''Artistic differences.'' It's the euphemism of choice to save face and explain away unpleasant disputes among performers. The phrase pops up all the time in the arts, but in truth it describes nothing. Sure enough, it was invoked to fend off questions about the puzzling cancellation of a recent series of concerts by two of classical music's most...
On the surface the interlocking worlds of music festivals and arts philanthropy might seem as placid as the preternaturally transparent, swan-rich waters of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. But officials of the renowned Lucerne Festival there took action on Thursday akin to a Loch Ness monster's rearing its head and clamoring for recognition. They...
LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND -- The conductor Claudio Abbado has called it ''the most important project in the music world in our time.'' But only recently, as the meteoric rise of the conductor Gustavo Dudamel aroused curiosity about the unique environment within which his talents blossomed, has it attracted the widespread attention of music lovers. Mr....