Universal Brand Development and CineConcerts, along with The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, announce DreamWorks Animation in Concert engagements at Powell Hall on December 29, 2017 at 7:00pm and December 30, 2017 at 7:00pm. The concert features favorite moments from DreamWorks’ most beloved films including Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon and many more with music performed by The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Enjoy a celebration of more than 20 years of inspired animation and iconic music scores by Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, John Powell, Alexandre Desplat, Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman and many others. The audience will relive their favorite moments from DreamWorks most celebrated films including,Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, and more, as they are projected in HD onto the big screen, while the music is played live by a symphony orchestra.
Tickets can be purchased Here or by calling the Slso box office...
Enjoy a celebration of more than 20 years of inspired animation and iconic music scores by Hans Zimmer, Harry Gregson-Williams, John Powell, Alexandre Desplat, Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman and many others. The audience will relive their favorite moments from DreamWorks most celebrated films including,Shrek, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, and more, as they are projected in HD onto the big screen, while the music is played live by a symphony orchestra.
Tickets can be purchased Here or by calling the Slso box office...
- 12/4/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
I will remember that day forever. As co-founder of a non-profit that fights anti-Semitism through the arts, I was meeting with a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I had some time to kill, so I shadowed a group of inner-city youngsters as they were led through the labyrinth of history that is the Illinois Holocaust Museum. Built on ground that the American Nazi Party tread on in Skokie, the museum is a dark Disneyland that draws children from Chicago public schools to encounter how bad hate can get As if they don’t know what hate is. Many of these.
- 3/15/2017
- by Richard Stellar
- The Wrap
Chicago – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Cso) has come up with the perfect celebration for the pre-holiday weekend, presenting Frank Capra’s classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life in Concert.” On Dec. 10th and 11th, 2016. The Cso will accompany the soundtrack on a restored version of the film.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
This is “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Iawl) as you’ve never seen it before, restored to a brilliant print and with the original Dimitri Tiomkin soundtrack score enhanced by the majesty of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The film is projected above the orchestra, and with each symphonic moment in the story, the musicians and choral singers take over the music live. Iawl had many variations of themes in the soundtrack, so besides the Tiomkin original score, there are snippets of WW2 songs “Over There” and “This is the Army, Mr. Jones,” along with the holiday songs “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,...
Rating: 5.0/5.0
This is “It’s a Wonderful Life” (Iawl) as you’ve never seen it before, restored to a brilliant print and with the original Dimitri Tiomkin soundtrack score enhanced by the majesty of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The film is projected above the orchestra, and with each symphonic moment in the story, the musicians and choral singers take over the music live. Iawl had many variations of themes in the soundtrack, so besides the Tiomkin original score, there are snippets of WW2 songs “Over There” and “This is the Army, Mr. Jones,” along with the holiday songs “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,...
- 12/10/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Many consider Dmitri Shostakovich the greatest composer of the 20th century. Born September 25, 1906, he might not have lived past his teens if he hadn't been talented. During the famines of the Revolutionary period in Russia, Alexander Glazunov, director of the Petrograd (later Leningrad) Conservatory, arranged for the poor and malnourished Shostakovich's food ration to be increased. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 1, his graduation exercise for Maximilian Steinberg's composition course at the Conservatory, was completed in 1925 at age 19 and was an immediate success worldwide. He was The Party's poster boy; his Second and Third Symphonies unabashedly subtitled, respectively, "To October". (celebrating the Revolution) and "The First of May". (International Workers' Day).
His highly emotional harmonic language is simultaneously tough yet communicative, but his expansion of Mahlerian symphonic structure, dissonances, sardonic irony, and dark moods eventually clashed with the conservative edicts of Communist Party officials. In 1936 he was viciously denounced by Pravda...
His highly emotional harmonic language is simultaneously tough yet communicative, but his expansion of Mahlerian symphonic structure, dissonances, sardonic irony, and dark moods eventually clashed with the conservative edicts of Communist Party officials. In 1936 he was viciously denounced by Pravda...
- 9/26/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Ennio Morricone accepts an Honorary Academy Award during the 79th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA, on Sunday, February 25, 2007.
The Weinstein Company has released a 7-minute video from the actual recording session of L’Ultima Diligenza per Red Rock (versione integrale) from The Hateful Eight.
Featuring the legendary composer, Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight is nominated for 3 Academy Awards this year, including Best Original Score.
In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter,...
The Weinstein Company has released a 7-minute video from the actual recording session of L’Ultima Diligenza per Red Rock (versione integrale) from The Hateful Eight.
Featuring the legendary composer, Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight is nominated for 3 Academy Awards this year, including Best Original Score.
In The Hateful Eight, set six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter,...
- 2/17/2016
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"Fantasia" wasn't a huge hit when it was first released 75 years ago (on November 13, 1940).
Since then, however, over the course of multiple re-releases, the Disney feature has earned a reputation as a masterpiece for its blend of lushly recorded classical music and dazzling Technicolor animation. It eventually became a huge success in both theaters and on home video and spawned several sequels and spinoffs, not to mention parodies by other studios.
Still, as many times as you've enjoyed the ballet-dancing hippos or Mickey Mouse's botched attempt at using magic to shirk drudgery, there's a lot you may not know about "Fantasia." Read on, and watch out for those magic mushrooms.
1. The germ of the film began when Walt Disney bumped into legendary Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski (pictured) outside Chasen's restaurant in Hollywood. Disney told Stokowski of his idea to make one of his trademark "Silly Symphony" shorts out...
Since then, however, over the course of multiple re-releases, the Disney feature has earned a reputation as a masterpiece for its blend of lushly recorded classical music and dazzling Technicolor animation. It eventually became a huge success in both theaters and on home video and spawned several sequels and spinoffs, not to mention parodies by other studios.
Still, as many times as you've enjoyed the ballet-dancing hippos or Mickey Mouse's botched attempt at using magic to shirk drudgery, there's a lot you may not know about "Fantasia." Read on, and watch out for those magic mushrooms.
1. The germ of the film began when Walt Disney bumped into legendary Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski (pictured) outside Chasen's restaurant in Hollywood. Disney told Stokowski of his idea to make one of his trademark "Silly Symphony" shorts out...
