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Editor’s Digest
BY: Jim Rutter
04.24.2012
Which musical instrument is best? St. Matthew Passion and non-Christians. 21st-Century music defined. The danger of bad art. The future of reading. Kind words for entertaining museums. Plus other recent articles of interest we’ve come across. |
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New articles of interest
“Which is the Best Musical Instrument?”: The earliest flute dates to 67,000 years ago; since then, civilizations have invented almost 20,000 different instruments. What factors explain each musician’s affinity, and can we choose a “best” instrument?
“Can non-Christians appreciate Bach’s St. Matthew Passion?”: Philosopher Alain de Botton has argued that even atheists can fully appreciate the aesthetic qualities of religious art. Bach’s four-hour St. Matthew Passion— with its powerful coupling of music and Biblical verse— provides a strong reason for thinking otherwise.
“Found: Three Examples of 21st Century Music”: Over the past 15 years, four characteristics have defined the direction of contemporary classical music: technology, chamber musical setting, influence of non-Western and pop music, and the building of pieces around distinct performers.
“When Bad Is Good”: Recent popular exhibits in New York and London have featured a diamond-encrusted skull, a statue of the Pope struck by a meteor, and bloated, disfigured puppets of pirates. Yes, these pieces show that artists can still offend; but insistence on intentional bad taste will ultimately diminish an audience’s ability to respond.
“How We Will Read: Clay Shirky”: The future of publishing will include fact-checkers and editors, but not institutionalized publishers. Reading itself— whether a book or newspaper— will acquire a broader social component that blends the solitary act of page turning with global, real-time activity on the Internet.
“Museums Want to Entertain You (and That’s Not a Bad Thing)”: For more than 150 years, World Fairs engaged patrons by dazzling them with eye-catching technology. An exhibit based on the Fair’s history argues that museums should similarly employ any means available to encourage a connection between the viewer and the art.
Other recent articles of interest
“Shakespearean fools: Their modern equivalents”: Shakespeare’s fools mocked authority, delivered social commentary and moved plots through episodes of drunken revelry. Today, the same types appear as stand-up comedians, sitcom stars and Homer Simpson.
“How the American Action Movie Went Kablooey”: For 15 years, a golden age of action films depicted lethal loners methodically killing their enemies while blowing things up. The genre ultimately choked to death on its excess of explosions and self-referential irony.
“Why Straight Plays Can’t Make It on Broadway”: Fifty years ago, producers gambled big bucks to put original dramatic work on Broadway; now only two of the current 30 shows on Broadway are new plays. Rising costs have since tilted investment in favor of musicals, leaving the Great White Way an intellectual wasteland.
“The ‘Woman Composer’ is Dead”: The term “woman composer” originated in the mid-20th Century as a way to recognize the emergence of quality authors no longer held back by antiquated notions of propriety. But today, music companies denigrate the success of multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning women with programming set-asides based on gender.
“A Helpful List”: Gender parity in orchestral and choral programming may still be a long way off. But this list of 202 current women composers ensures that no one can again reply, “There aren’t enough female composers to choose from.”
“The Problem With Revenge Movies”: Nicolas Cage’s latest film depicts a self-aware husband who openly doubts the justice in seeking revenge against the men who raped his wife. Like every revenge story since Hamlet, this movie illustrates the lack of nobility in vengeance.
“Sometimes in the Arts, Impermanence Is Good”: A recent revival of Death of a Salesman recreated the original production’s design and direction. This staging may offer historical interest, but it misses the artistic point of updating scripts and scores for each successive generation.
“Bound By Broadway: The State of the American Musical”: If a new musical fails to meet the standards of a Broadway hit, no one risks money producing it. This attitude may generate successful shows in the short term, but risks choking the creative pipeline of new works.
“The Private Lives of Great Writers”: Contemporary novelist Jonathan Franzen came under feminist fire for a recent essay in which he partly evaluated the quality of Edith Wharton’s books based on her plain appearance. But like it or not, an author’s biography explains much about the fictional worlds he or she creates.
“Kill Hollywood? You’re 100 years too late”: Silicon Valley upstarts Netflix and Google search in vain for ways to liberate movie and TV content from the stranglehold of copyright law. The entire history of Hollywood reads as a series of successful struggles to maintain the studio system’s dominance.
