Strike At Bayreuth Averted (Or At Least Postponed)

“Bavaria’s annual celebration of Richard Wagner has likely avoided what would have been its first-ever strike. The tension has now been diffused – and the new directors spared major embarrassment. Marathon pay talks between the union and the festival management collapsed early Tuesday, but a new round of negotiations has now been scheduled for July 22.”

Pablo Picasso, Left-Wing Activist

“Picasso’s cold war career as a highly political painter, peace campaigner and tireless fundraiser for leftwing causes will be revealed in an exhibition at Tate Liverpool next spring that will include letters from world leaders, including Nelson Mandela and Ho Chi Minh, as well as a telegram from Fidel Castro congratulating the artist on being awarded the Soviet Union’s international peace prize.”

Danish Monarch Unveils Her Newest Costume Designs For Ballet

“Queen Margrethe unveiled the colorful costumes Wednesday for The Swineherd, a ballet based on a story by Danish fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen. She used stark colors – acid green, pink and purple – or large polka dots to give the costumes of the royal characters a cartoonesque touch. … It’s the fourth time Margrethe has designed costumes and sets for a stage adaptation of Andersen’s work.”

Who’ll Buy Live Nation’s Fleet Of UK Theatres?

“Live Nation has officially signalled its intention to offload its portfolio of UK theatres. That portfolio includes two major West End musical houses (the Lyceum and Apollo Victoria), a one-third stake in the Dominion, and some 14 regional houses, including major theatres in Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Oxford.” Whoever buys them will buy — or, likely, expand — a power base as well.

Cultural Olympiad Gets £16M And A Boldface Board

“Tony Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House, was today confirmed as the chair of a new Cultural Olympiad board,” which “will comprise Arts Council chief executive Alan Davey, Royal Shakespeare Company director Vicky Heywood, Barbican managing director Sir Nicholas Kenyon, BBC director general Mark Thompson, Tate director Sir Nicholas Serota, the mayor’s adviser on arts and culture Munira Mirza, and Jude Kelly, the Southbank Centre artistic director who has been overseeing the project to date.”

Are The Proms Living Up To Their Promise?

“[D]o the Proms actually matter – meaning, are they a truly live force in our culture? It’s a fair question, because there’s no doubt that the Proms were a truly live force when they were born in 1895. What founder Robert Newman promised was nothing less than a social and musical revolution. ‘I will run nightly concerts and train the public by easy stages,’ he declared, ‘Popular at first, gradually raising the standard.'”