- 11/12/2015
- by Gary Susman
- Moviefone
Complete list of winners and nominees of the 2014 Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center on Sunday February 8. Winners will be updated as they're announced during the telecast and pre-telecast. Record Of The Year “Fancy,” Iggy Azalea Featuring Charli Xcx “Chandelier,” Sia **Winner** “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith “Shake It Off,” Taylor Swift “All About That Bass,” Meghan Trainor Album Of The Year **Winner** “Morning Phase,” Beck “Beyoncé,” Beyoncé “X,” Ed Sheeran “In The Lonely Hour,” Sam Smith “Girl,” Pharrell Williams Song Of The Year “All About That Bass,” Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor, songwriters (Meghan Trainor) “Chandelier,” Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin, songwriters (Sia) “Shake It Off,” Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift) **Winner** “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith) “Take Me To Church,” Andrew Hozier-Byrne, songwriter (Hozier) Best New Artist Iggy Azalea Bastille Brandy Clark...
- 2/8/2015
- by Donna Dickens
- Hitfix
Having given the history of the "New World" in Part I, it seems wise to preface Part II with some words about how the symphony is constructed. The movements are:
I. Adagio; Allegro molto II. Largo III. Scherzo: Molto vivace IV. Allegro con fuoco
Unusually, every movement starts with an introduction. The first movement's is the most famous: starts with a striking slow introduction that establishes the current of nostalgia for, or homesickness for, the composer's native Bohemia. Another reminder of this comes with the famotus flute solo -- or does it? Some have remarked on its similarity to "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," but this is not so much a quote as a paraphrase, so to speak; small bits of "Chariot" are elided into something new that mingles many flavors: African-America spiritual, yes, but also Native American music and Bohemian folk music, which share a pentatonic flavor.
Note that the...
I. Adagio; Allegro molto II. Largo III. Scherzo: Molto vivace IV. Allegro con fuoco
Unusually, every movement starts with an introduction. The first movement's is the most famous: starts with a striking slow introduction that establishes the current of nostalgia for, or homesickness for, the composer's native Bohemia. Another reminder of this comes with the famotus flute solo -- or does it? Some have remarked on its similarity to "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," but this is not so much a quote as a paraphrase, so to speak; small bits of "Chariot" are elided into something new that mingles many flavors: African-America spiritual, yes, but also Native American music and Bohemian folk music, which share a pentatonic flavor.
Note that the...
- 12/7/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Dvořák (1841-1904), from Bohemia (at the time, part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and later in Czechoslovakia) peppered his colorful, amiable music with folk rhythms. The Ninth, subtitled "From the New World" and inspired by and written during his time in the United States, is Dvořák’s most beloved symphony and contains both Bohemian and American influences. Prompted by the current exhibit of the work's original manuscript in New York City at the Bohemian National Hall, I have followed up my review of Jiří Bĕlohlávek's new Dvořák symphony cycle box set on Decca and his concert with the Czech Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall with a trawl through my collection of "New World" recordings, selectively augmented by streaming recordings available on Rdio.com.
There is much debate concerning the materials of the Ninth. The composer himself said that its middle movements were intended to depict scenes from Longfellow's narrative poem The Song of Hiawatha,...
There is much debate concerning the materials of the Ninth. The composer himself said that its middle movements were intended to depict scenes from Longfellow's narrative poem The Song of Hiawatha,...
- 11/21/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
I used to work at a store where some of us employees liked to dress up for Halloween. One year the young woman I worked with that day dressed in her full Goth regalia (this is someone with a spiderweb tattoo), and when one customer said to her, "I love your costume," she replied, coldly and seriously, "It's not a costume." Ever since then I have thought of Halloween as the one day each year when Goths "fit in."
From whence does "Goth" come as a description of this subculture? Not from the original Goths, Germanic barbarians who sacked Rome and later founded the kingdom that eventually became Spain and Portugal. Rather, it comes from "Gothic fiction," an English literary movement (so called in reference to the architecture of castles) that dates from Horace Walpole's 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto.
Such famed literature as Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,...
From whence does "Goth" come as a description of this subculture? Not from the original Goths, Germanic barbarians who sacked Rome and later founded the kingdom that eventually became Spain and Portugal. Rather, it comes from "Gothic fiction," an English literary movement (so called in reference to the architecture of castles) that dates from Horace Walpole's 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto.
Such famed literature as Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein,...
- 10/31/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Italian composer Ottorino Respighi (July 9, 1879-April 18, 1936) was a master of colorful orchestration whose evocative symphonic tone poems and suites arranging Baroque material in modern garb have been audience-pleasers since they were first heard.
The son of a piano teacher who gave him lessons on both piano and violin, Respighi excelled on the latter. It was while first violinist in the Russian Imperial Orchestra at St. Peterburg that Respighi was able to study with master orchestrator Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He may have studied later with composer Max Bruch in Berlin (this is disputed), then returned to Italy, mostly working as first violin in the Mugellini Quintet. He moved to Rome in 1913 to teach and lived there for the rest of his life, which was ended by heart failure at the age of 56.
Luckily for listeners, a high percentage of Respighi's most popular works, in graceful, idiomatic performances, can be found on an...
The son of a piano teacher who gave him lessons on both piano and violin, Respighi excelled on the latter. It was while first violinist in the Russian Imperial Orchestra at St. Peterburg that Respighi was able to study with master orchestrator Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He may have studied later with composer Max Bruch in Berlin (this is disputed), then returned to Italy, mostly working as first violin in the Mugellini Quintet. He moved to Rome in 1913 to teach and lived there for the rest of his life, which was ended by heart failure at the age of 56.
Luckily for listeners, a high percentage of Respighi's most popular works, in graceful, idiomatic performances, can be found on an...
- 7/9/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
President Nancy J. Uscher has announced that Cornish College of the Arts will award honorary degrees at this year's commencement to ground-breaking American playwright Tony Kushner and to Deborah F. Rutter, president-elect of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Mr. Kushner is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Tony and Emmy Awards, and a recipient of the National Medal for Arts. One of the nation's leading arts administrators, Ms. Rutter assumes leadership of the Kennedy Center in September. Most recently she has served as president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and, prior to that, she was the executive director of the Seattle Symphony.
