| Patricia Zohn: CULTURE ZOHN: Glorious Getty
The Getty is Back. Well, it never really went away, it was just that they had folded their tents a wee bit as they recovered from internal and external strife. Administrative woes have been resolved and James Wood and Michael Brand are leading a newly invigorated pack of curators (though Marion True is still fighting her criminal charges). They have re-emerged as an art powerhouse, more graceful about spending their money (a divine Gauguin that has just come their way) and an even more important barometer, the four exciting exhibitions of curatorial might currently on display. Fragonard's Allegories of Love are installed in a sensuous show --and like the Courbets at the Met--you find yourself catching your breath at the near pornography of some of the images.
Call of Jihadi Interview by Simon Parkin
In September 2006 Al-Qaeda became a game developer. Its first release? First-person shooter "Night of Bush Capturing", a game free to anyone with an Internet connection and an open mind. Its six-mission campaign is constructed from genre features familiar to any gamer: work your way deep into enemy territory, shoot enemy soldiers before they shoot you and assassinate the leader. Only, in this case the territory is America, the enemy soldiers are US troops and the leader in question is George W. Bush. Oh, and the developer is a notorious Islamic militant terrorist alliance. Programmed by a team from Al-Qaeda's Global Islamic Media Front, Night of Bush Capturing is in fact a modded version of an older, US-made game, Quest for Saddam, released by Petrilla Entertainment in 2003.
Escaped art dealer surrenders in R.I.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A former art dealer from Rhode Island has surrendered in Providence after escaping from a federal prison in New Jersey. Investigators say Rocco DeSimone turned himself in to the U.S. Marshal's office in Providence on Wednesday, four days after escaping from a minimum-security prison camp in Cumberland County. .
Swedish orchestra on stage in April
SCHUMANN SYMPHONY NO. 1 Swedish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Dausgaard BIS SACD1569 A relative newcomer to the orchestra world, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1995. A new all-Schumann recording gives a hint of the orchestra's style. In the Symphony No. 1, the playing is vital, quick and a little on the brash side. Partly because of the smaller size, partly because of a different sensibility, the ensemble sounds limber and quick. It's not as lustrous as a big major orchestra, but it's light on its feet, and that's appealing. Besides the well-known ''Spring'' Symphony, the orchestra includes some less frequently played overtures. The 38 musicians of the Swedish Chamber Orchestra will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Severance Hall in Cleveland, under the auspices of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
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