“Q: Did you ever write something that you later regretted or reconsidered?
A: I’m not complacent. I regret commas, adjectives, clumsy turns of phrase, even if nobody else is bothered by them. Worse, I’m dismayed by the factual inaccuracies I’ve committed. Opinions I regret less. So what if you hated the world premiere of The Rite of Spring or Waiting for Godot? Those are tough pieces that are easy to misunderstand even now.”
Blog
Yeah, The Art World Is A Cesspool. I Still Love It
“I hate this toxic rot and junkie-like behavior. Yet I love art and the art world. I hate the portrait of that world contained in this movie, but I also recognize in it what I love.”
Boston Ballet Opens New Project For Female Choreographers
“[Artistic director Mikko] Nissinen [has] established the new ChoreograpHER Initiative. It begins Thursday and Friday with sold-out performances in the company’s BB@home series — a showcase hosted at Boston Ballet’s South End headquarters — that, for the first time, will feature six emerging women choreographers who are dancers within the company.”
The Pianist Who Plays Beethoven For Sick Elephants In Thailand
In videos posted to his Facebook and YouTube pages, Barton plays classical tunes to the elephants, who appear to be captivated by the sounds — and by Barton himself. Barton, according to CBS News, said in a video that he and his wife “liked the sound of the place being a retirement center for old, injured and handicapped former logging and trekking elephants.”
New Synthetic DNA Technology Being Used To Combat Theft Of Rare Books
“Booksellers have always had to contend with warding off book thieves hungry for valuable volumes. As part of its ongoing efforts to deter book crime, Raptis Rare Books in Palm Beach, Florida, is employing a new piece of technology called synthetic DNA.” Here’s how it works.
Houston Symphony Musicians And Management Sign Three-Year Contract
“The contract calls for a 4 per-cent raise in the 2019-2020 season followed by a 4.1 per-cent increase in salary in the 2020-2021 season. There is no raise for the current season where the musicians’ base salary is $97,940 per year.”
There Are Better Ways To Measure A Publisher’s Success Than Money
“How do we measure commercial success? There seem to me to be five measures, all important but all with shortcomings.” Richard Charkin, former head of Bloomsbury Publishing and former president of the International Publishers Association, argues that “building up cash reserves is not in itself an indication of success. What really matters, in my opinion, is the building up of publishing assets.”
How Steve Reich Came To Be Writing For Orchestra Again After Three Decades
“I was in L.A. because we go to L.A. every January or February … And I was looking at the orchestral setup here [at the L.A. Phil] and I thought, ‘Hmm, those first desk strings are really in a tight semicircle.’ They could hear each other very well. And the first two flutes and first two oboes and first two clarinets are ditto, also close in. If I were to add two vibraphones and two pianos, I’d have exactly the piece I was working on at the time, Runner … This is the ensemble that is [already] sitting there in most orchestras.”
Knight Foundation Gives $20 Million For Arts In Detroit
“Calling Detroit the new Berlin for its thriving arts scene, Alberto Ibargüen, president, CEO and trustee of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, announced Wednesday that the nonprofit will invest $20 million in arts organizations in the city through 2023.”
Shakespeare In The Park’s Delacorte Theater To Get Its First-Ever Renovation
“The Public Theater has decided to address the decaying areas behind and below this iconic amphitheater in Central Park, which hasn’t had a major overhaul since it was built in 1962. On Wednesday, the Public announced a $110 million upgrade, designed by the architect Bjarke Ingels, to begin in 2020 and to be completed by 2022.”