- 5/10/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
A classicist using Romantic harmonies, Johannes Brahms (1833-97) was hailed at age 20 by Robert Schumann in a famous article entitled "New Paths." Yet by the time Brahms wrote his mature works, his music was thought of as a conservative compared to the daring harmonies and revolutionary dramatic theories of Richard Wagner. But in the next century, Arnold Schoenberg's 1947 essay titled "Brahms the Progressive" praised Brahms's bold modulations (as daring as Wagner's most tonally ambiguous chords), asymmetrical forms, and mastery of imaginative variation and development of thematic material.
The son of a bassist in the Hamburg Philharmonic Society, Brahms was an excellent pianist who was supporting himself by his mid-teens. His first two published works were his Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2, and throughout his career he penned much fine music for that instrument, not only solo (including the later Piano Sonata No. 3) and duo but also his landmark Piano Concertos Nos.
The son of a bassist in the Hamburg Philharmonic Society, Brahms was an excellent pianist who was supporting himself by his mid-teens. His first two published works were his Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2, and throughout his career he penned much fine music for that instrument, not only solo (including the later Piano Sonata No. 3) and duo but also his landmark Piano Concertos Nos.
- 5/8/2014
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
President Nancy J. Uscher has announced that Cornish College of the Arts will award honorary degrees at this year's commencement to ground-breaking American playwright Tony Kushner and to Deborah F. Rutter, president-elect of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Mr. Kushner is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Tony and Emmy Awards, and a recipient of the National Medal for Arts. One of the nation's leading arts administrators, Ms. Rutter assumes leadership of the Kennedy Center in September. Most recently she has served as president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and, prior to that, she was the executive director of the Seattle Symphony.
- 4/1/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Ravinia's 2014 season, dubbed 'Summer of LoveSeason of Stars,' was announced today by Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman. Brimming with talent and romance, the festival's 2014 schedule brings some the biggest names in the world of music as well as repertoire that explores the theme of great love in its various manifestations. No fewer than three musical incarnations of the most famous love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet, will be featured, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky's Overture-Fantasy July 27, a suite from Prokofiev's ballet setting of the story July 16 and the score of West Side Story as the classic film is shown July 17-18. In other examples of love, soprano Deborah Voigt describes it as 'Something Wonderful' on a Broadway evening July 13, the legendary Broadway team of Lerner and Loewe will be celebrated July 20, and Chanticleer even jabs at the battle of the sexes in an...
- 2/27/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Kennedy Center has selected Chicago Symphony Orchestra president Deborah Rutter as its new president, the organization announced Tuesday. “The Kennedy Center is fortunate to have found in Deborah an individual with an undeniable passion for and knowledge of the performing arts; a long, well-respected track record of managing and enhancing performing arts organizations; and a commitment to making the performing arts accessible and appealing to people of all ages and backgrounds,” Kennedy Center chairman David M. Rubenstein said in a statement. Also Read: Kennedy Center Honors Billy Joel, Shirley MacLaine, Carlos Santana In her time with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra,...
- 12/10/2013
- by L.A. Ross
- The Wrap
David M. Rubenstein, Chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, today announced the selection of Deborah F. Rutter as the next Kennedy Center president. Ms. Rutter currently serves as the President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and will assume her Kennedy Center duties on September 1, 2014. She will serve as the Kennedy Center's third president, following Michael M. Kaiser who will step down from the position on August 31, 2014.
- 12/10/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
One of our favorite actresses, Karen Black, is ailing. In an August 7 post on her blog, husband Stephen Eckelberry talks about her daily struggles and a trip to Europe that won't be realized. Ms. Black, 74, was born Karen Blanche Ziegler, a native of Chicago born into a family that has a musical history with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She married Stephen Eckleberry in 1987. Ms. Black has over 70 films under her belt, including Five Easy Pieces, The Day of the Locusts, Easy Rider and Nashville. Karen Black’s husband and daughter were able to take off work to stay by her side. Eckelberry raised money earlier this year through crowdfunding in hopes of taking the actress...
- 8/8/2013
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
It’s incredibly impressive that she’s touring at 71 years of age, however Aretha Franklin seems to have hit a speed bump along the way.
The “Respect” songstress had to cancel gigs with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra “due to her doctor’s recommendation for treatment.”
Aretha declined to give any specifics regarding her health, though she was rumored to be suffering from pancreatic cancer back in 2010.
After undergoing surgery for a “hard pain” in her side (she said it wasn’t cancer after all), Franklin told press, "[My doctor] said, 'The surgery that you just had is going to add 15 to 20 more years to your life.'"...
The “Respect” songstress had to cancel gigs with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra “due to her doctor’s recommendation for treatment.”
Aretha declined to give any specifics regarding her health, though she was rumored to be suffering from pancreatic cancer back in 2010.
After undergoing surgery for a “hard pain” in her side (she said it wasn’t cancer after all), Franklin told press, "[My doctor] said, 'The surgery that you just had is going to add 15 to 20 more years to your life.'"...
- 5/14/2013
- GossipCenter
The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin has canceled some upcoming performances due to unknown "medical reasons."
The 71-year-old singer was scheduled to perform May 20 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and on May 26 at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.
Pics: Star Sightings
A representative with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra told Reuters that Franklin had canceled because of a "doctor's recommendation for treatment" during the time frame of the scheduled show. A spokesman for Foxwoods said the singer also called off that show because of unspecified "medical reasons."
Franklin was forced to call off a concert tour in 2010 after being treated for an undisclosed ailment and also underwent surgery.
Video: How Aretha Franklin Keeps in Good Shape at 71...
The 71-year-old singer was scheduled to perform May 20 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and on May 26 at Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut.
Pics: Star Sightings
A representative with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra told Reuters that Franklin had canceled because of a "doctor's recommendation for treatment" during the time frame of the scheduled show. A spokesman for Foxwoods said the singer also called off that show because of unspecified "medical reasons."
