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Abbey Simon
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Betty Freeman Dies at 86
Alan Rich reports on the death of one the world’s most prominent patrons of postwar music.
You Call That a “Wonderful Life”?
Finally, someone dares say it. I’ve had similar feelings about “It’s a Wonderful Life”, arguably Frank Capra’s darkest film – and I’m pleased that Wendell Jameson links to a fellow George Bailey skeptic, Gary Kamiya, whose Salon article about Pottersville pretty much says it all. For the record, my favorite Christmas films remain “Bad[der] Santa” and “Gremlins.”
Xenakophiles in London, rejoice!
CanadianArchitect.com reports details of the upcoming Le Corbusier exhibit at the Barbican Art Gallery – and a Xenakis-focused program to be performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
As I keep saying…
… friends don’t let friends use Internet Explorer.
Some Holiday Cheer…
… from the dawn of the electrical recording era: Vaughan Williams’s wonderful arrangement of the Gloucestershire Wassail as recorded in 1926 or 1927 by the English Singers, courtesy of Mickey Clark.
UPDATE, 2009:
Looks like the YouTube police pulled it. Good thing I kept the audio track!
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Divapallooza
Read my takes on the MET’s new showcase-vehicle-for-La-Renée production of Thaïs and the New York Philharmonic’s semi-staged Elektra featuring Deborah Polaski at ClassicalSource.com.
Rosenberg Drops the Hammer
The AP reports Donald Rosenberg, the Cleveland Plain Dealer critic ousted from the Cleveland Orchestra beat, is suing both the paper and the orchestra.
Rachel Paulose Gets “Pwned”
My commentary on the Office of Special Counsel’s excoriation of loyal Bushie prosecutor Rachel Paulose can be found at APJ.