L’Adresse symphonique may be a great improvement over the notorious Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, but critics from Montreal, Toronto and even Paris have begun complaining that Artec’s acoustical design for the hall is, at best, not settled yet.
Tag: 10.22.11
The Centurie’s-Long Battles Over Proper Punctuation
“People fuss about punctuation not only because it clarifies meaning but also because its neglect appears to reflect wider social decline. And while the big social battles seem intractable, smaller battles over the use of the apostrophe feel like they can be won. Yet the status of this and other cherished marks has long been precarious. The story of punctuation is one of comings and goings.”
Little Red Corvette, Why Have You Turned All Silver And Boring?
“Cars of yesteryear (if we accept yesteryear to mean the 1960s through the early 1980s) were often painted in bright, popping colors–supersaturated pigments in hues that don’t appear on most modern vehicles.” Why?
Will Jane Austen Spin-Offs, Knock-Offs, Spoofs And Homages Ever Go Away? Don’t Be Ridiculous
A mash-up of “The Thin Man” and “Pride and Prejudice?” Yes, please, says Scott Simon of NPR in an interview with writers Frank Delaney and Diane Meir.
Note To Museums: If You’re Selling One Of Your Biggest Assets, You’d Best Retrench
“A year is a long time for a museum to be closed. Two is an eternity. At three, they bring in the forensic unit to determine the identity of the body.” In Philadelphia, the Atwater Kent not only plans to be closed at least three and a half years and has also just sold a valuable portrait to cover renovation costs.
Writers’ Workshops Do Too Matter, Says Iowa Director
In an MFA program, says Lan Samantha Chang, “you have more time to think, and you have time to think about your life. And to think about the lives of other human beings. That is a privilege, but it is something that a lot of people need and want. It’s a privilege and a basic human need. Our society pushes us toward productivity in a way that is antithetical to our basic needs.”
Cost Per Seat? $390,000: Bolshoi Reopens Amid Fraud Investigation
“Gold leaf has been meticulously layered on carved mouldings and light fixtures glisten. Seats have been re-covered in plush red velour. … But the project is years overdue and so far over budget no knows for sure how much it will end up costing.”
Ugly Characters Need (Publishers’ And Readers’) Love, Too
Lionel Shriver (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”): “Do we always want to read about characters who conform to current political conventions–who don’t smoke, never say anything bigoted, and always recycle their yogurt pots?”
Bounded In A Nutshell, Or Actually, An L.A. Elevator
These actors take Hamlet (and other Shakespeare plays) where it’s not necessarily welcome – or understood. “I thought they were practicing for their night jobs as actors,” says one accidental audience member. “It’s L.A.”
Ballet’s Costume Sale ‘Like Lord Of The Flies’
Watch out for flying toe shoes! Little did the Oregon Ballet Theatre know that its two-day costume sale wouldn’t even last two full hours.