Franklin was forced to call off a concert tour in 2010 after being treated for an undisclosed ailment and also underwent surgery.
Video: How Aretha Franklin Keeps in Good Shape at 71...
- 5/14/2013
- Entertainment Tonight
Even the undisputed Queen of Soul has to r-e-s-p-e-c-t the doctor's orders. And she is. Aretha Franklin canceled two upcoming performances this month "due to her doctor's recommendation for treatment," according to her official Facebook page. Franklin, 71, was scheduled to perform this Monday at Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the 24th annual Corporate Night. Per her Facebook page, Janelle Monáe has graciously agreed to step in for this special performance.
- 5/14/2013
- E! Online
New York — Aretha Franklin has canceled appearances in Chicago and Connecticut later this month under a doctor's recommendation.
A Monday news release says Franklin will need treatment during the time period shows were scheduled with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on May 20 and at Foxwoods Resort & Casino in Connecticut on May 26. The release doesn't specify what kind of treatment and her publicist did not immediately respond to a message seeking details.
Singer Janelle Monae will step in for Franklin for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Corporate Night fundraiser. The Grammy-winning singer will be playing orchestral versions of her songs that she'll first debut Thursday with the San Francisco Symphony.
A Monday news release says Franklin will need treatment during the time period shows were scheduled with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on May 20 and at Foxwoods Resort & Casino in Connecticut on May 26. The release doesn't specify what kind of treatment and her publicist did not immediately respond to a message seeking details.
Singer Janelle Monae will step in for Franklin for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Corporate Night fundraiser. The Grammy-winning singer will be playing orchestral versions of her songs that she'll first debut Thursday with the San Francisco Symphony.
- 5/13/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Musicians at the San Francisco Symphony have gone on strike this week, canceling at least one performance and casting doubt on their scheduled Carnegie Hall concert next week.
The orchestra members, resident players at the Bay area's Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, have rejected the most recent contract proposal from the symphony administration, a three-year deal that offered a base pay of $144,560 with 1% increases after the first year. "That kind of an offer is going to put us in a position where we will not be able to hold on to our most talented players, and we certainly won't be able to recruit the most talented available players in the pool that are out there in the United States," violist David Gaudry stated in a news conference.
The symphony's administration has characterized the proposal as one that would maintain the orchestra's standing as one of the top three best paid...
The orchestra members, resident players at the Bay area's Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, have rejected the most recent contract proposal from the symphony administration, a three-year deal that offered a base pay of $144,560 with 1% increases after the first year. "That kind of an offer is going to put us in a position where we will not be able to hold on to our most talented players, and we certainly won't be able to recruit the most talented available players in the pool that are out there in the United States," violist David Gaudry stated in a news conference.
The symphony's administration has characterized the proposal as one that would maintain the orchestra's standing as one of the top three best paid...
- 3/14/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Ravinia, the summer-long music festival in north suburban Chicago, has rolled out its 2013 season schedule with plenty of fanfare — and a few surprises.
Predictably, the most popular bold-face names on the bill are dominated by veteran performers like Sting, Tony Bennett, Sheryl Crow, Journey and Brian Wilson (who, for legal reasons/a spat with Mike Love, can't officially perform with his old band mates as "The Beach Boys").
(See the major acts announced for Ravinia's 2013 festival lineup below.)
Younger acts like Josh Groban and St. Vincent, playing with David Byrne, mix with the more long-in-the-tooth artists, while hip acts like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings add freshness to a (usually very white) lineup that skews heavily toward the contemporary crowd.
There's also a small crush of alt-rock and pop bands, mostly from the '90s, many of whom would be considered past their sell-by date, that have been jammed together...
Predictably, the most popular bold-face names on the bill are dominated by veteran performers like Sting, Tony Bennett, Sheryl Crow, Journey and Brian Wilson (who, for legal reasons/a spat with Mike Love, can't officially perform with his old band mates as "The Beach Boys").
(See the major acts announced for Ravinia's 2013 festival lineup below.)
Younger acts like Josh Groban and St. Vincent, playing with David Byrne, mix with the more long-in-the-tooth artists, while hip acts like Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings add freshness to a (usually very white) lineup that skews heavily toward the contemporary crowd.
There's also a small crush of alt-rock and pop bands, mostly from the '90s, many of whom would be considered past their sell-by date, that have been jammed together...
- 3/7/2013
- by Kim Bellware
- Huffington Post
The quintessentially American story of classical piano hero Van Cliburn -- the Texan who at the height of the Cold War won the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow, when he was 23 years old, received a ticker tape parade in New York City on his return (as shown at left), made the first million-selling classical album, and (mostly) retired at age 44, having shrewdly invested his earnings in real estate -- is told in carefully balanced detail in Anthony Tommasini's lengthy obituary for The New York Times.
That obit includes the fact that some said that Cliburn didn't live up to his potential as a pianist, outside of his favorite repertoire, he did not always play with equal inspiration. While greater versatility would have been commendable, the same charge could be aimed at many pianists. In his comfort zone, though -- the music of Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and of course...
That obit includes the fact that some said that Cliburn didn't live up to his potential as a pianist, outside of his favorite repertoire, he did not always play with equal inspiration. While greater versatility would have been commendable, the same charge could be aimed at many pianists. In his comfort zone, though -- the music of Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, and of course...
- 2/28/2013
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
It goes without saying that major spoilers on vital, life-changing American history are included below. Yesterday we got the spare, slick poster for Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln and while a trailer is certainly landing momentarily, a tracklist for John Williams‘ score has popped, giving us a sense of the exact structure of the film. We’ve known for quite some time that the Daniel Day-Lewis-led film, scripted by Tony Kushner, will take place during the final months of our 16th President’s time in office.
But now, thanks to this tracklist from JWFan, more details have been unearthed. From the death of his 11-year-old son Willie to the Battle of Appomattox Court House, which marked the final fight for Confederates, to the Peterson House, where Lincoln was carried to after he was shot, there is more to be gleaned here than most tracklists. Regardless, after the overbearing War Horse...
