“Most art world denizens would instinctively say yes. But if by “change” you mean, can art on its own change global warming, stop Iran’s president from denying the Holocaust, or halt the spread of AIDS, the answer, I’m afraid, is no. In concert with other things, however, art can change the world incrementally and by osmosis.”
Tag: 09.07.06
WTC – A Forest Of Towers
We finally get a look at the towers that will surround the World Trade Center site. Doesn’t mean they’ll really be built (WTC politics being what they are) but here they are. “The name-brand architects – Norman Foster of London; Richard Rogers, also of London; and Fumihiko Maki of Tokyo – tweaked the standard Manhattan office-building recipe rather than producing signature star turns.”
A New Day Dawns In Montreal
Kent Nagano has taken his first bows as music director of the long-beleagured Montreal Symphony, and Arthur Kaptainis says that there’s no question that the new boss has brought some big new ideas with him. “Textures were clear and rhythms distinct. It was as if we were reading the score with our ears.” But the most striking aspect of Nagano’s musical style may just be how seldom you notice him. “His podium style is so fluid and so naturally integrated with the sounds he creates that he seems less a conductor than a vessel for the music.”
NPR Cans Classical Shows; Minnesota Picks ‘Em Up
Two of public radio’s most widely listened-to classical music programs are jumping halfway across the country. “Performance Today” and “SymphonyCast” have been dumped by the increasingly news-oriented National Public Radio, and will soon begin being produced by American Public Media, the national distribution arm of Minnesota Public Radio, which also distributes “A Prairie Home Companion,” “Marketplace,” and many other widely heard programs. “Performance Today” has been dropped by a number of stations over the last few years as classical music has become a tough sell with local stations.
Detroit Will Wait Another Year For New Contract
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra and its musicians have agreed to extend their current contract by a year, effectively giving the organization a 12-month wage freeze, and allowing both sides plenty of time to negotiate a new deal. DSO musicians agreed to hefty pay cuts in 2002 as part of a plan to revitalize the orchestra’s fiscal picture, but that contract came backloaded with large pay increases this past season.
Detroit Will Wait Another Year For New Contract
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra and its musicians have agreed to extend their current contract by a year, effectively giving the organization a 12-month wage freeze, and allowing both sides plenty of time to negotiate a new deal. DSO musicians agreed to hefty pay cuts in 2002 as part of a plan to revitalize the orchestra’s fiscal picture, but that contract came backloaded with large pay increases this past season.
Author, Publisher Settle Reader Lawsuits
James Frey and Random House, his publisher, have agreed on a settlement of reader claims over Frey’s memoir fraud. “Neither Mr. Frey nor Random House are admitting any wrongdoing, but consumers who bought the book on or before Jan. 26 — when both the publisher and author released statements acknowledging that Mr. Frey had altered certain facts — will be eligible for a full refund.”