“The researchers demonstrate this contention by looking specifically at Siegfried, the third opera in his massive Ring Cycle. They even describe what they call a “migraine leitmotif” that recurs in the opera.”
Yes, Half Of Us Watch Entire TV Seasons In One-Week Spans
“Executives say they found a strikingly consistent pattern in the pace at which people binge.”
Meet The Man Who’s Remaking Ballet
Alexei Ratmansky’s “range is wide, from abstract creations to the restaging of classics. … He displays a remarkable ability to tell stories through dance.”
The ‘Love, Actually’ Wars, Round Three
Christopher Orr fires back at the writers who took on his take-down of the movie last week (their critiques are “generous, thoughtful, and even wise … [but], inevitably, wrong”) – and he unpacks what he sees as the film’s worst storyline.
Google’s Got A Make-Your-Own-Art-Show App (And It’s Free)
“Google has launched a new online tool to allow museums, galleries and individuals to create online art exhibitions. Google Open Gallery became available for public use this week, though potential users must request an invitation from Google to use the free service.”
ENO Joins The Cinemacast Parade
“English National Opera is to begin broadcasting productions live to cinemas – only 18 months after its artistic director, John Berry, suggested that he was far from enthusiastic about the idea.”
A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Rijksmuseum’s Renovation From Hell
Was it that bad? Well, it certainly wasn’t smooth.
“Down With Long-Form Journalism!” Says The Atlantic’s Editor-In-Chief
James Bennet: “I have had it with long-form journalism. By which I mean – don’t get me wrong – I’m fed up with the term long-form itself, a label that the people who create and sell magazines now invariably, and rather solemnly, apply to their most ambitious work.”
Patrice Chéreau, Directing In The Shadow Of Death
“The great French director, who died recently, took some persuading to do a play in London – and was seriously ill when he did. But the experience was life-changing, recalls the Young Vic’s artistic director.”
Joy Womack Tells More About The Bolshoi Ballet (And Why She Quit)
Back in Texas for a family visit, the first American to graduate from the Bolshoi’s ballet school fills in some details on the explosive allegations she made (e.g., that she was asked to pay a $10,000 bribe to get cast) and the responses she has received in Moscow since she went public.
That Letter From Vaganova Ballet Academy To Putin – Was It A Fake?
Last month, after the Russian Ministry of Culture installed the fired Bolshoi star Nikolai Tsiskaridze as director of the historic St. Petersburg school, a sizable group of faculty wrote an open appeal to President Vladimir Putin to overrule Tsiskaridze’s appointment. Now the Ministry has claimed that the letter is a forgery.
Uh-Oh, This Is A Bad Sign For British Arts Philanthropy
“A £600,000 Cultural Investment Fund created by Newcastle City Council to attract match funding for the arts from private donors has failed to attract any money since its launch in July.”
How Poor Are British Actors Equity Members?
“About half of Equity members undertook unpaid work in the past 12 months, with a similar proportion earning less than £5,000 over the year.”
Estelle Parsons, 86, Will Be Doing Eight Shows A Week This Spring
“[She] will return to Broadway in April in Eric Coble’s comedic play The Velocity of Autumn, which she recently performed at the Arena Stage in Washington in October.”
Weinstein Brothers Sue Warner Studios – Again
“For the second time this year, the brothers Weinstein are in a legal dispute with the brothers Warner.” This time, it’s about the Hobbit films.
New Zealand Is Not Middle Earth!
Ed Power argues that, if Peter Jackson really wanted to represent the setting of Tolkien’s novel on screen, his homeland was exactly the wrong place to do it.
The Great Catalan Sport: Human Towers
“Jesús Zazo stood in the ancient plaza in a throng of other pink-clad members of the Colla Vella dels Xiquets club. He had everything riding on this grudge match in the Catalonia region’s signature competitive event: human-tower building.”
‘American Hustle’, ’12 Years a Slave’ Top 2014 Golden Globe Nominations
“12 Years a Slave and American Hustle emerged as movie awards front-runners on Thursday, as each picked up seven Golden Globe nominations, including best picture nods in their respective categories, just a day after being nominated for top prizes from Hollywood’s acting guild.”
Surprises And Snubs In The 2014 Golden Globe Noms
“The Golden Globes have a long and often amusing reputation for nomination-morning howlers. But [this year], there was no Tourist, no Burlesque, no Salmon Fishing in the Yemen … Yet that didn’t mean the snubs and surprises, the jaw-droppers and the head-scratchers, weren’t there. Here are six of the biggest.”
How Tech Design Dictates Our Culture
“If the best experience we can have with technology requires an American-designed platform, we’ll get an American experience: Buy an Apple iPhone, and in a thousand quiet ways, we interact with it the way Cupertino wants us to.”
How Stores Use Music To Make You Want To Shop More
Retailers are fine-tuning their stores’ playlists as they wake up to the power of music to communicate a brand message and put shoppers in the mood to spend. One shopper’s favorite song can make another shopper cringe.
NYU’s War On Architecture
“For decades, New York University has waged architectural war on Greenwich Village and even the announced departure of President John Sexton in 2016 seems unlikely to stop its overweening expansion plan.”
In Year Without Concerts, Minnesota Orchestra Management Spent $13M, Lost $1.1M
Board chairman Jon Campbell believes this says something about the “business model”.
Glimpses Into Nureyev’s World At A French Museum
“Many of Rudolf Nureyev’s belongings are now on display at a costume museum in Moulins, France, offering a sense of that ballet dancer’s exuberant personality and passion for all that was rare and beautiful.”