A rare Picasso from the artist’s blue period sells at auction for $55 million. The price is a record for the artist at auction and the fifth highest price for any work at auction.” – New York Times
Tag: 11.09.00
WALL PAINTING
“Frescoes nearly 2,000 years old have been unearthed near Pompeii in the remains of what experts say may have been an ancient luxury hotel.” – Chicago Tribune (AP)
RIGHT TO WATCH
“A new British poll on film censorship suggests four out of five viewers would rather censor their own viewing, rather than watch poorly cut films. The study, Making Sense of Censorship, found that three quarters of those surveyed thought cuts in movies shown on television were the least appropriate methods of controlling content.” – BBC 11/09/00
PLAYWRIGHT OF THE DAY
“Patrick Marber’s lean, darkly funny writing has led some to dub him the heir to Pinter. Marber scorns the comparison – “Most younger writers are influenced by Pinter; I’m as much influenced by Stoppard and Oscar Wilde.” – The Guardian
SAVING MUSICAL THEATRE
“In an era when people who care bemoan the state of musical theater and wonder where future shows will come from, Hal Prince and his grown children are committing their prominence, connections and expertise to support and call attention to a new generation of composers.” – New York Times
MARGARET ATWOOD ON HER BOOKER WIN
“You know when you get to a certain age and stage, you do feel you go through a period where you’re unawardable, just as politicians go through a period when they’re unelectable,” Atwood said in an interview yesterday, the day after being awarded the Booker Prize for her 10th novel, The Blind Assassin. “I think they’re relieved they did this before I toppled into the grave.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)
THE SUCCESSFUL GHOUL
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is the oldest continually performing ballet in North America. But five years ago it had a crushing $1 million debt and its subscriber list had dwindled to 3000. Then it found “Dracula”… – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
NEW ORCHESTRAS IN SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa’s traditional arts organizations have been in turmoil since the government has cut back funding. Last July the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra went out of business. Now not one, not two, but three new orchestras are set to come into being. “Interested parties are convinced that Cape Town cannot support two orchestras, let alone a third. The tragedy-farce started after the CTPO management decided to liquidate the orchestra in an attempt to avoid the financial implications of paying a retrenchment package to its 80 musicians.” – Daily Mail & Guardian (South Africa)
A ROYAL MESS
London’s Covent Garden is in total disarray and not getting better any time soon. How’d it get in this mess? ” ‘It is brutally run by some deeply insensitive people, but to say there is a Mafia at work here is to credit them with too much organisation,’ said one well-known tenor.” – The Scotsman
THE PROBLEM WITH KISSIN
Pianist Evgeny Kissin was a star when he burst onto the concert scene 10 years ago at the age of 19 and dazzled the music world. He’s still wildly popular with audiences “But if Kissin is more popular than ever, music critics at several important newspapers have fallen out of love with him. These critics report that Kissin is playing worse, instead of better, as he gets older.” – Public Arts