But now, thanks to this tracklist from JWFan, more details have been unearthed. From the death of his 11-year-old son Willie to the Battle of Appomattox Court House, which marked the final fight for Confederates, to the Peterson House, where Lincoln was carried to after he was shot, there is more to be gleaned here than most tracklists. Regardless, after the overbearing War Horse...
- 8/23/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Born August 22, 1862 in St.-Germaine-en-Laye, France, Claude-Achille Debussy was a child prodigy pianist who was admitted to the Paris Conservatory at age 10. Now generally considered to have been the greatest French composer, Debussy is proof that great art can come from terrible human beings. He was supremely self-centered and selfish. Two women -- one his wife -- attempted to kill themselves after he ended his relationships with them in cruelly casual fashion; his behavior was so beyond acceptable norms, even by bohemian French standards, that many of his friends turned their backs on him. In the midst of his greatest personal controversy, when he'd left his wife for a married woman and moved with the latter to England for awhile after to escape the constant recriminations, he wrote his biggest masterpiece, La Mer.
But, of course, there's nothing the French enjoy more than a controversy. Debussy's music was controversial as well.
But, of course, there's nothing the French enjoy more than a controversy. Debussy's music was controversial as well.
- 8/16/2012
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Wednesday, July 18, is the 20th anniversary of our marriage. How can I begin to tell you about Chaz? She fills my horizon, she is the great fact of my life, she has my love, she saved me from the fate of living out my life alone, which is where I seemed to be heading. If my cancer had come, and it would have, and Chaz had not been there with me, I can imagine a descent into lonely decrepitude. I was very sick. I might have vegetated in hopelessness. This woman never lost her love, and when it was necessary she forced me to want to live. She was always there believing I could do it, and her love was like a wind forcing me back from the grave. Does that sound too dramatic? You were not there. She was there every day, visiting me in the hospital whether I knew it or not,...
- 7/18/2012
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's July 4th performance as part of the Ravinia Festival will feature vocalist Ashley Brown, who won rave reviews in the title role of Mary Poppins on Broadway and recently made her Lyric Opera debut in an acclaimed production of Show Boat. Brown appeared on Windy City Live for a preview of her Ravinia debut. Watch the interview and her performance in the video below...
- 7/3/2012
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
He was pale, dressed in black, and enthralled groupies on tour with a musical skill bestowed by Satan, or so it was rumored. Violin phenomenon Niccolo Pagainini was the 19th century equivalent of a rock star, and his legacy includes a technically daunting composition that has long bedeviled violinists.
His 24 Caprices for solo violin, a cycle of pieces published around 1820, is a showcase for the virtuosic tricks possible—some of them barely so—on the instrument. High-speed runs, ricocheting bow...
His 24 Caprices for solo violin, a cycle of pieces published around 1820, is a showcase for the virtuosic tricks possible—some of them barely so—on the instrument. High-speed runs, ricocheting bow...
- 3/20/2012
- by John Jurgensen
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Ravinia Festival President and CEO Welz Kauffman announced the festivals 2012 season, which offers more than 100 separate events exemplifying most musical genres, including the 77th residency of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The summer boasts a variety of musics legends from Philip Glass to James Taylor, along with 43 debuts, including Glee and Wicked star Idina Menzel, reggae master Jimmy Cliff, classic rocker Santana, Grammy-and-Oscar sensation Esperanza Spalding, and Musical Americas conductor of the year Jaap van Zweden. Ravinia Music Director James Conlon celebrates the 35th anniversary of his own festival debut as his contract is extended through 2014.
- 3/8/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Ravinia Festival today announced the show-stopping Broadway superstar and star of television hit Glee Idina Menzel will make her Ravinia debut on Sunday, July 8. The concert, featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, will be led by renowned composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch, who returns to the festival for the first time since 2001. It is Menzels first time performing with the Cso.
- 1/6/2012
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Mahler's Fourth Symphony (1892/1899-1900) is his sunniest, vastly less concerned with existential questions and therefore less laden with angst than all his other symphonies. There are some shadows in the first two movements, but the lengthy slow movement is gorgeously lyrical, and the finale (originally written in 1892 for the Third Symphony) is a setting for soprano of "Lied der himmlischen Freuden" (Song of the Heavenly Life" from Des Knaben Wunderhorn), a child's amusingly prosaic description of heaven. It's also his second-shortest and much the shortest of his vocal symphonies (under an hour in most readings, and yes, by Mahlerian standards, that counts as short). Furthermore, it's in the most standard four-movement symphony form. All of these things combine to make it his most immediately accessible symphony. It thus has been many listeners' entry point into his highly personal sonic world. It was premiered on November 25, 1901 in Berlin, with the composer conducting.
- 11/25/2011
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Charlie Chaplin's City Lights and its live score opened Dan Pritzker's eyes to the possibilities of silent movies. But was choosing Louis Armstrong as his subject a step too far?
I was working on a screenplay about Buddy Bolden, "inventor" of jazz, when I went to a screening of the classic Chaplin silent film City Lights. Dimly lit beneath the silver screen was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra playing the score live. I'd never seen anything like it. By the time the Little Tramp restored the Blind Girl's sight, I had decided to write another film, a silent one about jazz that would be stylistically like films of the Chaplin era.
Bolden's career ended in 1907, when he was committed to an asylum. The concept of there having been an "inventor" of jazz seemed far fetched. Jazz, I figured, developed incrementally, over time. But what if there really was such a person?...
I was working on a screenplay about Buddy Bolden, "inventor" of jazz, when I went to a screening of the classic Chaplin silent film City Lights. Dimly lit beneath the silver screen was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra playing the score live. I'd never seen anything like it. By the time the Little Tramp restored the Blind Girl's sight, I had decided to write another film, a silent one about jazz that would be stylistically like films of the Chaplin era.
Bolden's career ended in 1907, when he was committed to an asylum. The concept of there having been an "inventor" of jazz seemed far fetched. Jazz, I figured, developed incrementally, over time. But what if there really was such a person?...
- 11/11/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
What do you think of while you listen to classical music? Do you have an education in music, and think of the composer's strategies, or the conductor's interpretation? Do you, in short, think in words at all? I never do, and I suppose that would make me incompetent as a music critic. I fall into a reverie state.
