Brandon Stirling Bake: “In the same way that a painter may use a brush to create phrases and mix color, I’m doing that with light. And lighting also has rhythm and pace. My friends back home will say, ‘Why did you give up music?’ But I never gave up music. I just use a different instrument now.” – The New York Times
Tag: 01.09.19
As “The Millions” Is Sold, An Elegy For The Demise Of Book Blogger Culture
While other outlets butted heads over the right to be contemptuous and the still-thriving Gawker published a polemic against smarmy positivity, the Millions sidestepped the debate entirely. The sincerity of the site was singular, and refreshing — although some people remained skeptical. – New York Magazine
Recent Listening: Dave McKenna In Madison
Dave McKenna In Madison (Arbors)
McKenna (1930-2008) breathes life into this album, recorded in the early 1990s at Farley’s House of Pianos in Madison, Wisconsin and only recently released. — Doug Ramsey
In Defense Of Opera In English Translation
Mark Wigglesworth, former music director of English National Opera, makes the case: “If opera is drama first and foremost, why is the question of the language it’s sung in so hotly debated? Shouldn’t the same rules as drama apply? I don’t hear complaints about Ibsen or Chekhov being compromised by translations. … Both Verdi and Wagner were energetically supportive of translations. If we could ask them about surtitles, I suspect they wouldn’t understand the question.” — Bachtrack
UK Launches Campaign To Expand Music Therapy For Dementia Patients
Research has shown that musical activities have a variety of positive effects for dementia patients, but, despite encouragement from the NHS, financially strapped facilities often put music low on their list of priorities. A new campaign called Music for Dementia 2020 aims to change that. — The Guardian
At Shakespeare’s Globe, Dozens Of Staffers Face Layoffs
“The Globe’s exhibition space will close following what the London theatre has described as a ‘difficult financial year’, meaning several roles will be restructured and some teams merged. The theatre said the changes to its tours and exhibitions department would impact approximately 40 employees – about 14% of its 288-strong staff.” — The Stage
‘The Favourite’ Leads BAFTA Nominations
“Yorgos Lanthimos’s raucous period romp about a high-stakes love triangle in the court of Queen Anne [received] 12 nominations … Meanwhile Vice, the Dick Cheney biopic …, came away with six nominations. Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman has five, and Green Book and Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War have four each.” — The Guardian