over here without a by-your-leave and grab worthless showbiz headlines with the revival of some hoary play that only serves to confirm Richard Eyre’s thought that London’s West End has all the appeal of a yawning grave. Worse yet, many of the West End plays in which American actors have starred have been by US playwrights exploring US themes.”
“Hitler” Will Lose Money For CBS
Despite good reviews, CBS’ mini-series on Hitler looks to lose plenty of money. The first installment failed to attract premium advertisers. “The lack of a major advertisers will mean that CBS will not be able to recoup anything near its costs for the miniseries. The losses could top $6 million for the two nights, according to estimates. Apparently, advertisers were scared away by the movie’s provocative subject – the early years of Hitler – and by the controversy that was sparked last year before filming even began.”
Yawning At Cannes
“Walking out of bad movies has been all too common for many American studio film buyers at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Even films that stirred early interest have met with a tepid response from U.S. film distributors. That’s a major disappointment for companies such as Miramax, Lions Gate, Focus Features, IFC Films and others that rely on what they can pick up from film festivals for as much as half of their total slate.”
Not Your Mother’s Theatre
“Not so long ago, high-profile revivals tried to be time-travel experiences, replicating the original sets and disinterring original cast members. Now, the pressure is on old works to reveal new things. Sometimes they are forced into it, with revised librettos and resequenced songs. Yet truly canonical works rewrite themselves by not changing a word or a note. History does that for them…”
Iraqi Artists – How To Cope With Freedom?
Being an artist in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq was to live under creative oppression, worrying about what was required to work or even survive. Many artists wonder if they will ever be able to develop their own voices after years of tyranny. “My professional life was lived during the years of Saddam Hussein. I developed my style of writing during these years and now it’s become my style, set in concrete. Maybe only the new generation can reclaim the Arabic language.”