With rumors having circulated for so many years, “it will come to the surprise of no one if tiny skeletons come tumbling out of James Levine’s closet like candy from a piñata. At the same time, if any and all of those accusations were to be untrue, no one would stop for a second to consider that an allegation is hardly proof. … And since you can’t prove a negative (or innocence, really), James Levine is now absolutely damned, because it’s just too convenient and all-too-plausible to believe what is being reported.”
Blog
New York City Ballet Boss Peter Martins Accused Of Sexual Harassment
The School of American Ballet said in a statement that it “recently received an anonymous letter making general, nonspecific allegations of sexual harassment in the past by Peter Martins at both New York City Ballet and the school. … Thus far, our investigation has not substantiated the allegations in the letter.” Several former dancers say that “Mr. Martins was known for sleeping with dancers, some of whom received better roles because of their personal relationships with him.”
Glyndebourne Opera Boss Departs After Less Than Two Years
Sebastian F. Schwarz, who became general director of the English “country-house opera” festival in May 2016, basically said (in the euphemistic way of such statements) that he isn’t cut out for running a private, non-state-funded company.
Shashi Kapoor, Star Of Bollywood And Merchant-Ivory Films, Dead At 79
A second-generation member of one the Hindi cinema’s leading families, he was one of the busiest actors in the world in the 1970s and ’80s, starring in well over 100 Bollywood productions. His English-language career, begun alongside wife Jennifer Kendal for Merchant-Ivory, ranged from Shakespeare Wallah through Heat and Dust and Siddhartha to The Deceivers and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid.
Turmoil At Royal New Zealand Ballet As Nearly Half Of Dancers Leave
“It’s understood close to half of the current 36 dancers employed by the national ballet company will have left by the new year, not all by choice – less than six months after a new artistic director took over. It’s the second year in a row the national ballet company … has gone through an artistic upheaval.”
Minnesota Opera Artistic Director To Retire After 23 Years
Dale Johnson, alongside longtime president Kevin Smith, saw the company through more than one crisis and led it to become one of the most admired regional opera houses in the country, one with a special emphasis on producing new work.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 12.04.17
Bug, Trapped
A hapless grasshopper found itself in the news not too long ago because it was trapped, a permanent visitor to a one-painting museum called Olive Trees. You may have wondered, as I did, … read more
AJBlog: Out There Published 2017-12-03
Bit by bit
“You’re not going to watch this, are you?” he asked in apparent amazement when I showed up for the first tech rehearsal. “Watching tech is like watching paint dry.” Maybe so, but I was in the house for every minute of both rehearsals, and found them … well, not exactly thrilling, but completely involving. I’ve been watching tech – all of it – ever since. … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2017-12-04
Monday Recommendation: Preminger’s Meditations
Noah Preminger, Meditations On Freedom (Dry Bridge Records)
Tenor saxophonist and composer Preminger timed the release of this album for the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president of the United States. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2017-12-04
Sea Rise With Threaten Major Archaeological Sites
“While climate change imperils humanity’s future, it also imperils its past. A new study out in PLOS One quantifies that in alarming detail: Just in the southeastern United States, a sea level rise of one meter would inundate thousands of archaeological sites, from Native American settlements to early European colonies.”
This Year’s Top Music Video Was Seen 4.4 Billion Times
The reggaeton-pop tune by Luis Fonsi, featuring Daddy Yankee, was number one in 47 countries.
UK’s Creative Industries Grew Twice As Fast As The Rest Of The Economy Last Year
Now worth £91.8 billion in terms of gross value added to the UK, the sector grew by 7.6% over the year, while the economy as a whole grew by 3.5% in the same period.