Music 

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Let the Punishment Fit the Crime - "Andrew Vactor was facing a $150 fine for playing rap music too loudly on his car stereo in July. But a judge offered to reduce that to $35 if Vactor spent 20 hours listening to classical music… [he] lasted only about 15 minutes." The idea of the sentence "was to force Vactor to listen to something he might not prefer, just as other people had no choice but to listen to his loud rap music."... Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:26:34 -0800

China Cracks Down on Sacred Classical Music - Despite the runaway success of Western classical music there, the Chinese Communist authorities have recently become nervous about works with Christian themes, regardless of their place in the canon. A Messiah by the visiting Academy of Ancient Music was made invitation-only; the Mozart and Verdi Requiems have been restricted; even part of Carmina Burana(!) was censored.... Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:53:12 -0800

Mortier's Successor at Paris Opera Has Stroke - "Nicolas Joël, noted stage director, director of the Opéra de Toulouse and general director designate of the Opéra National de Paris, was felled by a stroke in late August. Joël, 55, remains hospitalized in Toulouse."... Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:44:01 -0800

Suddenly, A Glut Of Concert Venues In L.A.? - "Within the next two months, three music venues capable of holding 8,000 concertgoers will open in Los Angeles. Even with the economy faltering, venue operators and promoters believe the simple law of supply and demand will keep the concert halls full, provided the ticket price is appropriate. Other industry execs, however, think the city may have a glut on its hands."... Thu, 09 Oct 2008 06:14:07 -0800

With Experiment In Art And Science, Empac Wins Soundly - "The concert hall of the 21st century has arrived. And the building that encases it would be remarkable if it had only that. The 1,200-seat hall in the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute here (Empac, to its friends), which opened over the weekend, seemed a notable acoustical success on brief early exposures."... Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:32:18 -0800