Stalin called Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensh "muddle instead of music, an ugly flood of confusing sound, ... a pandemonium of creaking, shrieking and crashes.” Ouch. But it feels more urgent than ever with Putin at Russia's helm. - The New York Times
Courtney Pine became a success despite that music teacher. Even his dreams are in sync with his career: "I usually dream about music, about the missing chord or someone famous from jazz history, like Charlie Parker, giving me advice." - The Guardian (UK)
"Academics confirmed the parchment was from The Beauvais Missal, used in the Beauvais Cathedral in France, and dated to the late 13th century. It was used about 700 years ago in Roman Catholic worship, they said." - CBC
Price isn't the only barrier for a classical newcomer, but it's a big one, and the few American organizations that have tried pay-what-you-wish — most notably, the Chicago Sinfonietta and, this past summer, Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra — say it works. But what about lost ticket revenue? - The New York Times
"Effective immediately, the new contract replaces a two-year deal signed during the pandemic in September 2020, which required a 25% pay cut for the musicians until audiences returned in full. With attendance relatively strong again, ... musicians were able to make some modest gains in the new contract." - The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
The changes he goes on to detail might seem like small tweaks to a potential concert-goer but are a bigger deal in a juggernaut organisation such as the Southbank. - The Guardian
"Matthew Spivey, 41, joined the Symphony staff in 2015 as chief programming officer. ... When his predecessor, Mark C. Hanson, stepped down as CEO in July 2021, Spivey stepped in to lead the organization on an interim basis. ... Now (the board is) making the appointment permanent." - San Francisco Chronicle
St.Clair, who turned 70 in June, requested that the symphony’s board begin plans for succession that assured continuity of leadership. - Voice of Orange County
"What should we be doing with those pummelled remnants of a drum kit? The electric guitar with a broken neck? The leaky Chinese saxophone at the back of the cupboard? The DJ set-up gathering dust in the garage?" Not to mention decrepit pianos. Here's some practical advice. - ArtsHub (Australia)
Joshua Barone pays a visit to, and is thrilled by, Barrie Kosky's production of Fiddler on the Roof at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Yuval Sharon's staging of Act III of Die Walküre, under the title "The Valkyries," at Detroit Opera. - The New York Times
These groups may indeed be performing the most innovative composers. But what is also emerging is a much more heightened gravitational pull of music to money. This has meant that for composers to survive they’ve become much more fiercely competitive. - Ludwig Van
Using Yunchan’s Rach 3 video for comparison, these numbers put the Van Cliburn competition viewership well above some of the biggest television show premieres in history. - Ludwig Van
The pianist-turned-conductor founded the RNO in 1990, as the USSR was collapsing. Now the orchestra has refused to renew Pletnev's contract, saying that "since the end of 2020," just as Pletnev moved to Switzerland, "there has been practically no creative contact between the orchestra and its artistic director." - OperaWire
“I do not look like what the CEO of orchestra is supposed to look like. Whenever people are a bit surprised, it just underscores for me the work that needs to be done. And in many ways, I am an example of that work. I want to be a champion for this music. It is for everyone.” - Toronto...
