“When Beethoven wrote his heaven-storming Ninth Symphony he cannot have imagined that the Ode to Joy would one day be played by an ensemble of 1,000 ukuleles. The attempt at the Albert Hall on Tuesday night was as sublime as it was ridiculous. … So full was the sold-out hall that room could not be found for the people who would count the number of players.”
Tag: 08.20.09
English Acts Make Up Half The Fringe; Foreign Shows Down
“[N]ew figures show the vast variety of thousands of performers making their way to Edinburgh every August – with acts this year from Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Albania and Malta as well as the largest contingents from America and Australia. Since 2002, shows from England on the Fringe have gone from 650 to 1,206 – more than half the 2,159 total this year.” Meanwhile, “despite the weaker pound, foreign shows have dropped sharply amid the credit crunch.”
Critics: Architecture Of President’s House Memorial Flawed
“The house’s dimensions are incorrect, the arc of a bow window is distorted, and the building’s now-infamous slave quarters are incorrectly located, the critics assert. Some historians and members of a committee charged with reviewing the memorial’s design and content say they are stunned by the vehemence of the complaints. Beyond that, they argue that the memorial … is less about architectural detail and more about the difficult story of enslavement at the heart of the new nation.”
Viewers’ Tweeted Picks, Pans May Have Instant B.O. Impact
“This summer, movies such as ‘Bruno’ and ‘G.I. Joe’ have had unexpected tumbles at the box office — just within their opening weekends — while ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ survived blistering critical reaction to become a blockbuster. Box-office watchers say the dramatic swings might be caused by Twitter and other social networking sites that can blast instant raves — or pans — to hundreds of people just minutes after the credits roll.”
Calatrava: Here’s Why Ground Zero Hub Costs $3.2 Billion
“‘The station itself is a fraction of this cost,’ said Calatrava. Indeed the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has swept a great amount of peripheral work into the station project — including 500,000 square feet of retail — which may prove far too much. … ‘I have designed stations in Zurich, Lisbon, and Lyons,’ Calatrava said. ‘And this is the most complex I have done.'”
Mona Lisa‘s Assailant Joins Long Tradition Of Art Attacks
“Mentally, a large number of art attackers appear to be several sandwiches short of the full picnic. … Nonetheless, such onslaughts on famous works of art cannot be exclusively explained by lunacy. There’s a spectrum of motivation ranging from the batty to the (almost) legitimate.”
Christie’s Nixes Art-Investment Fund, Loan Division
“Christie’s International has scrapped plans to start an art-investment fund and a lending division, according to two people involved with the projects. The move is another sign that the global economic slump is hurting the once-booming art market. … The closely held company wanted to compete more directly with Sotheby’s Financial Services, a subsidiary of Christie’s main auction-house rival.”