Aisha Harris: “How are cinemas, TV networks, and classrooms rethinking how they present this historical epic and all-time box office king? And could it go the way of Hollywood’s original historical epic and first megablockbuster, 1915’s The Birth of a Nation, leaving it shown very rarely and almost exclusively in academic settings? To find out, I talked to theater managers, academics, television programmers, and fans. The answers I received were mixed, not least because Gone With the Wind is still big business.”
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Tourist Killed By Falling Masonry In One Of Florence’s Most Famous Historic Churches
“The stone piece, about 6 inches by 6 inches, fell nearly 60 feet after it broke off near a chapel on the right side of the [Basilica di Santa Croce], where it had been supporting a beam.”
Yo-Yo Ma Steps Away From Leadership Of Silkroad Ensemble
“Silkroad turns twenty next year. Like a teenager approaching adulthood, we are exploring our purpose in the world. … One thing we have discovered is the joy and significance of working as an ensemble, and at this turning point, we are formalizing a new approach to leadership that celebrates that collaborative spirit. To this end, I am thrilled to hand over the artistic direction of Silkroad to Jeffrey Beecher, Nicholas Cords, and Shane Shanahan, three extraordinary colleagues who have taught me so much about collaboration, music, and friendship.”
Court Rules For Matisse’s Heirs And Against Dealer In Case Of Stolen $4.5M Cutouts
“The judgment is a crushing blow to the French expert and dealer Jérôme Le Blay. The court ruled that his company Côté Art had not acted ‘in good faith’ in claiming to own the [two] works,” which were among the Matisse pieces stolen from a storage facility just after the 1989 death of the artist’s son Pierre.
Pierre Audi Of The Park Avenue Armory On Presenting New Work In The U.S. Versus Europe
The complaints we hear over and over again are that European audiences are more open to the new and European institutions are better funded. Audi, who’s spent nearly three decades running the Dutch National Opera and came to the Armory in 2015, says that audiences over here, especially in New York, are hungry for good work from all over the world. The problem is getting that work to the States.
‘One Of The Buddhas Of American Dance’
A reporter travels to the northeastern corner of Vermont to visit Steve Paxton, who was a star in Merce Cunningham’s company in the 1960s and went on to invent Contact Improvisation.
One Of UK’s Top Stage Directors Fired From Company He Founded Over ‘Inappropriate Behavior’
“Renowned director Max Stafford-Clark – the former artistic director of London’s Royal Court theatre – was forced out of the Out of Joint theatre company after a formal complaint that he made lewd comments to a member of staff. … A spokesperson for Stafford-Clark said the director had suffered from pseudobulbar palsy and ‘occasional disinhibition’ since a stroke and brain injury in 2006.”
Brazilian Artists Fight Back Against Right-Wing Activists Disrupting Art Events
“An open letter written by a group of Brazilian artists and art professionals that condemns ‘the rise of hate, intolerance and violence against freedom of expression in the arts and education’ in the country has been signed by more than 1,000 people since it was published online last week. … The letter cites a specific string of incidents that have happened over the past year, including the closing of an exhibition dedicated to queer art at the Santander Cultural Center in Porto Alegre … and a nude performance by the artist Wagner Schwartz at the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 10.23.17
Dark Matters from Finland
Tero Saarinen Company performs at the Joyce Theater. … read more
AJBlog: Dancebeat Published 2017-10-23
Music as Communication: with you, with myself, with it
I write music for three reasons that I can name, though there may be others that elude me. These three reasons jockey with one another for primacy from one work to the next, and sometimes … read more
AJBlog: Infinite Curves Published 2017-10-23
The Most Under-Rated 20th Century American Composer — Take Two
Back in the thirties and forties, there were no American music historians to tell the story of American classical music. So the task fell to a couple of composers: Aaron Copland and Virgil Thomson. … read more
AJBlog: Unanswered Question Published 2017-10-22
New Brown University Conductor Fired Because He Was Intimidating?
According to The Brown Daily Herald, orchestral students had complained about Brown’s leadership. Orchestra member Katerina Rademacher told the paper that Brown acted “in an intimidating manner that made students fearful and anxious to approach him.”