“Overrated: Umberto Eco”: Umberto Eco’s skepticism has flourished within the postmodern trends it also helped originate. However, his latest novel, The Prague Cemetery, crosses the line from healthy dabbling in doubt and conspiracy theory into an unforgivable indulgence in anti-Semitism.
“Portrait of the artist as music critic”: Pianists Jeremy Denk and Jonathan Biss have each written critically about the art they perform. But far from dampening objectivity or blurring the lines between performer and critic, their contributions have opened up fresh, reinvigorating perspectives that can restore classical music to a central place in society.
“The Great American Novel”: Even if Toni Morrison or Bret Easton Ellis penned the next Great American Novel, it would never gain enough cultural traction to be recognized as such. Contemporary culture has diffused and its critics have dissipated the necessary hegemony that gave force to watershed works in the past.
“All in Good Order”: Each year, millions of visitors pour into The Louvre— through the back door. They miss the spectacular, original entrance that itself bears a rich history and differs strikingly from initial designs.
“Hollywood doesn’t like itself—just look at Oscars”: This year’s nominees for Best Picture include several films set in or yearning for Hollywood’s past. With the exception of Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, none of them grossed $100 million. But all of these movies indicate a loathing for the blockbuster-dominated industry culture.
“Against TED”: For most of the past 30 years, the once-annual “Technology, Entertainment and Design” (TED) conferences have brought together smart people to share intelligent ideas. Today, the multitude of mini-events spread a corporatist message packaged in slick advertising.
“The ‘Undue Weight’ of Truth on Wikipedia”: Wikipedia prides itself on a cadre of volunteer editors dedicated to upholding civility and moderation in fact-checking and academic discourse. However, one expert learned the hard way that in contentious matters, verifiability trumps truth on the web’s free encyclopedia.
“The light fantastic? Ballet dancers and anorexia”: Last week, La Scala sacked dancer Mariafrancesca Garritano after she claimed the opera company’s training methods caused eating disorders in young ballerinas. Her claims have merit, but overshadow a greater issue.
“Memo to publishers: Remind us why you exist again?”: Book publishers formerly provided essential editing, curating and marketing functions for an author. The economic model of e-books encourages writers to outsource these roles, rendering traditional publishing houses irrelevant.
“Can Asians Save Classical Music?”: As American audiences age and die out, the Asian demographic for classical music continues to grow. But will Asian-American participation save the genre in the U.S. and Europe? Or does Western music’s future lie in the East?
“Perspective: A fully dimensional look at 3-D and its use in Pina‘”: Critics who see 3-D filming as the best hope for the future of dance should take a closer look at the Wim Wenders documentary Pina. His use of this technology emphasizes spectacle at the expense of the late choreographer Pina Baush’s substantial innovations, and his stellar direction underscores how 3-D alone will never overcome sloppy shooting.
“Pulling Out All the Stops on Arts Funding”: Whenever government has slashed arts funding, the arts community has found new patrons, cut unnecessary expenses and expanded audiences. However, the increasing reliance on overstretched private funders puts arts organizations in jeopardy and demands that artists put the moral onus to fund the arts back on legislators.
“In Defense of Copyright”: An Internet call to arms convinced Congress to back down from recently proposed bills that would have levied harsh fines and sanctions against Internet piracy. A much pilfered photographer weighs in on the need to punish individuals and companies that appropriate his and other’s works.
“Art’s New Pecking Order”: In 2011, Chinese buyers accounted for one-fifth of the art revenue at Christie’s auction house. Their purchasing power and buying habits have driven out the prominence of Picasso and elevated the price and profile of contemporary Chinese art.
“Why Write Novels at All?”: A generation ago, novelists John Updike and Philip Roth tackled literary questions by experimenting with form. In an era dominated by pop culture, the works of today’s literati— including Jeffrey Eugenides and Jonathan Franzen— must first answer the question, “Why write novels at all?”
“Art Criticism and the Pleasure Principle”: Artists and arts administrators often acquire funding by insisting upon the social, political or economic contributions a new play or exhibit provides society. This approach avoids art’s essential function: to provide joy and pleasure to viewers.
“On the American-ness of ‘American Opera’”: Accessibility, theatricality and directness— not to mention ties to musical theater— define American opera, especially in contrast to the European-dominated canon. But these requirements often interfere with a company’s ability to commission and sell tickets to new work.
