“Unlike most other architectural stars, Renzo Piano has no signature style. Instead, his work is characterized by a genius for balance and context, an ability to establish inventive correspondences between his buildings and those that surround them. Until now, New York hasn’t had a building by Piano, but his expansion of the Morgan Library, which has just reopened as the Morgan Library & Museum, is the beachhead for what may become a significant presence in the city.”
Tag: 05.22.06
Peace Reigns And Dollars Flow At SF Opera
Three years after agreeing to wage and benefit cuts in an effort to help their organization dig out from under a $4.4 million deficit, the musicians of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra have a new contract which will restore the cuts, and boost minimum salaries to nearly $81,000 within five years. “The agreement was reached after a week of negotiations and well in advance of the current contract’s expiration date in August.”
Updike Savages Book World’s “Digital Revolution”
Assessing the impact of the internet on the publishing world has become a cottage industry in itself, and even more than a decade into the online age, no one is truly sure of what the eventual balance between paper and screen will be, and the battle between the “technorati” and the “literati” is raging behind the scenes. This weekend, at one of the publishing industry’s biggest annual events, the oft-subsumed debate exploded into the open, courtesy of the mouth of author John Updike.
Drama Desk Awards Handed Out
“The Drowsy Chaperone was chosen best musical of the New York theatre season, and The History Boys was named best play in awards given Sunday by the Drama Desk, an organization of theatre journalists and critics… Lead musical performance prizes went to John Lloyd Young for playing pop star Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, and Christine Ebersole for her work as both a mother and daughter in Grey Gardens, a look at two eccentric Long Island relatives of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.”
Outsourcing The Gift Shop
Museum gift shops aren’t what they once were, and the biggest change is one that you’ll never see on the surface as you browse amid the trinkets and exhibit books: “the trend for institutions to hire outsiders, chain retailers, to run their gift shops… For museum stores, outsourcing is more than a tempest in a replica teapot. It’s a threat to a gold mine.”
Amidst The Hype, Struggling For Attention
BookExpo America is a massive event, bringing together “some 25,000 publishers, booksellers, authors and agents.” With a crowd like that, you’d suppose that an up-and-coming author looking for a book deal couldn’t help but strike pay dirt. You’d suppose wrong. “Getting the attention of the booksellers, who are besieged by the blitzkrieg campaigns of the large and medium-size publishers, is particularly difficult for small presses or self-published authors, who often must overcome negative perceptions.”
Real Sales With Bill Maher
Amazon.com has enlisted the service of comedian Bill Maher to host a new online talk show intended to help sell the books and music Amazon proffers. But will Maher (who is one of the most vocally political comedians since Bill Hicks) be able to keep his political views out of the program and avoid alienating a sizable demographic? Amazon is banking on it…
Mao On The Block
A Chinese-American collector has announced plans to sell a well-known official portrait of Chinese leader Mao Zedong at auction in June, where it is expected to fetch at least $120,000. The pending sale has sparked a furor in Chinese internet chat rooms, with many observers saying that the portrait belongs in a national museum, not a private collection.
Féting Joe Volpe
Outgoing Met Opera general manager Joseph Volpe went out in style on Saturday night, as the focal point of a five-and-a-half hour gala featuring the biggest stars of the opera world. “About 30 solo artists, along with the Met chorus and ballet troupe, performed 36 selections under the direction of a tag team of conductors… Even with a top ticket price of $5,000, the house was packed.”
Should BBC Leave Rock Radio To The Private Sector?
A European think tank is urging the BBC to sell off two of its main radio services, arguing that Radio 1 and Radio 2 (which play pop/rock music) serve no compelling public interest beyond pure entertainment, and that their existence stunts the growth of commercial radio stations.