“Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes sparked a revolution in taste after the first world war, taking modernism out of the salon and into the music hall. … [But] less well documented is the spell he cast over British film.” That spell led to a couple of tantalizing near-misses.
Tag: 12.22.10
Philip Johnson’s Final Building, Now a Gay Church
“The Interfaith Peace Chapel was the last building Johnson designed before his death. Originally intended as a smaller piece of an enormous but still unbuilt cathedral, the freestanding chapel looks more like a biomorphic sculpture or a cave.” As of November, the Chapel is home to the largest gay church congregation in the US.
The Odd Position of History Plays in America
“The US largely lacks a tradition of historical drama. We pioneered the panorama and the pageant and with the living newspaper plays of the 1930s helped forge the transmutation of yesterday’s headlines into tomorrow’s two-act. But we have nothing like the history plays of Shakespeare to serve as a dramaturgical model.”
Jiri Belohlavek Named Czech Philharmonic’s Chief Conductor
“Renowned Czech conductor Jiri Belohlavek is to take over as the new chief conductor at the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2012.” The 64-year-old, currently chief conductor at the BBC Symphony, will be taking the reins of a greatly admired ensemble which has suffered several years of major political upheaval.
Oh Yes, There Is Free Will
“In light of recent research into the workings of the mind, personal responsibility is threatening to become a casualty of science, and free will is looking like a frighteningly fragile construct.” But new books by two different researchers come to a similar conclusion: we’re not off the hook for our decisions.
Why Isn’t There More Good Christmas-Themed Theater?
“Audiences want to see uplifting, holiday-theme family fare, and if it provides a respite from shopping, cooking and struggling to get along with the in-laws, they will pay top dollar for it. … [What’s] absent from the theatrical menu, especially on Broadway and in the large, prestigious nonprofit houses, are original holiday dramas that are entertaining, accessible and even sentimental.”
Warning: UK Artists Need To Freshen Their Thinking
“British contemporary art’s current fame is a product of long years of prosperity when political questions about justice and equality seemed to have vanished from modern culture. But this year real life was radicalised and that will become even more true in 2011. So where does this leave modern art?”
Great Year For Australian Ballet
“The popularity of all things dance has helped the Australian Ballet finish the year on a high. Audiences, income, education programming and, of all things, merchandise sales are up on last year. But so are costs.”
Toronto Theatre Assailed For Late Funding Application And Play Choice
“Bureaucrats bent over backwards to bend the rules and shovel federal cash to a Toronto theatre festival that staged a sympathetic play about a terrorist who wanted to blow up downtown Toronto.”
Artist Charges Iran Is “Kidnapping” Artists
“Jailed filmmaker Jafar Panahi accused Iranian authorities of ‘kidnapping’ Iranian artists to intimidate them, according to a transcript of his trial plea published in France Tuesday.”