The Australian aboriginal art market has been rocketing up in recent years. But lately some of the higher-profile offerings haven’t been making their pre-auction estimates…
Tag: 11.15.05
In San Francisco: Symphony And Opera Initiatives
“Both the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Opera inaugurated projects over the weekend designed to cajole patrons or patrons-to-be into the groups’ respective halls, and to better appreciate what they saw and heard once they got there. The target audiences could not have been more different, but the underlying impulse was not dissimilar.”
Menuhin’s Son Ousted From Violinist’s Foundation
“The son of Yehudi Menuhin was ousted as head of the German branch of the music foundation set up by the violinist and humanist after comments he made to a newspaper run by Germany’s leading far-right party, the foundation said.”
Vienna Phil’s First Time With A Woman
Australian conductor Simone Young became the first woman ever to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic last weekend. “Although the mixed-metaphor reviewers were underwhelmed, we have it on good authority that they were generally courteous and even deferential — a signal perhaps that while Vienna’s musical life is stuck in the 19th century, it has some grace, intelligence and dignity.”
Tivo Is Losing Ground To Generic DVRs
“The research firm that conducted the study said that TiVo’s standalone set-top box is failing in two areas: its inability to record two shows simultaneously and to play back shows in high-definition TV quality. This may not sound like a big deal, but after watching ‘Lost’ or ‘The Sopranos’ on HD, there is no going back.”
Recording Industry Launches New Wave Of Lawsuits
The recording industry has launched another round of lawsuits against digital downloaders. “The International Federation for the Phonographic Industry said it was launching 2,100 legal cases and extending the action to five new countries in Europe, Asia and, for the first time, South America. It said file-sharers in Sweden, Switzerland, Argentina, Hong Kong and Singapore faced prosecution for the first time.”
Hollywood Unions Want Product-Placement Rules
Movie and TV writers say they’re “being told to write the lines that sell this merchandise and to deftly disguise the sale as a story.” “Recent examples include the regular glowing endorsement of Cisco computer security by the characters in [the] US action TV series 24. The heroes also used a fleet of Ford cars as they battled with terrorists. Filmgoers are regularly exposed to products being worked into movies.”
Why Are People Replacing CDs, Records With Digital?
Because they lose discs. “The survey found 25% of people prefer to listen to music via their PC or MP3 player rather than a hi-fi. And 35% of those questioned by ICM opted for storing their entire music collection in MP3 format rather than CD or cassette. The figures show the average person owns 126 albums but 37 have had to be replaced for various reasons.”
Chicago Symphony In Multi-media 3D
The Chicago Symphony launches a new multimedia program. “Designed by Gerard McBurney, a British music historian and BBC program host, the introduction deftly mixed vintage photos projected onto a huge overhead screen, excerpts from Strauss’ letters, commentary from his contemporaries and short excerpts from the tone poem itself. The pacing was seamless, the information on Strauss and his era coming in easily digestible but never watered-down nuggets. When the CSO played the entire work straight through after intermission, the large audience couldn’t help but feel like newly minted connoisseurs.”
Google: How About Digital Books For Rent
“Apparently, the company pitched a plan to an unnamed publisher to offer short-term access (about a week) to book content for roughly 10% of the purchase price. Users could only read the book online — they wouldn’t be able to print or download the content. However, the publisher reportedly refused, saying the price was too low.”