Why has ballet completely vanished from the radar screen of most Americans? There are plenty of reasons, but one of the primary ones may be that classic dance hasn’t been seen on American television in decades, with the exception of the odd Nutcracker showing. “Things were different in the ’60s and ’70s, when Edward Villella would fly through the air on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ one week and swap one-liners with Tony Randall on ‘The Odd Couple’ the next… Back then, dance was the most glamorous of the lively arts. Now it’s the one most in danger of slipping through the cultural cracks.”
Tag: 11.25.06
Reinventing The CBC (For Better Or For Worse)
“Richard Stursberg took over as the CBC’s executive vice-president of English TV a little more than two years ago. It has been a fractious time, at best. Year one left him with a $100-million budget shortfall due to the season-long lockout in NHL hockey, the CBC’s single-richest source of revenue… Stursberg is now in the midst of perhaps the most radical retooling of CBC television in its history. Most would agree that it’s sorely needed. But whether he’s presiding over its rebirth or its death rattle depends on whom you ask.”
Using Mozart To Promote The New And Different
It’s the year of Mozart in Vienna, with festivals on top of festivals celebrating Austria’s most famous son. So what is notorious provocateur Peter Sellars doing here? And why isn’t his new festival (which claims to be “inspired” by the boy wonder) featuring a single note of Mozart? “The music of New Crowned Hope ranges from operas by John Adams and Kaija Saariaho to a concert series by illegal immigrants living in Vienna. Alice Waters is cooking; Cambodians are dancing a version of “The Magic Flute”; homeless women are serving tea.”
Italy Scores A New Museum (With An Assist From Florida)
“The Museo Carlo Bilotti is Rome’s newest cultural gem, with extraordinary art housed in a fastidiously restored 16th-century marble palazzo smack in the middle of Villa Borghese. But wait. Carlo Bilotti? A Medici? A Borghese? Guess again: Mr. Bilotti, who died last week at 72, was a loquacious retired Italian-American perfume executive from Palm Beach.”
Taking Online Music Old School
“Long before the closing of Tower Records was announced, the notion that a music store should offer a comprehensive selection of classical recordings had been abandoned. Older discs, which typically sold too slowly to help bricks-and-mortar stores meet their costs, were deleted from record labels’ catalogs. But they remained desirable to collectors, and the Internet music retailer ArkivMusic has recently introduced the ArkivCD program as a way to keep these recordings available.”
Giving The Comic Book A Shot Of Estrogen
Girls have never been a big focus of the comic book industry’s sales strategy. But that could be changing, as one of the dominant companies in the comics business begins a major push to get teenage girls reading what are now called graphic novels. “The stories will be far removed from the superheroes who more typically appeal to young males.”
Those Have To Be Some Awkward Conversations
Tom Stoppard’s plays have never made for light, easy theatrical evenings. So it’s no surprise that his latest has resulted in a few early walkouts in New York. But Stoppard is genuinely interested in what audiences think of his work, to the extent that he has begun quizzing those leaving the play after the first act.
Embracing The New
“Salvation may well come in digital form” for orchestras struggling with the bottom line. CD sales may be down, but classical fans are discovering downloading in droves, and several forward-looking orchestras are doing everything they can to take advantage.
Locking In The Conductor (And The Money)
The North Carolina Symphony has extended the contract of its music director, Grant Llewellyn, through the 2011-12 season. “Since he started in 2004, donors have been giving more money. Major donors wanted to know how long the state would be able to keep Llewellyn, which helped extend his contract.”
Florida’s Arts City?
Fort Lauderdale may have lost its resident orchestra several years back, but the city is fast becoming a cultural hub in South Florida, where the arts have traditionally been a very tough sell. Chief among Fort Lauderdale’s assets is a top quality concert hall in a prime location.