With some music, my thoughts simply drift, and I daydream. I'll be surprised where I end up. The music has untethered logic and freed me to go in places chosen by the music itself by obscure means. Other times, with music that is very, very familiar, I will find myself drifting into the music itself, without conscious thought at all.
Consider Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. I've heard it so many times for so many years that it creates its own self-contained reality. I haven't the slightest idea what it is "saying." It proceeds implacably,...
With some music, my thoughts simply drift, and I daydream. I'll be surprised where I end up. The music has untethered logic and freed me to go in places chosen by the music itself by obscure means. Other times, with music that is very, very familiar, I will find myself drifting into the music itself, without conscious thought at all.
Consider Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. I've heard it so many times for so many years that it creates its own self-contained reality. I haven't the slightest idea what it is "saying." It proceeds implacably,...
- 3/18/2011
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
Celebrated Italian conductor Riccardo Muti has bounced back from his recent health crisis to land the most coveted award in classical music. The maestro underwent surgery in February and had a pacemaker fitted after collapsing during a rehearsal with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Illinois.
Muti canceled two planned performances of Verdi's Otello in April to allow himself time to recover, but his career has not suffered, on Wednesday, March 16, he was named the recipient of the $1 million Birgit Nilsson Prize in recognition of his "extraordinary contributions in opera and concert".
"I was deeply touched by the jury's accolade, all the more so given my profound admiration for this unique and extraordinary artist, both as an incomparable musician and as a great interpreter," Muti says in a statement.
He will be presented with the prize at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on October 13.
Muti canceled two planned performances of Verdi's Otello in April to allow himself time to recover, but his career has not suffered, on Wednesday, March 16, he was named the recipient of the $1 million Birgit Nilsson Prize in recognition of his "extraordinary contributions in opera and concert".
"I was deeply touched by the jury's accolade, all the more so given my profound admiration for this unique and extraordinary artist, both as an incomparable musician and as a great interpreter," Muti says in a statement.
He will be presented with the prize at a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on October 13.
- 3/17/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Halloween week just keeps rolling on tonight with a whole slew of new Halloween themed episodes for your viewing enjoyment. I actually don't have a lot of time for TV this week since forces have conspired to make me Extra Super Mondo Busy but I appreciate that it's all happening and most of it I'll be able to see on Hulu. It is actually the thought of Halloween that's dragging me through the worst parts; that Sunday night I'll get to dress up in something I'd never wear otherwise and go out to the giant street party that is Miami on Halloween and try and break my record for variety of containers to drink alcohol out of in one night. Last year was a highlight, since I ran into some sexy lumberjacks carrying around sweet tea vodka in syrup bottles. Anyway, here's your Wednesday night TV:
8:00pm: "America's Next Top Model...
8:00pm: "America's Next Top Model...
- 10/27/2010
- by Intern Rusty
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has official announced the full specs for its upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of Fantasia. The former, which dates from 1940, has become one of Disney's most admired classics. If the quality of remastering for a hi-def release is anything like that of Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, animation fans are in for a visual and auditory treat.
The Blu-ray edition of The Fantasia and Fantasia 2000: 2-Movie Collection Special Edition will be a 4-disc release that includes both the original film and its turn-of-the-millennium follow-up. Like the original, Fantasia 2000 is a lively mix of classical music and animated imagery. The 'cast' includes a host of famous names, including Steve Martin, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, Angela Lansbury, Itzhak Perlman and Quincy Jones.
Among the special features on the Blu-ray will be the Academy Award® nominated short Destino.
The Blu-ray edition of The Fantasia and Fantasia 2000: 2-Movie Collection Special Edition will be a 4-disc release that includes both the original film and its turn-of-the-millennium follow-up. Like the original, Fantasia 2000 is a lively mix of classical music and animated imagery. The 'cast' includes a host of famous names, including Steve Martin, Bette Midler, James Earl Jones, Penn and Teller, Angela Lansbury, Itzhak Perlman and Quincy Jones.
Among the special features on the Blu-ray will be the Academy Award® nominated short Destino.
- 9/4/2010
- CinemaSpy
On August 13, Ravinia opened its three-day run of Irving Berlin's hit-filled Broadway classic Annie Get Your Gun. Taking on her third Merman role, Patti LuPone stars as the sharp-shooter opposite Patrick Cassidy as Frank Butler and George Hearn as Buffalo Bill Cody. The production is directed by Lonny Price with Paul Gemignani leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The shows, Aug. 13 through 15, begin at 7:30 p.m.
- 8/14/2010
- BroadwayWorld.com
"Back to the future" best describes the new license plate issued by New York State in April. The "Empire Gold" design which is now appearing on streets, has been deemed "quite unappealing" by more than 80 percent of New Yorkers polled by Wcbstv.
New Yorkers: Consider yourselves lucky.
Compared to some states, New York's design is a prize winner. Proof can be found at David Nicholson's Web site 15q.net. It examines the evolution of U.S. license plate design over the past fifty years from the purely functional to the frightfully fanciful.
Plate designs have become graphically congested and legibility is often compromised. From a design standpoint I think license plates fall into three categories:
The Acceptable
This plate is so harmless it says nothing in the right way.
The Unfortunate
This is a "more is more" design where everything is as important as it can be....and the So...
New Yorkers: Consider yourselves lucky.
Compared to some states, New York's design is a prize winner. Proof can be found at David Nicholson's Web site 15q.net. It examines the evolution of U.S. license plate design over the past fifty years from the purely functional to the frightfully fanciful.
Plate designs have become graphically congested and legibility is often compromised. From a design standpoint I think license plates fall into three categories:
The Acceptable
This plate is so harmless it says nothing in the right way.
The Unfortunate
This is a "more is more" design where everything is as important as it can be....and the So...
- 6/3/2010
- by Ken Carbone
- Fast Company
In the spirit of full disclosure, I confess that I drank my last cup of coffee 35 years ago. So I shouldn’t care about the re-branding of a legacy Seattle coffee merchant. However, the new logo introduced last week by Seattle’s Best Coffee deserves a branding taste test.
