Washington DC’s central library was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and opened in 1972. Now the city wants to redevelop the area around the library, and the building is endangered. “Already, scores of District operatives are lining up for the political staring contest. The Committee of 100 on the Federal City and the Downtown Artists Coalition want the Mies building to house books—and not under the banner of Barnes & Noble.”
Blog
Is Music Better/Worse Depending On Who Wrote It?
Does a piece of music’s back-story change the way we hear it? Of course. But “do we serve music as a whole by giving attention to pieces whose qualities, taken by themselves, rarely rise above the competent and the agreeable? In other words, does a life that resonates with profound circumstances justify the reputation of music that falls short of such depths? Music moves the spirit in a way that other arts do not. Dare we compromise its integrity, no matter how moving the story attached? Some would say not.”
Rethinking All That Moving Around
Western dance – particularly ballet – has emphasized athleticism (and thereby youth). But more and more, dancers are exploring the Asian tradition, which is less athletic, and concentrates more on the upper body. “By the time critics notice something in art, artists have almost always long since led the way. So it is with Asian dance and its impact on the West, which has by now insinuated itself into our dance vocabulary. Ballet remains popular, and rightly so: there is something thrilling about artistically inflected athletic accomplishment, and we’ll always respond to that. But feats of studly skill are not all there is to dance, and Asians know it.”
Gergiev – A Falling Star At The Met?
Conductor Valery Gergiev was greeted as a star at the Metropolitan Opera when he first arrived. And the reviews were terrific. But “in recent seasons he has had tense relations with the Met musicians and choristers, who are from all reports dismayed by what they consider his idiosyncratic technique, lack of focus and penchant for showing up late to rehearsals. That tension, and even hostility, showed. What is going on? Few artists have risen so fast at the Met.”
Appreciating The Barnes Collection
The Barnes Collection, outside Philadelphia, is one of the America’s great collections. “The Barnes collection, all 8,000 pieces of it, is like a multilayer cake. The masterpiece paintings that traveled around the world between 1993 and 1995 are the creamy, highly visible icing. Underneath, less readily noticed, other specialized groups of objects produce a fascinating and incomparable texture. These subcollections are themselves of splendid quality and variety. Not only are they aesthetically stimulating, but they also help to create the distinctive displays, called ‘ensembles,’ that make the Barnes unique.”
FreeRiders – On The Backs Of Famous Writers
A new category of novel is developing, one we might well call ‘Freerider Fiction.’ In these books, the author rides the reputation of some true- to-history literary figure to a place he probably would not have reached on his own. Some recent examples of Freerider Fiction (FRF) are Monique Truong’s ‘The Book of Salt’, Kate Taylor’s ‘Mme. Proust and the Kosher Kitchen’, Helen Humphreys’ ‘The Lost Garden’ – and, of course, Michael Cunningham’s ‘The Hours’.”
US Combat Artist Corps
US forces in Iraq include two “combat artists,” “part of a tradition dating back to the American Revolution, charged with going into war to capture its ‘essence’. Unlike war photographers today, combat artists are in no way restricted by the military. Their orders: Go forth and do good. That’s it. Absolutely nothing is dictated, from the medium to the subject to the tone.”
The difficulty of War Art
Art about war is difficult. Passions of artist and viewer have to be negotiated, and the symbolism can be complicated. “With so few works considered truly enduring, is it possible that the power, ugliness and odd beauty of war is simply inexpressible, even in art? If it can be expressed, then who is qualified? Do artists have to see first-hand what they translate into art?”
San Diego’s First-Couple Of The Arts
Ann and Ian Campbell run San Diego Opera. As general director, Ian Campbell is the primary decision-maker, the one most responsible for determining the repertoire and singers as well as the artistic goals. Having headed the 38-year-old company longer than anyone else, he has come to symbolize San Diego Opera, whether in boardrooms or classrooms, radio or television. Ann Campbell is San Diego Opera’s director of strategic planning and special projects, responsible for the company’s earned and contributed revenue.”
It’s Piazzolla Time
“Although often vilified in his lifetime, in the years since he died in 1992, the Argentinian musician Astor Piazzolla, who invented what he called “new tango”, has become lauded by increasing numbers in the classical world as one of the greatest contemporary composers of the last century.”