tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post3449882250797317998..comments2024-03-28T03:40:29.423-04:00Comments on Passage des Perles: The climbing cost of cultureDuchessehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-83539001639002602652014-03-21T20:14:53.433-04:002014-03-21T20:14:53.433-04:00Philippa: Cheaper tickets to the Met and NYC shows...Philippa: Cheaper tickets to the Met and NYC shows I mentioned are available, but my husband is hearing impaired; unless he is in the high-priced seats-the performance is not enjoyable for him. But ticket prices for such venues have climbed far beyond inflation.<br /><br />I was not discussing museums in either Montréal or NYC in this post; in both cities, museums provide free evenings, and here, several museums' permanent collections are free at all times, but you pay to see special exhibitions.<br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-3946319435584802722014-03-21T17:03:28.247-04:002014-03-21T17:03:28.247-04:00Good grief. I could book tickets for The Marriage...Good grief. I could book tickets for The Marriage of Figaro at the Royal Opera House in May right now, for £8 (up to £178! ... 40% of the tickets at the ROH are less than £40). Or the English National Ballet in Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet at the Royal Albert Hall in June for £10. And of course our National Gallery, British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, V&A and Tate Modern are all free.<br /><br />Wow, we are so lucky here.Philippahttp://ofpinsandneedles.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-53780646166698961142014-03-11T16:03:42.491-04:002014-03-11T16:03:42.491-04:00Anon@3:58: We too have that at local cinemas, and ...Anon@3:58: We too have that at local cinemas, and it is a way to see world-class performances live- a wonderful option. And as a visitor to New York, I will want a real stage in front of me.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-17674234906077318452014-03-11T15:58:05.328-04:002014-03-11T15:58:05.328-04:00All the more to value the Met Live in HD performan...All the more to value the Met Live in HD performances which mean we get to see the opera just as the NYC audience. Also Bolshoi and National Theatre London. We used to support our local companies but can no longer afford to, unless we chose to sit in the "gods".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-28148276454456452312014-03-11T09:08:17.062-04:002014-03-11T09:08:17.062-04:00Anonymous: Thanks on behalf of all readers for thi...Anonymous: Thanks on behalf of all readers for this tip. I've signed up (though I had to give my old US zip code) and look forward to checking offers for the time I'm in NY. (Groupon also offer discounts to some cultural events though they too tend toward the mainstream.) <br /><br />Participation is definitely tied to price, and though I love my newly-earned senior's discounts, I often want to go with younger friends.<br /><br />Marla S.: So true that some "high culture" events are stultifying; Your comment took me back to some chamber music recitals that made time stand still.<br /><br /><br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-10596445944999407822014-03-11T08:52:28.423-04:002014-03-11T08:52:28.423-04:00I have been using Goldstar almost exclusively to b...I have been using Goldstar almost exclusively to buy tickets to theater, music, and museum events. (And a ghost walking tour, and a boat ride.) Here in DC, they have a surprisingly wide range of offerings and I see things in venues I would not have found on my own. I am not sure the economics of services like Goldstar are great for the arts companies, but it says a lot that shifting the price point increases my consumption by five-fold or more. [On a practical note, Goldstar is also present in NYC, and I have signed up for ticket alerts from the NY Times and saw some wonderful things on a theater trip buying tickets through their links. Last but not least,I have been getting some incredible offers for NYC combined ticket/meal packages from Restaurants.com of all places, although the tickets are usually mid-week and very mainstream Broadway productions.]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-45638904758130540102014-03-08T09:11:34.035-05:002014-03-08T09:11:34.035-05:00Oh, I certainly will. I'm involved in such an ...Oh, I certainly will. I'm involved in such an effort right now, but don't spam other people's blogs with such lobbying. <br /><br />I couldn't stop thinking about this silly video clip about spoiled youth from one of the wealthiest districts in Amsterdam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9lQfuBJ1ag<br /><br />You don't have to speak Dutch to get it. The Rijksmuseum, several other art museums and the Concert Hall are all located in this area, but I don't think these kids are into those. lagatta à montréalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02610410709900333230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-56158925287593029992014-03-08T08:41:11.966-05:002014-03-08T08:41:11.966-05:00lagatta: Because you have commented in the past on...lagatta: Because you have commented in the past on your concerns for the survival of the arts, I hope you can take the time to read his entire column.