Seattle’s Best is a subsidiary of Starbucks that offers, according to CEO Howard Schultz, a "more approachable taste profile for a mainstream market." Evidence of this is the fact that company executives plan to start distributing their product at Burger King and AMC theaters. Does this mean that coffee will be just coffee again? The answer is yes, if the logo is any guide.
The new look is a composite of visual clichés--a simple, reductive "sign," a neutral void that is open to wide interpretation. I don’t think it is intended to make you feel anything. In the end this is its strength.
Seattle’s Best is a subsidiary of Starbucks that offers, according to CEO Howard Schultz, a "more approachable taste profile for a mainstream market." Evidence of this is the fact that company executives plan to start distributing their product at Burger King and AMC theaters. Does this mean that coffee will be just coffee again? The answer is yes, if the logo is any guide.
The new look is a composite of visual clichés--a simple, reductive "sign," a neutral void that is open to wide interpretation. I don’t think it is intended to make you feel anything. In the end this is its strength.
- 5/25/2010
- by Ken Carbone
- Fast Company
It's fair to say that 99 percent of people on the planet would see Icff as 145,000 square feet of "unnecessary." However, for the remaining one percent of us who love design, it is an annual bazaar of the new and notable from the commercial and domestic landscapes that is not to be missed.
The booths are beautiful, the products are beautiful and the people are beautiful. But, all of this can be utterly exhausting so I found it helpful to attend the fair on a mission.
This year I decided to use the Editor's Award winners list as my road map. Editors from design publications such as Domus, Abitare, Dwell, and Metropolis determine 16 categories that comprise the winners circle. Categories include seating, carpeting, lighting, materials, accessories, textiles, and "body of work."
Some of these winners also have the distinction of being very well branded. Not only are they producing superior products,...
The booths are beautiful, the products are beautiful and the people are beautiful. But, all of this can be utterly exhausting so I found it helpful to attend the fair on a mission.
This year I decided to use the Editor's Award winners list as my road map. Editors from design publications such as Domus, Abitare, Dwell, and Metropolis determine 16 categories that comprise the winners circle. Categories include seating, carpeting, lighting, materials, accessories, textiles, and "body of work."
Some of these winners also have the distinction of being very well branded. Not only are they producing superior products,...
- 5/19/2010
- by Ken Carbone
- Fast Company
The bad news at Toyota is in overdrive. Since the recall of the Prius for its deadly acceleration problems, the carmaker has been hemorrhaging sales and consumer confidence. Now, even its luxury brand, Lexus, is under investigation for "stability" problems. Ouch!
Megabrands implode all too often. The bigger they get the more fragile they become. It may be as troublesome as unethical labor practices or just too many coffee shops. Most are expert at crisis management and eventually survive. In the best case they fix the problem and a forgiving public embraces them once again. However, there's always a lingering memory of a tarnished image that can compromise a brand whether it is Toyota or Tiger Woods.
As part of the recovery process some brands seize this occasion to refresh their brand identity or logo to signal positive change. This is usually coupled with earnest ad campaigns to help shore up brand loyalty.
Megabrands implode all too often. The bigger they get the more fragile they become. It may be as troublesome as unethical labor practices or just too many coffee shops. Most are expert at crisis management and eventually survive. In the best case they fix the problem and a forgiving public embraces them once again. However, there's always a lingering memory of a tarnished image that can compromise a brand whether it is Toyota or Tiger Woods.
As part of the recovery process some brands seize this occasion to refresh their brand identity or logo to signal positive change. This is usually coupled with earnest ad campaigns to help shore up brand loyalty.
- 4/28/2010
- by Ken Carbone
- Fast Company
It may be more legend than fact but when it was time to choose a symbol for our new nation it is said that Benjamin Franklin preferred the turkey to the bald eagle.
Wish granted.
The new $100 note that the Treasury introduced on Wednesday is a missed design opportunity. It was created with the criminal mind in mind and it looks it. It is a kitchen sink of high-tech security features including a 3-D ribbon, color shifting images, watermarks, raised intaglio, security threads, and micro printing. Very bling bling. The final result looks like "design by committee" with each technical device vying for a prominent position on the bill. Every element seems randomly placed and begs for some sense of structure. Couldn't the blue 3-D security ribbon at least be centered on the bill? Does its odd position make it more secure?
Even Franklin's pursed lips seem to express frustration.
Wish granted.
The new $100 note that the Treasury introduced on Wednesday is a missed design opportunity. It was created with the criminal mind in mind and it looks it. It is a kitchen sink of high-tech security features including a 3-D ribbon, color shifting images, watermarks, raised intaglio, security threads, and micro printing. Very bling bling. The final result looks like "design by committee" with each technical device vying for a prominent position on the bill. Every element seems randomly placed and begs for some sense of structure. Couldn't the blue 3-D security ribbon at least be centered on the bill? Does its odd position make it more secure?
Even Franklin's pursed lips seem to express frustration.
- 4/23/2010
- by Ken Carbone
- Fast Company
What is photography? What is a photographer? And, what is photojournalism today?
These three questions came to mind as I studied the 300 photographs at the new Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition that opened at MoMA last week. The show entitled The Modern Century focuses on the master's most productive decades, the 1930s through 1960s. Curated by Peter Galassi, the show features iconic images that brilliantly chronicle the joy and tragedy of the human condition, all in black and white.
Photography has advanced since the '60s and those of us involved in design, marketing, and advertising benefit from the medium's continuous innovation. It's been non-stop since the time of Daguerre and now we have more ways to take photos than ever before. In addition to conventional film and the host of digital cameras, images are captured on laptops, Web cams, surveillance cameras, by military drones and of course, cell phones. The number...
These three questions came to mind as I studied the 300 photographs at the new Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibition that opened at MoMA last week. The show entitled The Modern Century focuses on the master's most productive decades, the 1930s through 1960s. Curated by Peter Galassi, the show features iconic images that brilliantly chronicle the joy and tragedy of the human condition, all in black and white.
