For Washington National Opera music director Philippe Auguin, “the hallmarks of American opera are theatricality, accessibility, directness – all things that set it apart from European contemporary fare.”
Tag: 01.11.12
Bolshoi Ballet’s Resident Loudmouth Dismissed From Ballet Master Post
Nikolai Tsiskaridze, a star dancer who kept himself in the news this fall by publicly insulting both his theater’s renovation and his company’s first foreign member (David Hallberg), has received notice that his teaching contract at the Bolshoi has been terminated.
First Look At The Gardner Museum’s New Wing
“The Gardner’s new wing is next to the Venetian-style palazzo, connected by a glass passageway. The new building, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, includes galleries, a restaurant, a 296-seat concert hall, space for educational programs, a greenhouse, and artist residences. The 70,000-square-foot space will also serve as the museum’s new entrance.”
Portland (OR) Burgeoning New Dance Scene
“Between the vibrant poles of Oregon Ballet Theatre at one end and White Bird Dance at the other are such flourishing outfits as Northwest Dance Project, BodyVox, Conduit and tEEth, as well as individual choreographers and dancers as varied as Tere Mathern, Gregg Bielemeier, Josie Moseley, Rachel Tess, Linda Austin, and Katherine Longstreth. And new performers just keep flowing into the city, or cropping up from its own development programs.”
Guggenheim Proposes New Museum In Helsinki
“Helsinki city councillors are expected to decide on the $180 million US project in February. If approved, the earliest the museum could open in the city of 600,000 people would be in 2017.”
Random House Takes Over Canadian Publisher McClelland & Stewart
“Since 2000, Random House has had a 25 per cent stake in McClelland & Stewart, a Canadian publisher established in 1906 with a renowned stable of authors that includes Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen, Rohinton Mistry, Farley Mowat and Michael Ondaatje. The decline in sales of print books, pressure from digital publishing and the difficult economy have put financial pressure on McClelland & Stewart in the past few years.”
Beethoven Letter Turns Up
“We’ve always known it existed, therefore the information in it isn’t new, but anything in its original form to do with Beethoven is hugely significant. It means we can look at his handwriting, which was always untidy, because his father took him out of school very early so he could concentrate on music.”
Trinity Church Wall Street Suspends Its Acclaimed Music Program
With an ambitious program of weekly free concerts as well as ticketed performances, all garnering packed houses and critical hosannas, “Trinity Church, the major spiritual center of the financial district, was bidding fair to become its major cultural center as well.” But church leaders have decided to “recalibrate the music and the arts program,” cancelling most scheduled concerts as well as cutting back on music for services.