Germany’s recording business is the third largest in the world. But it’s having problems, says a leading exec. “The problem the music industry has got is that they aren’t willing to accept that the classic way of doing business is over and out. So the music industry in its current form over here is pretty much in the state of a zombie.”
Tag: 02.21.05
South African Film Wins Berlin
A South African reworking of the Carmen story has won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival. “U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha, which moved Georges Bizet’s story to a township and translated the lyrics into Xhosa, was a surprise winner of the Golden Bear.”
Dancing Through Christo’s Gates
Christo’s Central Park Gates are art, sure. But they’re also a kind of dance through the park, writes Tobi Tobias. “The project as a whole makes a major part of its impact through repetition. This repetition, as you tread The Gates’ paths, deftly turns footfall into drum- or heartbeat. Martha Graham used the same steady-pulse phenomenon in the formally paced entrances and exits that frame the sections of her Primitive Mysteries. Laura Dean, choreographing to the music of Steve Reich, made it the keystone of her contribution to postmodern dance.”
Cultural Toppers Attack British Arts Policy
British cultural luminaries are attacking the government for its arts policies. “The Government is facing a backlash from some of the most important figures in British culture, who accuse it of betraying promises to support the arts. In a move that will alarm ministers just weeks before an expected general election, arts leaders have spoken over their concerns about the potentially devastating impact of a spending freeze.”
Frayling: Gap Between Arts And Government Growing
Arts Council England chairman Christopher Frayling is disappointed in government attitudes towards the arts. “The arts often remain an afterthought in government policy – and the arts are often the first to suffer when money is tight. To make matters worse, governments can also interfere in the arts. Lately, I have sensed the distance between the Arts Council and the Government is narrowing. The Government clearly thought we were being ungrateful after the big uplifts to arts in previous spending rounds. We felt betrayed that the Government had decided not to continue with its investment of new money – despite all the success. A strange decision, since the upward curve of the arts was one of country’s good news stories. It was up to then an uncompromised record – so why start compromising now?”
Producers Takes Top Prizes At Oliviers
“The Producers won three prizes at the UK’s most prestigious annual theatre awards, while Mary Poppins won two. Alan Bennett’s The History Boys was the big winner in the straight theatre categories, picking up three trophies.”
Snob Appeal – The Power Of Books
“No one ever went broke overestimating snob appeal. It’s one of the most marketable vicarious pleasures. And it colors writing well beyond Cinderella fiction. Biographers are often drawn to elite subjects. Chick-lit heroines are perennially obsessed with status. The coming-of-age memoir gets more attention if its narrator learned about life at a socially prestigious school. And a diet book has more cachet if it cautions against too many tartes aux pommes rather than too many Twinkies.”