A design for Atlanta’s new concert hall, designed by Santiago Calatrava, has been unveiled. “The building, roughly as tall as 13 stories, features a ribbed-glass roof surrounded by a metal collar. A smaller version, which houses a recital hall and learning center, nestles on the south side. Each is adorned with a free-standing, ridged steel arch that is 186 feet (about 18 stories) at its highest point. The Spanish architect calls it the feather.”
Tag: 02.08.05
New Hall Sign Of Atlanta Symphony’s Fortunes
The Atlanta Symphony’s new hall is just one more sign of the orchestra’s soaring fortunes. “It might open in 2011, at the earliest. But in the short term, it’s likely these designs further invigorate an orchestra that’s already on a steep ascent, since the 2001 debuts of conductors Robert Spano and Donald Runnicles as its artistic leaders.”
The Golden Decade (The 50s?)
“The 1950s have an image problem. Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe are now the decade’s most famous faces: a pair of troubled celebrities who abused drugs and died young. Visual shorthand for the decade is always the same: black-and-white clips of row after row of cloned houses in Levittown, or gaudy tailfins on cars, or H-bomb clouds mushrooming over Bikini Island.” But maybe this is all wrong. Brian Murray contends that “the literary 1950s were a “third flowering of American talent.” In fact, American literature of the 1950s “now asserts special claims to greatness,” drawing energy from a decade that was far from being “smug and absorbed with its own splendors.”
Group Calls For Boycott Of Canadian Movie Theatre Chain
A group opposing same-sex marriage in Canada is calling for a boycott of Famous Players (the country’s biggest theatre chain) because of an ad being shown in the chain’s theatres. The ad “calls on theatre patrons to contact their Member of Parliament to say they support the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. ‘We are deeply saddened by Famous Players Theatres’ decision to subject unsuspecting moviegoers to ads promoting same-sex marriage,’ says the group.
Italy To Sell Off Public Broadcaster RAI
The Italian government says it will sell off 30 percent of RAI, the country’s public broadcaster. The sale should be complete by the end of the year. “A media reform law passed in 2004 eased restrictions on media ownership and paved the way for the partial sale of RAI and some of its branches. The controversial law once again raised accusations that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi – a billionaire media tycoon as well as a head of state with influence on the public broadcaster – faced a conflict of interest.”
Appreciating Karl Haas
“Haas’ program cut an idiosyncratic path through the forest of music appreciation, seducing listeners through his humanistic exploration of music and ideas, his irrepressible enthusiasm and gentle humor. His melodious German accent — he was born in the city of Speyer and settled in Detroit in 1936 after fleeing the Nazis — carried Old World authority. But he cut against professorial stuffiness by adopting a casual manner: chatty, anecdotal and off-the-cuff.”
How A South Dakota Library Stuck Up For Imprisoned Cuban Librarians
In March 2003, Castro’s State Security police arrested independent librarians who provided access to books excluded from Cuba’s censored library system. “These ‘subversive’ independent public librarians were sent to Castro’s foul prisons, along with the other dissenters. During the raids on these independent libraries, the offending books were confiscated, and many of them burned.” A tiny library in South Dakota “adopted” a Cuban library, sending books and drawing attention to the plight of the librarians…
Armed Conflict – Coming To A Screen Near You
Get ready for a slew of films and TV shows about war on American TV. “Not since World War II has Hollywood so embraced an ongoing conflict. It took years for pop culture to tackle the Korean and Vietnam wars, and it took time before the country was ready to be entertained by those politically charged conflicts. With Iraq, however, and after 9/11, all bets are off.”
Top Of The Pops – New Charts Redefine “Bestseller”
What are the most popular songs in the land? As the music business has changed, it’s been harder and harder to tell. Some songs have made the bestseller list for sales of only 5,000 copies. “This week, Billboard began figuring in download sales in its main pop singles list, mixed with the two other factors it long leaned on — radio play and retail sales. At the same time, the magazine has introduced a new, download-enhanced chart that more accurately measures those songs that truly are the most popular.”
Indie Musicians And The Benefits Of The Web
All this shouting by recording companies about getting paid and protecting the rights of the artists. Somehow, writes Lawrence Lessig, the voices of independent musicians have been lost. Take the band Wilco, which dumped its label, went to the net, and found themselves more popular (and profitable) than they had ever been…