Photography has advanced since the '60s and those of us involved in design, marketing, and advertising benefit from the medium's continuous innovation. It's been non-stop since the time of Daguerre and now we have more ways to take photos than ever before. In addition to conventional film and the host of digital cameras, images are captured on laptops, Web cams, surveillance cameras, by military drones and of course, cell phones. The number...
- 4/16/2010
- by Ken Carbone
- Fast Company
In the year 100,010, some evolved species will be digging through ancient digital rubble and find a strange visual iconography made of tiny colorful squares with rounded corners. They will diligently attempt to decipher what we meant by "I am T-Pain," "Doodle Jump," and "Zombie Farm." Finally, they will conclude that our native tongue was something called Apps.
Every day new apps are introduced for the iPhone, iTouch, and now the iPad (not to mention Android apps). Each represents a new business and the touch-screen icons serve as their "logos." With over 100,000 apps to date and more on the way, this is a creative gold rush for graphic designers and fuels our insatiable lust for designing logos.
[youtube p10UE3O8s24]
Logos, symbols, and trademarks present the decisive creative challenge of reducing ideas to their essence. It's like a book jacket or poster, but with the potential for much greater exposure, recognition, and longevity. Evidence...
Every day new apps are introduced for the iPhone, iTouch, and now the iPad (not to mention Android apps). Each represents a new business and the touch-screen icons serve as their "logos." With over 100,000 apps to date and more on the way, this is a creative gold rush for graphic designers and fuels our insatiable lust for designing logos.
[youtube p10UE3O8s24]
Logos, symbols, and trademarks present the decisive creative challenge of reducing ideas to their essence. It's like a book jacket or poster, but with the potential for much greater exposure, recognition, and longevity. Evidence...
- 4/10/2010
- by Ken Carbone
- Fast Company
Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman today announced details of the festival's 2010 season of music theater and dance events. Highlights include a new production of the musical Annie Get Your Gun; a gala concert celebrating Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday and featuring highlights from Ravinia's Sondheim productions; Ravinia Music Director James Conlon's 60th birthday celebration taking the Chicago Symphony Orchestra into the Martin Theatre for two Mozart operas, featuring mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade in Così fan tutte and baritone Nathan Gunn in The Marriage of Figaro; Leonard Bernstein's Vocal Suite from Candide; Broadway vocalist Kelli O'Hara and pianist Hershey Felder in intimate solo shows in the Martin Theatre; world premieres with Concert Dance, Inc. and the debut of Delfos Danza Contemporánea; the presentation of Ballet Folklorico de Mexico; and a national radio broadcast of Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion.
- 4/8/2010
- BroadwayWorld.com
Three...Two...One...Liftoff!
Well, from a graphic design standpoint, not exactly.
Last week Great Britain announced the formation of a new space agency. At the event Science and Innovation Minister, Lord Drayson, said: "The action we're taking today shows that we're really serious about space. The U.K. Space Agency will give the sector the muscle it needs to fulfill its ambition." Britain's space industry can grow to £40bn a year and create 100,000 jobs in 20 years." This all sounds exciting, but the new agency's logo unveiled at the event is nothing to cheer about.
The design recipe is simple, right? Take a square, add a Union Jack, thrust an arrow through it and Bam!
This logo is anything but tasty. The net result looks terribly fractured and unstable. Not the ideal visual for space flight.
To make matters worse, the U.K. Space Agency will have the inevitable and unfortunate acronym "U.
Well, from a graphic design standpoint, not exactly.
Last week Great Britain announced the formation of a new space agency. At the event Science and Innovation Minister, Lord Drayson, said: "The action we're taking today shows that we're really serious about space. The U.K. Space Agency will give the sector the muscle it needs to fulfill its ambition." Britain's space industry can grow to £40bn a year and create 100,000 jobs in 20 years." This all sounds exciting, but the new agency's logo unveiled at the event is nothing to cheer about.
The design recipe is simple, right? Take a square, add a Union Jack, thrust an arrow through it and Bam!
This logo is anything but tasty. The net result looks terribly fractured and unstable. Not the ideal visual for space flight.
To make matters worse, the U.K. Space Agency will have the inevitable and unfortunate acronym "U.
- 3/31/2010
- by Ken Carbone
- Fast Company
After the popularity of Pixar's Up and the dynamic digital illusions in Avatar, could the next big technical step in animation come from a piece of charcoal?
Opening today at the Museum of Modern Art an exhibition entitled William Kentridge: Five Themes celebrates the work of the enormously influential South African artist who is a dominant force in contemporary art. Kentridge emerged from relative obscurity in the late '90s with a series of animated films entitled "Nine Drawings for Projection." These were films of expressionistic drawings done in stop motion technique or what Kentridge calls "stone-age animation." These were not mere moving comic strips but grand tableaus that offered rich visual narratives executed in charcoal with astounding virtuosity. Accompanied by an eclectic soundtrack they were thematically dark and complex confronting the social and political turmoil of South Africa with total absence of irony that was refreshing.
To fully appreciate...
Opening today at the Museum of Modern Art an exhibition entitled William Kentridge: Five Themes celebrates the work of the enormously influential South African artist who is a dominant force in contemporary art. Kentridge emerged from relative obscurity in the late '90s with a series of animated films entitled "Nine Drawings for Projection." These were films of expressionistic drawings done in stop motion technique or what Kentridge calls "stone-age animation." These were not mere moving comic strips but grand tableaus that offered rich visual narratives executed in charcoal with astounding virtuosity. Accompanied by an eclectic soundtrack they were thematically dark and complex confronting the social and political turmoil of South Africa with total absence of irony that was refreshing.
To fully appreciate...
- 2/24/2010
- by Ken Carbone
- Fast Company
It must have been that album of lute music: Sting is going all classical on us. The former Police-man will tour with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra this summer. His greatest hits, both solo and with the Police, will be reinterpreted for orchestra. Yep, that’s right. Imagine “Roxanne” with strings. Actually, that’s a kind of cool concept. Two of Sting’s albums have topped Billboard’s classical charts: the previously mentioned lute set, “Songs from the Labyrinth” and last years “If On A Winter’s Night.” He’s performed his material previously with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Live Nation-promoted...
- 2/24/2010
- Hitfix
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