“On the surface, Lisbon seems to support a healthy plethora of venues – from the huge neoclassical Teatro Nacional on the commercial Rossio square to funky, hilltop cafe theatres such as Teatro Taborda – and companies, from established names such as Teatro Cornucopia, co-founded by Melo, to bands of kids performing experimental works in the grounds of mental hospitals. However, theatre here is afflicted by one overwhelming, trenchant problem: a lack of audiences. At the country’s National Theatre – a sumptuous auditorium seating 500, where I witnessed Titus Andronicus playing to a crowd of 120 – a paltry 25% house is regarded as a resounding, sell-out smash hit. Shows in the city are regularly cancelled when theatregoers fail to materialise.”
Tag: 09.13.03
Music That Describes Our World
“Tone-painting differs from musical expression in that it seeks tangibly to conjure physical things in tone. This idea has been around as long as music has. An ancient Greek story tells of a master of the aulos, the classical double-pipe instrument, who improvised a description of a battle so hair-raising that people were talking about it for the next 200 years.” Bach was the ultimate master of it, but Beethoven, Liszt, Wagner and Brahms were expert at painting scenes with music.
Old Doesn’t Necessarily Equal Good
There was a time, not too long ago, when any building more than a few decades old was likely to be sneered at as a dinosaur. More than a few architectural gems fell prey to a hasty wrecking ball, and many cities around the world are worse off for the loss of culturally significant buildings which were momentarily considered eyesores. But now, the pendulum may have swung too far the other way in Britain, with the heritage movement becoming so powerful that any criticism of old buildings is considered heresy. Patrick Wright would like to see some sort of balance, some acknowledgement that there are still a few old dinosaurs out there that simply aren’t worth saving.
Period Performance Comes Of Age
The “authentic performance” movement was once viewed as a rebellious collection of obsessives, at once fascinating and annoying, but nothing that threatened to invade the larger world of classical performance. But these days, historically-informed performance is the norm for most ensembles, and while you don’t see a symphony orchestra tuning its instruments down to play Mozart, the days of hacking through 18th-century music as if it had been composed by Gustav Mahler are over. Meanwhile, the true period purists, such as the Toronto-based Tafelmusik, continue to soldier on, devoted to their idealistic view of music in context.
Dallas’s Colorful New Skyline
Dallas’s skyline gets a burst of color this week with the opening of the new Latino Cultural Center, and architect Ricardo Legorreta is already being credited with designing the most exciting piece of skyscraper architecture ever to hit the Metroplex. “Already there is evidence of color creep. The window frames of one adjacent apartment building have gone from hunter green to electric blue; another has been meticulously outlined in enchilada red. The blue tower and the terra cotta wedge of the performance hall are already landmarks, and the doors aren’t even open.”
15 Yards For Unintentional Satire
This week, the National Building Museum in Washington will confer a major award for urban design on… the National Football League. Seriously. A collection of billionaires, who specialize in extorting money from cash-strapped cities which they then use to erect concrete bowls full of seats that no one but the economic elite can afford to rent for a few hours, is receiving an award for responsible and forward-thinking urban planning. And did we mention that many of these stadia are not in urban areas at all, but in suburban sprawlville? And did you see that tacky monstrosity of a kickoff show they mounted on the National Mall a couple of weeks back? Linda Hales did, and she’s not pleased with the NBM’s decision.
Atwood’s Adolescent Alliteration
“If Margaret Atwood’s mighty novels give you morbid migraines, don’t miss her mesmerising manuscript for mini-readers, in which her mission is mainly mayhem and mischief. Also to massage the mood of her publisher Anna Porter by maybe making her millions. But after you read Atwood’s new book for rugrats Rude Ramsay And The Roaring Radishes, rolling in letters R, resist the relentless repetition of the same sound at the start of every word. You will resemble a robot and be repellent to your relatives and roommates. Ridiculous? Just try to refrain.”
Barnes Finally Moving To Philly?
The Barnes Collection, an internationally renowned art collection which resides in a suburban community outside of Philadelphia, is one step closer to moving into the city itself. The Barnes move has long been a desire of local politicians and arts leaders, but internal and external politics have conistently intervened. Now, a deal has been struck between the Barnes and Lincoln University, a local state school which has historically held the right to appoint board members for the Barnes, under which Lincoln will drop its objections to the move. The deal must now be approved by a county judge.
What The Heck Is A Fascist, Anyway?
People seem to be throwing the term ‘fascist’ around a lot these days, and when you think about it, no one really seems to have any idea what it means anymore. Oh, sure, everyone knows that fascists are bad guys, and no one wants to be publicly identified as one. But how exactly can Osama bin Laden, George W. Bush, Saddam Hussein, John Ashcroft, and parents who send their children to bed early all be fascists? Alexander Stille is concerned that such a fascinating and evocative word may be losing its meaning altogether. It may be time for a gentle reminder that ‘fascist’ is not a synonym for ‘powerful person who makes me want to scream.’
Charlotte Talks Make No Headway
With a federal mediator attempting to bring the Charlotte Symphony’s striking musicians and management closer together, two days of contract talks have apparently gone nowhere. Talks broke down this weekend after the orchestra pulled several conciliatory portions of their latest offer off the table, and reverted to a flat demand that the musicians accept pay and benefits cuts to make up a $650,000 deficit.