"By the time he was diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of 34, Kafka had already spent two decades worrying about disease. He took his holidays at convalescent spas, while letters to friends and lovers often amounted to little more than catalogues of symptoms." - Aeon
Over a career that spanned half a century, Mr. Kalichstein presented thoughtful, impassioned and deeply musical performances of the piano repertoire from Bach, Mozart and Brahms through the masters of the early 20th century, including Bartok, Prokofiev and Shostakovich. - Washington Post
Materre, who has died at 67, distributed Daughters of the Dust in the 1990s, as part of her work as "a distributor and educator who promoted Black women’s voices in film and released influential independent movies by Black creators." - The New York Times
McGowan, who has died at 90, "created a new international area of academic study, now known as early dance, and received national honors in both Britain and France." It's hard to imagine modern thinking (or movies) about the French court untouched by her scholarly influence. - The New York Times
She studied with Andrés Segovia and is a virtuoso in classical and flamenco styles. "At her shows, after she sings and gyrates to a set of disco numbers,” writes Amanda Hess, "she slips backstage, emerges in the tuxedo, picks up the guitar and blows everybody's mind." - The New York Times
Almost nobody knows him back home in England, but in China — thanks to a chance meeting while waiting to renew his visa — Kevin Lee (or Kaiwen Li in Chinese) has become a familiar face in several popular action franchises. - BBC
If his name was less well known to the museumgoing public than those of Met directors like Thomas Hoving or Philippe de Montebello, two towering figures under whom Mr. Hawkins served, he was their near-equal when it came to the ultra-rarified networks that undergird the museum. - The New York Times
“From the start of the invasion of Ukraine by the armies of Vladimir Putin, I’ve felt deep dread and a certainty that this will be a bloody and horrific conflict,” writes Baryshnikov, in the submission titled, “The Ukrainians are fighting for all of us.” - San Francisco Examiner
It is fascinating to realize that McLuhan only becomes more of a prophet the further our world turns to the digital. As Paul Levinson notes, McLuhan’s metaphors were extravagant and malleable because they had to be. - LitHub
“We’re not prepared to change our position,” Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, said in a statement. “If Anna demonstrates that she has truly and completely disassociated herself from Putin over the long term, I would be willing to have a conversation.” - The New York Times
After a long period of house arrest and a travel ban based on embezzlement charges widely understood to be trumped-up, the dissident director has settled in Germany. - Variety
While he claimed to have “never got 1 cent” for creating the GIF technology, his invention transformed the internet ecosystem and the ways in which people communicate online. - Slate
Over a 17-year tenure, she stabilized the orchestra's finances; led it through the Great Recession, a bitter 2011 strike, and COVID; saw the appointment of two music directors; and launched an impressive set of new programs, from neighborhood concerts to live-streaming performances. - Detroit Free Press
Not that his influence ever went away, "but if Warhol seems particularly ubiquitous right now, that’s because he is — onscreen, onstage, in museums and in the streets." (The article doesn't even mention Todd Haynes' Velvet Underground documentary, with prominent Warhol moments.) - The New York Times
