"He is an artist for whom Americanness truly matters, as much as the tradition of Western classical music — both heritages treated not with nostalgia, but with awareness and affection." Joshua Barone profiles Adams ahead of the world premiere of his Antony and Cleopatra in San Francisco. - The New York Times
One aspect of Rachmaninoff’s legacy that deserves greater scrutiny is his peculiar resonance with early-twentieth-century American pop music. George Gershwin, the son of Russian immigrants, could not have composed “Rhapsody in Blue” without the example of the Rachmaninoff concertos. - The New Yorker
There seem to be several currents in European composition: the heirs of Pierre Boulez, post-serial, and neotonal. Among the younger composers, however, there is a yearning for the freedom of being decompartmentalized. And many look to the U.S. for new models. - Strings
"I am still struggling with the consequences of the vasculitis I was diagnosed with in the spring," said the conductor in a statement. For this new Dmitri Tcherniakov staging at the Berlin State Opera, Barenboim will be replaced by Christian Thielemann for two cycles and Thomas Guggeis for one. - OperaWire
A piano has more than 8,000 individual parts. The building process begins with curing the wood, leaving large sheets of maple, beech and mahogany to dry for a year and a half. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"People with more experience of playing a musical instrument showed greater lifetime improvement on a test of cognitive ability than those with less or no experience. ... This was the case even when accounting for socio-economic status, years of education, childhood cognitive ability, and health in older age." - The Guardian
Patrons will no longer have to wait in line to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 before entering the building, though masks will still be required except when eating or drinking. - AP
That word “historic” is interesting. You may find that you heard these performances, as they happened. Or reviewed them. Or played them. Which may make you gulp a little. - New Criterion
Pianist Igor Levit "described Bolcom as one of 'the very essential composers of our time,' and also recounted with delight the way in which this composer, now 84, participated in the rehearsal process: by video conference, from his home in Ann Arbor, Mich." - The New York Times
And don't forget the influence of K-Pop. "By blending music with comedy, pop music and other relatable content, Gen Zs who are not born into musical tradition or classical cultural capital are invited to enjoy without fear of not 'getting it.'" - The Line of Best Fit
Composer Henech Kon, who went on to success writing scores to Yiddish films such as The Dybbuk, premiered his Bas Sheve (Bathsheba) in Warsaw in 1924. It was thought lost until a score turned up at Yale in 2017 — with 16 pages at the opera's climax missing. - Forward
The new contract guarantees 18 weeks of performances in the first two years, 19 weeks in the third year, and 21 weeks in the final year of the agreement — and increases the performance season from nine months to a year-round schedule. - Hawaii Public Radio
The San Antonio Philharmonic will perform ten classical programs and three pops programs from September to next May at the city's First Baptist Church (rather than the Tobin Center, built for the SA Symphony) as well as 36 youth concerts in city schools. - San Antonio Report
FN Meka, which has over 10 million followers on TikTok, had come under heavy fire for appropriating Black culture and mocking police brutality, with some critics calling it “digital blackface.” - Los Angeles Times
The software called Voyager improvises responses to a live performance in real time. Last week, New York's Ensemble Signal and jazz flutist Nicole Mitchell performed George Lewis's Tales of the Traveler, for which the orchestra's part is notated but the soloist(s) improvise, with Voyager playing a Disklavier. - The New York Times
