“Despite the terrible moniker, and the scorn of modernists and traditionalists alike, minimalism is triumphant. You can hear the echo of its pounding beats, static harmonies and slowly shifting patterns everywhere in the wider world of music, from TV commercials to film scores to pop music.”
Tag: 01.07.15
The Massacre Of French Cartoonists Will End Up Strengthening Art Itself
“Artistic forms — be they performance, installation, or more traditional methods of image-making — have come to the fore as a way of answering violence, challenging the official routes of art distribution.”
Michigan’s Oldest Opera Company To Lose Its Longtime Director
“‘Die Frist ist um,’ Lyall said, paraphrasing The Dutchman’s opening line, ‘The time is up,’ in Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. ‘I wasn’t asked to leave,’ he said. ‘This was strictly, 100 percent, my choice.'”
Cultivating A Youthful Orchestra (And Classical Music Audience)
“Despite the graying of the classical music audience — or perhaps because of it — American orchestras and major music institutions are chasing youth with ever more ambitious programs to reach, and teach, the next generation of players.”
Julianne Moore Says She’s Not A Brave Actress (Her Directors Disagree)
David Cronenberg, on one ickily Cronenbergian moment in his Maps to the Stars: “That scene definitely freaked out several actresses. With Julie it wasn’t even a discussion.”
Here’s How Robots Will Take Over The World (Really)
“Yes. I think eventually, robots will take over your job. If you work in the fast food industry, I think at this point the whole restaurant could just be run by robots. I’m not trying to insult fast food workers – I’m just trying to tell the truth. A robot can make some chicken nuggets and a robot can take your order. Robots can clean up and they don’t make many mistakes.”
Will Cable TV Rates Go The Way Of Airline Add-On Fees?
“Several studies have shown that, contrary to many peoples’ intuition, the unbundling of cable service could actually lead to slightly higher prices for fewer channels.”
The Paris Magazine Massacre And The Right To Commit Blasphemy
Jonathan Chait: “The Muslim radical argues that the ban on blasphemy is morally right and should be followed; the Western liberal insists it is morally wrong but should be followed. Theoretical distinctions aside, both positions yield an identical outcome. The right to blaspheme religion is one of the most elemental exercises of political liberalism. One cannot defend the right without defending the practice.”
The Charlie Hebdo Shooters Aren’t Defending Islam, They’re Degrading It
William Saletan: “The fantasy of these terrorists, like those who previously bombed Charlie Hebdo and attacked a Danish cartoonist, is that they’re honoring Islam. But they aren’t. They’re disgracing it. When you murder people in the name of Allah, you fulfill the most pernicious of all Muslim stereotypes. You do so not in ink, but in blood. Your crime sows fear of all Muslims. You don’t avenge the caricature. You are the caricature.”
Charlie Hebdo’s Most Controversial Religious Covers, Translated And Explained
“While they’ve mocked everything from Sept. 11 to Michael Jackson, Charlie Hebdo has riled up the most controversy when covering religion, particularly the Prophet Mohammed – whom many Muslims believe it is forbidden to depict.”