“Ten Things the Dance Field Should Be Talking About in 2012”: As the 2012 dance season gets under way, ten items present the greatest challenge to the genre’s ability to thrive, among them this year’s presidential election, globalization of indigenous art forms and the death of TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance.”
“Joan of Arc: Enduring Power”: Six hundred years after Joan of Arc’s birth, historians have mapped out her life, scientists have diagnosed the voices she heard, and Catholics and feminists alike have christened her a saint. But the reason we elevate an illiterate, uncouth peasant into myth remains elusive.
“Accidental Audience”: If orchestras don’t program enough contemporary classical music, the familiar complaint goes, audiences will never hear it. But unconventional spaces of subway trains, amusement parks and public areas offer chance encounters that can transform unsuspecting listeners into instant fans.
“Modern Dance: Its Death and Regeneration”: Fifty years ago, choreographers and artists at Judson Church reinvented modern dance, a genre that demanded experimentation from each generation. Today, commercial pressures and the resurgence of ballet have drained the life out of the modern aesthetic.
“Art and science don’t mix”: The new field of neuro-aesthetics attempts to “unlock the mysteries of art” by associating reactions to paintings and literature with MRI scans and levels of neurotransmitters. Their naïve proclamations about artistic understanding show that these researchers know much about the brain, but little about art.
“Books That Are Never Done Being Written”: Where Gutenberg’s movable type produced immutable texts, electronic books enable authors to continually revise and republish. This temptation to tweak a work softens its boundaries, encourages censors and erodes a reliable foundation for culture.
“The Mystery of Vachel Lindsay”: During the first half of the 20th Century, crowds of thousands formed to hear the poems of Vachel Lindsay. Today, no one knows his name, let alone his verses. Lindsay’s association with the low culture of vaudeville is to blame.
“Mariah Carey Fatigue: All I Want For Christmas Is Some New Holiday Music”: A generation ago, new hit holiday singles entered the charts every winter; but contemporary songwriters haven’t produced a chart-topper since 1992. Blame nostalgia for the past and technological changes in musical dissemination.
“A is for Absurdism”: Michael Billington begins his new series on modern theater by discussing absurdism, a European philosophical and artistic response to the senseless horrors of World War II. The movement served its era, but its authors— Pinter, Ionesco and Fritsch—offer little more than historical interest for today’s audiences.
“Don’t Support Your Local Bookseller”: Fans of independent bookstores tout the local literary culture and employees supported by these mom-and pop shops. But independent stores get the bulk of their income from the same narrow set of blockbusters that Amazon and other online retailers provide with far superior efficiency and customer service.
“Books vs. screens: Which should your kids be reading?”: New MRI studies show that reading books activates the brain in a different way than reading text on a screen. The latter may develop multi-tasking abilities useful for 21st Century tasks, but the former leads to the richer neural connections that are necessary for expertise, deep concentration and immersive thought.
“You Say You Want a Devolution?”: Twenty years of technological and economic advances have transformed the way Americans live, but fashion, TV, movies, architecture and design haven’t changed. Our collective psychological response to the digital age and shifts in the economy have left us craving a world where nothing is new but nothing is obsolete, either.
“Should the arts be more selective about sponsors?”: Two poets withdrew their short-listed entries from the T.S. Eliot prize after learning that a hedge fund company sponsored this year’s award. Are they misguided romantics ignorant of banking practices? Or serious artists leveling a legitimate criticism of capitalism?
“At Curtis Institute of Music, a new measure of success”: As orchestras declare bankruptcy and critics debate the future of classical music, Curtis graduates continue to occupy a sizeable percentage of positions in ensembles worldwide. This first in a three-part series of articles examines the changes implemented by the school to ensure that future grads can succeed as musical entrepreneurs.
“Charles Saatchi: The hideousness of the art world”: Charles Saatchi has collected and promoted serious new art and artists for the past 30 years. He finds contemporary collectors and buyers trashy, vulgar and ill educated, more likely to buy a bauble for brand recognition than out of any genuine interest in art at all.
“Minimalism at 50: how less became more”: Minimalism began 50 years ago with four composers dedicated to stripping music down to its bare essentials. Today’s second- and third-generation minimalists (ab)use its techniques to indulge a stylistic free-for-all— which, in the right hands, may not be a bad thing.