<br /><br />Anon@10:33: Good for you! Exceptions aside, it is us we who must introduce children and young adults to the arts. I hope your city, like those I have lived in, have pay-what-you-can performances. Those and family subscription series were our primary way to get them into performances. Museums are wonderful for knowledge and discovery but not so much as venues for live performance.<br /><br />One of my happiest memories is of the time we dragged (and I mean dragged) our 14 yr old sons to "Amadeus". Much complaining. Before the end of the first act they were enraptured, on the edge of their seats.<br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-67203636783039052222014-03-07T22:33:51.450-05:002014-03-07T22:33:51.450-05:00Duchesse, I want to teach my 14 y.o. daughter how ...Duchesse, I want to teach my 14 y.o. daughter how important the arts are. Although we can afford the price of the tickets to see The Nutcracker at The Music Center here in L.A., I still could not bring myself to spend the hundreds of dollars for it. We settled on The Nutcracker performed at UCLA. It was still a great experience (even without a live orchestra). She was pleasantly surprised - she is not a great fan of ballet, opera, or theatre. Next up is an opera. I am trying to decide which one, and after a little more research I am sure we will find one that won't empty my wallet! Thank goodness for museums.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-25038766375993640642014-03-07T19:43:27.987-05:002014-03-07T19:43:27.987-05:00I think he is talking about a small group of peopl...I think he is talking about a small group of people far more affluent than the category in which one could peg Maria. <br /><br />He is a columnist, and former journalist, at a daily in a major city. He obviously isn't poor. He does come from deep poverty; his parents were Italian migrants to France in the postwar period. And he moved on to Montréal. <br /><br />Fortunately, due to government policy and student struggles, tuition remains more accessible here in Québec than in most of North America.<br /><br />The aspect I found "twitty" was the Internet as shorthand. Obviously he works on his computer, and Internet (as I do). "Dumbing down" is a reality, but it is rather more complex than that. lagatta à montréalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02610410709900333230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-71477078635268656072014-03-07T18:02:31.403-05:002014-03-07T18:02:31.403-05:00Marla S.: I have found that defending the social c...Marla S.: I have found that defending the social class you're in, when it is criticized, is a mug's game. <br /><br />The definitions of "bourgeois" are available and, in the six or seven I read, quite consistent.<br />Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-63935125705725649432014-03-07T15:30:15.394-05:002014-03-07T15:30:15.394-05:00OH BOY. So many things to say.
I thought that th...OH BOY. So many things to say.<br /><br />I thought that the Foglia quote was also arrogant and twitty, but he does have a point. I've been on a local chamber music board, and network a lot for my business, and it is HARD to get people to go out and do things all to often. I love the connections and ability to hear and see things that the Internet offers me, but at least I "try" to get out, many don't. The culture of "bowling alone [on Wii]" has taken hold.<br /><br />That said, there are some classical performances I won't go to anymore - often - either if I know that I'm in for a very stuffy, stiff evening for my $75 ticket. Not all culture is actually enjoyable to take in. I am looking at you, stuffy music ensembles that manage to evoke the worst feeling of Sunday in mandatory church (silent, chair shifting discomfort, eventual tepid applause, someone sleeping in a middle row).<br /><br />Define bourgeois (M Foglia). When the bougie is economizing for tuition, or to start a new business (my case), $200 tickets are out of reach. For that, a night out equals a month of law office rent or two months of very high end research tools, and just isn't in the picture now. NOT because I just bought a $700 handbag, or gadget.Marla S.http://artfullawyer.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-15434999480970749292014-03-07T08:35:38.157-05:002014-03-07T08:35:38.157-05:00C.: Foglia says (how I wish I had translated the e...C.: Foglia says (how I wish I had translated the entire piece!) that, because they are not attending- or attending fewer- 'high culture' performances, they have become "rather thick", not that they are "thick" in their choices. In other words, they are dumbing down. <br /><br />I see this in myself: do I spend $12 to see a movie, perhaps an 'art film', but still a movie, or at least $85 for the ballet? The movie wins more often than I like to admit. And that means I am losing my impulse to attend, and also my knowledge of such works. <br /><br />I do have options such as local choirs, theatre and dance, and will go to nearly anything with a moderate ticket price. But I had longed to go to the Met again and it's just not on.