Downes says the “chemistry” between performers, between performers and audiences, and between all people and music explains why — during social upheaval and at times of great joy and heroism — classical music is a natural anecdote or a means of celebratory expression. “People pull out Beethoven when world events happen and they just need something beautiful.”
The Kids Used To Be Rebels. Today’s Youth? Not So Much
“Their values can seem either too extreme or frighteningly bland. Or both at once: They have astoundingly authoritarian ideas about free speech, and they love bubble gum pop. They never believe exactly what we want them to believe.”
Why Hasn’t Science Been Able To Explain Morality?
“I’m talking about the failure of the social sciences to develop a satisfactory theory of ethical life. A theory that could explain why humans are constantly judging and evaluating, and why we care about other people and what they think of us. A theory that could explain something so trivial as the fact that social scientists care about data fudging.”
‘Billionaires, Bombers, And Belly Dancers’: The Long History Of Arab Characters In Western Movies
Arwa Haider goes back to the beginning – Rudolph Valentino’s Sheik and vamp Theda Bara (whose name is an anagram of ‘Arab death’) – through Back to the Future and Indiana Jones to today’s (inconsistent) improvements, especially from Arab-descended Westerners.
Putin Doesn’t Need To Censor Books – Publishers Do It For Him
Masha Gessen: “Several [Russian] publishers have inquired about buying the rights to [my] biography of Putin that has done very well in another 20 or so languages, but each time, negotiations have ended with a vague, ‘Well, you must understand,’ often followed by an even vaguer ‘Maybe some day.'”
BBC Considers Scrapping Channels Altogether
“Senior executives are understood to want a ‘content-first approach’ more similar to output from BBC children’s and sport divisions, rather than one based on how and where people watch or listen. While the BBC is dedicated to keeping its channels and stations on the air, executives believe that rapid changes in the way people consume BBC content means a new structure would be more appropriate as well as save money.”
New Insights Into How Our Brains Mark Time
“Over the last few years, a handful of researchers have compiled growing evidence that the same cells that monitor an individual’s location in space also mark the passage of time.”
World’s Largest Jazz And Blues Record Store Closes
“We had a lot of people knocking on the doors this morning. We did open at 10 and did a fair amount of business for the short time we were open. Once the deal was finalized, that’s when we had to close the doors.”
As Bad As The News Is These Days, Our World Is Better Than It Was Even A Century Ago, Let Alone A Millennium
“The 20th century marked an inflection point – the beginning of humanity’s transition from its ancient crises of ignorance to its modern crises of invention. Our science is now so penetrating, our systems are so robust, that we are mostly endangered by our own creations. … Most people around you now do not want to kill you to get your phone, torture you until you profess their religion, or prey on your credulity until you join a racist gang. Some may – but not many.”
Boston Is Trying To Figure Out How Artists Can Bring Different Thinking To City Planning
“In 16th century Europe, wealthy rulers of church and state often commissioned artists to live and work in their courts — you might say that Michelangelo was embedded in the Vatican. Today’s artists in residence may not paint the ceiling of City Hall, but they will surely contribute to Boston’s renaissance.”
‘Father Of Quebec Cinema’ Alleged To Have Been Pedophile
“A new biography about Claude Jutra – an actor, writer and director who is considered one of the founding fathers of Quebec cinema – says he was a pedophile who had sexual relations with boys as young as 13.”
Paris’s Biggest Private Art Museum Hosted Blockbuster After Blockbuster – And Now It’s Closing Down
The gallery, “which had ruffled the feathers of the French capital’s major museums with a string of blockbuster shows on Edvard Munch, Jackson Pollock, Man Ray and the Chinese terracotta warriors of Xian, said its takings had dropped by a quarter in two years.”
‘The Revenant’ And ‘Mad Max’ Rule At BAFTAs
“The Revenant … was named best film while [Leonardo] DiCaprio won best actor and Alejandro G Inarritu best director. … Apocalyptic action movie Mad Max: Fury Road took four awards: for make-up and hair, editing, costumes and production design.”
Novelist Pat Conroy Has Pancreatic Cancer
“The man behind such books as The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, and The Great Santini shared the news on Facebook, writing of his Lowcountry home and plans to continue working.”
Classical Grammys: Bostonians, Seiji, Joyce And Tony, Stephen Triumph; You Can Guess Who Won In Musical Theater (Alexander)
No, it’s not 1979: the Boston Symphony and Seiji Ozawa won for two separate recordings. So did composer Stephen Paulus.
Jazz Grammy Voters Choose Experience Over Youth
Pianist Joey Alexander, 12, got multiple nominations for his debut album, My Favorite Things, but came away from the ceremony empty-handed. Recording Academy members mostly went for more familiar names, such as Maria Schneider, John Scofield, and Christian McBride.
The Producer Of The Grammys On Making Musical Moments And Predicting The Winners
“We’re also faced with some challenges that we haven’t had in the past, in particular the loss of some pretty significant people, artists, performers who we feel the need to in some way recognize on the show. So things keep changing.”
New Technology Gives A New Look At Van Gogh’s Colors
“Natural chemical processes in the paint changed their colors over time, making them appear similar in the 127 years since the second was composed. ‘They’re light sensitive so it makes sense that the fading would progress from the outward in,’ Casadio said. The x-ray data helped researchers develop color maps of the paintings in their original forms, and she conceded that the maps may not be precisely what Van Gogh painted.”
Ai Weiwei Keeps The Focus On Refugees
“Ai Weiwei has covered the front of a Berlin landmark with 14,000 bright orange lifejackets found on the Greek island of Lesbos.”
Composer Steven Stucky, 66
“Best known for his orchestral music, Stucky wrote for many of the US’s major ensembles, including the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland and, above all, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he was resident composer from 1988-2009.”
The Woman Who May Decide The Future Of CBS, MTV, Paramount And More
“Shari Redstone and her father have famously clashed over the years. Disputes have often centered on who would lead the companies after he was no longer able to do so.”
Citing Misty Copeland As An Inspiration, Muslim Teen Hopes To Be First Hijab-Wearing Pro Ballerina
With her crowdfunding effort going viral, “Stephanie Kurlow, from Australia, will have her school fees paid for her by Björn Borg, a company founded by the world-famous Swedish tennis player, after the brand was ‘really moved’ by the teen’s story.”