“Why are male writers so bad at sex scenes?”: Each year, the Literary Review doles out its “Bad Sex in Literature Awards”; like all years, the list of nominees teems with famous male writers, including Philip Roth and Stephen King. Why can’t these otherwise solid prose stylists pen sex as anything other than schoolboy fantasies?
“Why Are Political Cartoons Incendiary?”: Unknown assailants recently firebombed the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo after a cover featured a cartoon of Mohammed as the publication’s “guest editor in chief.” The resulting debate between free speech and religious sensitivity obscures a deeper issue of why cartoons cause so much fear and outrage.
“Where are the new music megastars?”: The top 50 musicians capable of selling out a stadium included only one artist in her 20s (Britney Spears). Because of record company cutbacks in new-artist development and tour support, the blockbuster concert will die out when the likes of Bon Jovi and The Rolling Stones retire.
“The Problem with Film Criticism”: Film writing on the Internet should have bloomed a field of flowers on the grave of print criticism. Instead, it’s eliminated serious discussion, encouraged viewers to narrow their interests and heralded the death of democratic debate.
“The five symphonies that changed music”: Mozart and Schubert created great symphonic works, but none that truly shaped the cultural identity of the West. Conductor Mark Elder suggests five pieces pushed the boundaries of tradition and expanded the genre’s form in ways that other composers never imagined.
“Looking for a good read? Don’t disregard the snarky snobs”: The Internet has democratized literary content and opinion and derided brick-and-mortar publishers and established book critics as outmoded, gate-keeping snobs. But lovers of literature still need to pay attention to the judgments of professionals.
“Happy Feet: The Pleasures of Teen Dance Movies”: Films like Save the Last Dance and Footloose might seem like plotless high school melodrama propped up by high-tech choreography. But these films use dance to depict courageous, progressive struggles for gender and racial equity.
“Who Wrote Shakespeare? Who Cares?”: The recent Hollywood blockbuster Anonymous has revived debate over Shakespeare’s identity. Ben Brantley argues that the issue is irrelevant; the Bard’s monumental, rich output continues to inspire endless interpretation and fascination beyond the mere question of who wrote his plays.
“What Color Should Gallery Walls Be?”: The recently re-designed Musée D’Orsay in Paris painted its former white walls in hues of grays and blues. While interior color schemes provide curators with an interesting challenge, and some backgrounds highlight a work, the shift away from white walls devalues art by treating it as decoration.
“Why Writers Should Embrace Amazon’s Takeover of the Publishing Industry”: Next year, Amazon will publish more than 100 new books under its own imprint, which it has staffed with top-tier editorial and marketing talent. This move will establish the company as a publishing juggernaut, help discover new talent, and likely save lesser genres from extinction.
“The Late Word”: Media pundits speculate that Google and Amazon will control the bulk of publishing within a decade. Will this shift away from brick-and-mortar publishing kill off literature and poetry? Or will it only enhance their timelessness and enduring appeal?
“Critical Juncture”: Bloggers on the worldwide web and Twitter-verse have whittled away the rosters of paid theater critics, further diminishing the genre as a literary form worthy of national discussion. But this trend has also elevated the influence of a dozen metropolitan critics—including Philadelphia’s own Toby Zinman— whose opinions dominate their cities and wider regions.
“Why theatre should be short and tweet”: Borges, Kafka and countless other authors have achieved spectacular success by specializing in the short story. Theater offers few analogues for the one-act play, despite the advantages this format provides our time-strapped, minimally attentive era.
“Grin and Bear It: Why Anna Netrebko’s Smile Got the Critics Riled”: Superstar soprano Anna Netrebko angered critics by smiling to the applause after an aria in Anna Bolena. Her break from character not only joins a history of such performances in opera but also illustrates the genre’s ability to shift the audience out of theatrical realism and into a higher state of emotional intensity.
“Gertrude Stein’s ‘Missing’ Vichy Years”: Recent scholarship has revealed that Stein— an openly gay Jewish woman— supported and perhaps even collaborated with the Vichy regime, which protected her during the Nazi occupation of France in World War II. Should this new insight into her political actions influence critical assessment of her literary work?
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