<br /><br />MJ: Thank you, I'll check the calendar for these venues! <br /><br />Anon@10:22: I just noticed that our excellent local company (Les Grandes Ballets Canadiens) has a Groupon offer for 40% off for any category of ticket. I'm jumping on it, b/c like you, I find usual prices expensive.<br /><br />SewingLibrarian: I have noticed what you describe, when I visited Le Duc's family in a remote area of Québec and leafed through their scrapbooks from the 20s-40s, full of local or regional recitals and theatre, in which many members of the family performed. If people wanted culture, they had to make it themselves, and attend performances of the occasional touring company. I'm delighted to hear you are taking your children to concerts.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-70652898844026652732014-03-06T22:35:04.089-05:002014-03-06T22:35:04.089-05:00I think this move away from live performance has b...I think this move away from live performance has been going on for a long time, at least In the United States. I once organized and curated a collection of performing arts programs for a local history collection in Dayton, Ohio. The programs were mostly for performances that took place in Dayton in the first half of the 20th century. There were also programs from the Met in NYC. I was stunned at the variety and quality of performances available to ordinary Midwesterners in the 1920's and 1930's. First films, then television, now the Internet, all have chipped away at live performance. Yet, there is nothing like sitting in a darkened hall with the musicians or actors and watching them perform their magic. That's why we take our children to the family concerts that the San Diego Symphony offers.SewingLibrarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09884510117234994583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-14640896138331530252014-03-06T22:22:02.978-05:002014-03-06T22:22:02.978-05:00I occasionally get to enjoy the Boston Ballet and ...I occasionally get to enjoy the Boston Ballet and the occasional play but honestly, the pleasure of the performance is lost when I add up the cost of the evening. Good, not great seats, can easily cost well over $180 each. Add in dinner and parking and you have 1/2 a mortgage payment. The critics can complain but high culture is too expensive for most.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-40097697868708129422014-03-06T20:44:52.849-05:002014-03-06T20:44:52.849-05:00I suggest New York Theatre Workshop and/or MCC The...I suggest New York Theatre Workshop and/or MCC Theater as wonderful options for new plays. Music schools are a great idea, especially for faculty concerts, and there are lots of other options at reasonable prices(C4, for example). Have fun in "my" city!MJnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-81412616919471616722014-03-06T19:54:03.348-05:002014-03-06T19:54:03.348-05:00Haven't performances at the grand venues alway...Haven't performances at the grand venues always been rare and expensive treats for middle class audiences? I suspect that most of us patch together subscriptions to local or visiting symphonies and dance companies, community and fringe performances, televised and taped productions, with the occasional special trip to Broadway or the Met. That seems good and reasonable--and not at all "thick"--to me. Cosi Fan Tutte (my favorite!) would be such a treat--I hope you will be able to see it. But if the cost is prohibitive, I highly recommend the DVD of the 2006 Glyndeborne production, if you haven't seen it. Absolutely gorgeous. <br /><br />C. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-30793567789594896062014-03-06T18:03:04.678-05:002014-03-06T18:03:04.678-05:00Susan: There have been many attempts to address th...Susan: There have been many attempts to address the cost of attending a live performance, including showcases in schools, subsidies and endowments. Just like any other consumable, the arts come with varying price points and I am living with that more keenly now. <br /><br />All: Those who read in French might enjoy this collection of Pierre Foglia's columns:<br />http://www.lapresse.ca/debats/chroniques/pierre-foglia/Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-76745803398637858562014-03-06T14:41:03.073-05:002014-03-06T14:41:03.073-05:00My husband is on the board of our city's opera...My husband is on the board of our city's opera and they are struggling. AND prices are sky high. He took his mother to a performance recently and the total ticket price exceeded $400 for decent, but not the very best tickets. No wonder many people are not attending. <br /><br />I don't know the answer here. The costs (including up keep of a fabulous new venue in the arts district) are very high. Interest in opera is not universal. I enjoy it, but one performance at these prices is plenty for me in a season. What to do. <br /><br />For my opera dollar, I prefer Santa Fe and their partially open air venue where I can see lightning in the distance on a good not quite stormy night. Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12756033682201519150noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-57279548148588604172014-03-06T11:52:20.406-05:002014-03-06T11:52:20.406-05:00Wendy: He says that instead of attending cultural ...Wendy: He says that instead of attending cultural events, they are becoming "consuming morons"; instead of buying season subscriptions, they buy stuff. I suspect he is generalizing, but his scolding is, I believe, worth pondering.<br /><br />In my experience, I hear far more people discussing the latest episode of "Game of Thrones" than discussing the most recent live concert by the Berlin Philharmonic. Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-66236067359100699112014-03-06T11:44:57.776-05:002014-03-06T11:44:57.776-05:00LauraH: While much of my claim is anecdotal- frien...LauraH: While much of my claim is anecdotal- friends on boards of Toronto theatres and dance companies talk about declining houses, rising costs and deep cuts re government funding, you might also gain some answers from three reports by Hill Strategies :<br />The relevant Hill Strategies (www.hillstrategies.com):<br />1. Patterns in Performing Arts Spending in Canada in 2008<br />2. Cultural and Heritage Activities of Canadians in 2005<br />3. Provincial Profiles of Cultural and Heritage Activities (2005)<br /><br /><br />The comment by Anon@11:19 describes the root cause: the competition for discretionary time and the vast supply of entertainment material available, especially by new technologies. We can, in our part of the world, get cheap calories; we can get cheap culture too, but those products, the fast food of the arts, does not usually support local cultural institutions and artists.<br /><br />Anon@ 11:19: Thank you for your thoughtful comment. The big-name/big-house world was always a special treat... and now I find it's totally out of reach. But I, (and I hope all readers( will continue to attend kind of performances of which you speak- including your play!<br /><br />One of the things we will see the guitarist David Lindley play at the Iridium. While it's not the opera, he is a "revered musician of choice" in the family- so much so that my nephew and his partner are flying up from Dallas to go with us.<br /><br /> Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-4730691988413045222014-03-06T11:28:28.308-05:002014-03-06T11:28:28.308-05:00I thought Foglia said people were no longer listen...I thought Foglia said people were no longer listening to classical music due to the Internet & I begged to differ . Of course streamed music does not compare to the concert hall , which we attend regularly - Almost weekly in the winter & incidentally , many of the performances are well attended by local university students , albeit in the cheapest seats . Surely it is good that everyone has access to classical music however inaccessible their nearest concert hall is & , indeed , despite their own inability to travel . An interesting discussion <br />Wendy (uk)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-50351782638505576192014-03-06T11:19:36.175-05:002014-03-06T11:19:36.175-05:00Please do not abandon live performances. The Met a...Please do not abandon live performances. The Met and Broadway have very different business models than the small, cutting-edge performance companies in theatre, dance and music. A lot of great art is created in the latter, and sometimes championed by the former. As a playwright (avocation) and fundraiser (profession), I think about shrinking audiences all the time. A lot of it has to do with the ease of access our various "screens" (TV, computer, smartphone) give us to entertaining experiences. People have more ways than ever to amuse themselves. Stratospheric ticket prices don't help, but there is more competition for people's discretionary time than ever before. The future of theatre and playwrights like me does not look promising. Some of us think a great deal about this and how to adapt. I don't think raising ticket prices is the answer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-54954634059261364512014-03-06T11:06:28.262-05:002014-03-06T11:06:28.262-05:00Abandonment of live performance...it would be inte...Abandonment of live performance...it would be interesting to see some research. What types of performing arts are suffering from this? What are people looking for when they decide where to spend their time and money? Who is attending what and why? <br /><br />Apologies if I'm responding too many times.LauraHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03402103522466794364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872918251244874644.post-51484555608226723782014-03-06T10:54:23.592-05:002014-03-06T10:54:23.592-05:00LauraH: Ah, I seem to have put the velvet golves o...LauraH: Ah, I seem to have put the velvet golves on a man who would not intend that. Actually he is being deliberately snarky and provocative. Foglia is a •social critic• who doesn't hold much back. I was hoping to examine the kernel of hard truth in his barb, as I too have seen people abandoning live performance for canned product- and have done so myself. Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.com