“Theatre is rapidly changing, and audiences shun routine and crave something special. It may take the form of a day-long event – the shared experience of watching together from morning to night forges a sense of community. But the profusion of short plays also implies that audiences are happy to have a short, sharp theatrical shock, an intense experience as a prelude to dinner. To reverse Brecht’s dictum, first come the morals, then the bread.” – The Guardian
Tag: 12.27.00
WHY ENGLISH COMPOSERS DON’T RULE
“The term ‘English Composer’ was for so long an oxymoron that even after a century of high achievement it retains something of the pejorative. Preface it with the adjective “lesser-known”, and a mighty wave of mediocrity arises from the musical unconscious – a wave of meadowy pleasantries, warm-ale songs dressed up as symphonies and contrapuntal correctness masquerading as creative inspiration.”- The Telegraph (UK)
USING NAPSTER TO MAKE MONEY
The music industry has always feared whatever was the latest technological advancement. “But instead of trying to burn down the bridge that now exists between users and musicians (and their labels), why not use that bridge to create, say, a list of all the people who loved the latest Dido album? Then you can talk with them when it comes time to sell her next one. What’s that worth? Well, let’s see: you can sell way more copies of her next album.” – Inside.com
IF YOU CAN’T BEAT ‘EM…
“As record companies try to figure out how they can build businesses on file-swapping services, they need to think more about what people will use to listen to those swapped files. No one I know wants to center his own music-listening habits around a computer.” – The Standard
NEW YORK PHIL HELD HOSTAGE – DAY 486
The New York Philharmonic search for a new music director drags on – indeed, the orchestra seems further away from making a decision than it was a few months ago. “I think everybody would like to get the thing over and done with. But at the same time there is a very strong sense that we have to do it right. And there are different ideas of what `doing it right’ is.” – New York Times
THE BAD OF BIGGER IS BETTER?
Critics decry the consolidation of the book business and the decline of independent book stores. But anyone who has walked into a Barnes and Noble or Borders can see that most Americans have more access to a wider range of books of all qualities and types than ever before. Is this a bad thing? – Reason
NO HARRY HYPE
The Harry Potter books have been a sensation wherever they’ve been released so far. “The books have been published and released in nearly 40 countries and in nearly as many languages. But the mania seen elsewhere has not been attained in Russia. Most Russians have never heard of Harry, especially in hard-to-reach provinces. Even in Moscow, advertising and media coverage of the book release were minimal.” – The Age (Melbourne)
LAS VEGAS, CITY OF REFUGE
“Writers who escape or are exiled from their home countries for political reasons may find sanctuary in Las Vegas, as they also can in Barcelona, Frankfurt, Lausanne, Venice and 25 other cities around the world.” – New York Times
AGING THROUGH THE AGES
“If André du Laurens’s tract on the subject is to be believed, growing old must have been a positively blissful experience back in 1594.” So what happened? – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 12/27/00
GERMANY’S TOP TEN
What art the top German collectors bought this year. – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung