“Ticketholders to last night’s Montreal Symphony Orchestra performance expressed anger that a threatened strike on Monday could cut short a season subscribers have already paid for.” And while some concertgoers were sympathetic to the musicians’ plight (they have been working without a contract for 18 months,) many said that a strike was not the way to solve the problem. The musicians say that they are open to further negotiations, but none are scheduled before the Monday strike deadline.
Tag: 05.05.05
Dreaming Of A Better Tomorrow In Cincinnati
As you might expect, Cincinnati Symphony music director Paavo Järvi would like to have some input into the proposed renovation of his orchestra’s concert hall. One problem with the existing hall is that it seats 3,400 – almost 1,000 more than the average American orchestral venue – and there is a “constant perception of underachieving” even when attendance is good. But Järvi’s first concern is not for his musicians, but for the audience: “a drink before the concert in a trendy new bar, dinner afterward in a Music Hall café, a place to buy CDs and books, and great music” are all parts of the modern concertgoing experience, and orchestras are increasingly looking to up their “hip” factor as a way of attracting new audiences.
A New Chief For Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center has chosen Frank Bennack Jr. as itss new leader. Bennack has been chief executive officer of the Hearst Corporation. “In choosing Mr. Bennack, Lincoln Center appears to be seeking a leader in the tradition of the current chairman, Bruce Crawford: a stabilizing elder statesman with a long track record at the performing arts center. Mr. Bennack is 72 and has been a member of Lincoln Center’s board since 1994 and a vice chairman since 1999, as well as a managing director of the Metropolitan Opera Board.”
Maazel Opera Lacks “Voice”
Anthony Tommasini weighs in on Lorin Maazel’s new opera “1984”: “Unfortunately, though there are some compelling elements to “1984” and the creators received a fairly rousing ovation by the expectant audience, the opera is hampered by Mr. Maazel’s undistinguished score. The music is never less than thoroughly professional. But Mr. Maazel lacks a personal voice as a composer. What constitutes a compositional voice is hard to define. But you know it when you hear it.”
The Arab-American Story (Really?)
A new Arab American Museum is opening in Michigan. “Using high points of Arab culture as the foundation for the new museum makes perfect sense. Still, the narrative ends abruptly, without addressing the gradual disintegration of Arab intellectual and military dominance. At some point, curators ought to plunge into the contentious historical debate over the decline of Arab influence. That skirmish–pitting those who emphasize the deleterious effects of Ottoman and European colonialism against those who stress factors internal to Arab culture and Islam–sheds important light on the forces that have driven Arabs to come to America.”