Does the success of “Chicago” and “Moulin Rouge” mean movie musicals are making a comeback? “It wouldn’t be the strangest trend to ever sweep through pop culture, but it wasn’t that long ago when talking about a revival of movie musicals would have been akin to speculating on the horse-and-buggy craze that was just around the corner. In fact, today’s 18-34 crowd has been watching musicals since they were kids, in the form of all the Disney movies that got popped into the VCR whenever mom and dad needed a break.”
Tag: 01.12.03
Revolution – How Digital Will Create A New World Order
A new book from Sweden says the digital revolution – “the move from a society controlled by printed and broadcast mass media to an information age that provides interactivity is ‘at least as dramatic as the move from feudalism to capitalism’. The more information technology dominates, the more culture, society and the economy change. It’s the birth of a ‘whole new world’ — a world undergoing a paradigm shift right under our noses. Say goodbye to the nation state and governments. Capitalism will be no more and its chief proponent, the bourgeoisie, will gradually lose power and become a mere ‘underclass’.”
Is New “Rings” Installment Racist?
Is the latest movie installment of the “Lord of the Rings” racist? “In the nearly five decades since “Lord of the Rings” was first published, Tolkien fans were willing to overlook parts of the text some condemned as racially insensitive. In “Rings,” it was argued, race was never directly addressed in the book, and physical descriptions of enemy humans were rare. Better to focus on the “Rings'” main themes: of courage, hope and love, of friendship, loyalty and spiritual strength, in the face of a fearsome threat. But like the ghostly faces in the Dead Marshes, that irritating issue of race always lingered just beneath the surface” and with the new movie, some critics are raising the issue.
University Press Editors – Gatekeepers To Academia
To get tenure at a big university, a young professor must publish books. “Recently, chief academic administrators have begun to demand that candidates for tenure publish two books, not just one, because more is somehow better; they actually don’t give a damn which presses churn out all these unreadable, uninspiring volumes.” But if books are the admittance pass, the book gatekeepers – editors of the university presses – have amazing power over the careers of academics. Is this a good development?
For Hire – Boston Symphony Hires Without Levine
Hiring musicians is one of an orchestra music director’s biggest responsibilities. “A music director has to put his stamp on the orchestra.” But James Levine, chosen to be the Boston Symphony’s next music director, wasn’t able to begin the job for three years. In the meantime, what about hiring players? Surprisingly, Levine isn’t part of the process – the players themselves will choose who gets hired. It’s an unusual arrangement – only one other US orchestra chooses players this way – Levine’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Slatkin: The Key To My Success – Choosing Players
In eight years Leonard Slatkin has remade Washington DC’s National Symphony. The key to his success? Choosing the right players. “The personality of an orchestra reflects the tastes of the music director. Sometimes you can encourage existing members to alter their approach to suit your purposes, but for the most part, you inherit the sound of the previous conductor, assuming he had one. Therefore, it is the appointment of new personnel that determines the overall sonic characteristics of the orchestra.”
Art Of Collecting Books
Book collectors are book lovers. And book lovers love libraries, right? Uh uh. “Collectors abominate lending libraries. They are graveyards of good books. Everything a librarian does to prepare a book for lending disqualifies it as collectable. Stamps are slammed on the title page, label pockets gummed to the rear pastedown, dust wrappers discarded, covers vulcanised in plastic – or, in those days, a toffee-brown buckram tough enough to withstand acid. Restoring a library book to collectable condition is like trying to return a Kentucky Fried Chicken to the state of health where it can lay an egg.”
Material Breach – Moden Art Falling Apart
Modern art materials are falling apart in their cases and storage closets. “As the most adventurously made art ages, inherent vice has overtaken collectors and museums largely unprepared for its ravages. Fat is melting. Cellulose nitrate is powdering. Rubber is disintegrating. Nettles are crumbling. Dried mud is flaking and blowing away. The contemporary art conservator must be open to ingenious and humble solutions, not just technically sophisticated ones.”
Bail-Out For Winnipeg Symphony (WSO Sold Only 40 Tickets For Opener)
Three levels of government bailed out the Winnipeg Symphony on Friday, amid rumors of financial mismanagement and a $1 million deficit this season (added to a $1.8 million accumulated deficit). “For its gala season opener in September, the consultant reports, the WSO sold only 40 tickets at full price when the Centennial Concert Hall had a capacity of 2,223. The WSO claimed 1,456 tickets were sold, but 1,230 of these were freebies.”
MP3 – Learning To Listen In A Different Way
Sure, portable MP3 players are convenient, but they also change the way you listen to music. “Play with these portable gadgets enough, and you find yourself listening more actively, thinking like a DJ – seeking the mind-bending segue or the track that kicks things into another gear, savoring this surreal mix-and-match moment in which historical artifact rubs up against disposable remix. You start to imagine all sorts of new-frontier ideas – kiosks in airports offering custom mixes (by Moby, Nikka Costa, anybody) or an hour’s worth of music from unknown talents selected by some veteran coolhunter.”