Classical Music News - Musbook

Gustav Leonhardt dies.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

The dutch organist, harpsichordist, conductor and scholar Gustav Leonhardt has died aged 83 on 16 January 2012.

Leonhardt was one of the pioneers of the 'Early Music Movement', was a pioneer and pillar of the early music movement, and had a towering influence on such figures as Niklolaus Harnoncourt, Frans Brüggen, and the Kuijken brothers. He also made a number of significant recordings, including a monumental complete set of Bach's Cantatas.

Simone Young to leave Hamburg Opera in 2015

Friday 09 December 2011

The Australian Conductor, Simone Young, who has been General Music Director and Intendant of the Hamburg Opera House has announced in the Viennese press that she will be stepping down in 2015 to, as she put it, 'spend more time on music'. There is already speculation that she may be in the running for one of the other top international opera houses, or that she may be planning a return to Australia.

Head of Sydney Conservatorium to Sue University

Saturday 03 December 2011

Professor Kim Walker, the controversial head of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, has ended her seven-year reign as head of Australia's most prestigious Conservatorium by initiating legal proceedings against her employers, the University of Sydney. Her suit, lodged with the Supreme Court in the State of New South Wales (of which Sydney is the Capital), is seeking several million dollars damages for alleged damage to her reputation and compensation for loss of future earnings. In the course of her tenure, Walker has had to defend herself against allegations of plagiarism (2007), and misrepresenting her qualifications (2009).

Sondheim to get Handel Medallion

Wednesday 12 October 2011

The City of New York will honour one of its most famous sons, the composer Stephen Sondheim, with the award of the Handel Medallion on 1 November. Previous winners include the composer of his libretto to 'West Side Story', Leonard Bernstein. Sondheim's many successful stage works include the musical 'Sweeney Todd', which most recently was transformed into a film, and 'A Little Night Music', which was based on one (Ingmar Bergman's film 'Smiles of a Summer Night').

Facebook 'friends' music streaming

Saturday 24 September 2011

In a further sign that Facebook is in direct competition with Google to become the default home page of the web, founder and chairman Mark Zuckerberg has announced new features that allow users to display and share music streams that they own or share.

The development allows already established music sharing services, such as Spotify, to integrate their functionality into Facebook profiles by developing 'apps'. Crucially, for the promotion of music, people will be able to observe what their friends and colleagues are listening to at any time--allowing people the ability to browse through their friend's virtual 'CD collection'

Arts industry figures in UK lobby the LPO to reconsider IPO disciplinary action

Saturday 24 September 2011

Responding to the suspension of four musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra for protesting at the recent visit to London of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, 117 prominent figures in the arts industry have signed a letter criticising the LPO management and requesting that it reverse its decision.

The four players were suspended because they had made their protest explicitly as members of the LPO; the controversy has escalated beyond issues of the appropriateness or otherwise of protests against Israeli organisations to become one of the limits of employee responsibility in matters of political conscience.

Protesters disrupt 'Prom' concert in London

Saturday 03 September 2011

For the first time in its history, the BBC had to shut down its live radio broadcast of a 'Prom' concert at the Albert Hall after protesters repeatedly interrupted a performance of the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. In what was almost certainly a coordinated protest, groups of protesters shouted pro-Palestinian slogans through successive pieces on their programme (including Anton Webern's Passacaglia, and Bruch's Violin Concerto with Gil Shaham).

The protests once again have raised the thorny issue of politics and classical music that was brought to the fore in 2008 when performances around the world by the Jerusalem Quartet were interrupted in similar fashion.

Apple set to release an 'iTune' app...

Sunday 21 August 2011

Apple has registered a patent for an App for its products that makes voice tuning technology hitherto only available in professional recording studios commonly available. Apparently it will enable the untrained singer to have their voice digitally re-tuned in order to produce acceptable solos for use in Karaoke, as well as provide automated guidance for those wishing to improve their vocal musicianship.

Barenboim nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Thursday 11 August 2011

Daniel Barenboim, the noted pianist and conductor, has for many years also been praised for his work with the Late Edward Said, the Palestinian-born scholar and activist, who together established the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in 1999. The orchestra is composed of young musicians from Israel, Palestine, and other Arab countries. Most recently Barenboim performed in Gaza, where he proclaimed "I am a Palestinian ..… and an Israeli. So you see it is possible to be both."

Israeli orchestra to play Wagner at Bayreuth

Monday 25 July 2011

Invited to the Bayreuth Festival this year, Roberto Paternostro will break with an informal, but passionately held, ban on Israeli ensembles performing the work of Richard Wagner when he conducts the Israel Chamber Orchestra playing the composer's Siegfried Idyll on Tuesday at Bayreuth.

The ban dates from 1938 when the then Palestine Orchestra - now the Israel Philharmonic - made the decision in response to the Nazi persecution of Jews in Germany and the propaganda value the Nazi's had found in the antisemitic views of the composer. Hitler was a frequent visitor to Bayreuth Festival in the 1930s.

Singer Amy Winehouse Dead

Sunday 24 July 2011

Amy Winehouse, the soul singer who bared her soul has died in her London home aged 27 after a long battle with drug and alcohol addiction. She joins a a host of famous popular music artists who have died at this age, including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain.

Edinburgh Festival 2011 programme unveiled

Wednesday 23 March 2011

The programme for the Edinburgh International Festival 2011 was announced today, and the main theme of this year's event will be connections between Europe and the Far East. The influence of Shakespeare on Asian drama will be explored in a version of The Tempest by the Mokwha Repertory Company set in 5th century Korea. Taiwanese actor Wu Hsing-Kuo will give a one-man version of The Tempest, while the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe will be making its UK debut with The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan, loosely based on The Tempest. The general balance of the festival programme is weighed more in favour of dance than music compared to previous years. Nevertheless, the major musical events will include Rossini's Semiramide from Vlaamse Opera and Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten from the Mariinsky in a production directed by Jonathan Kent. There will also be a chance to hear the Philip Glass Ensemble giving a live accompaniment to Godfrey Reggio’s Quatsi film trilogy. And in an inspired piece of programming, the festival has brought together its increased emphasis on dance, its oriental theme and the Mahler anniversary with Scottish Ballet performing Kenneth MacMillan's Song of the Earth, choreographed to Mahler's music based on ancient Chinese texts. To see the full programme of the festival, please visit: http://www.eif.co.uk/diary

YouTube Symphony Orchestra concert to be webcast live tomorrow morning

Saturday 19 March 2011

? YouTube Symphony Orchestra mark II is meeting this week in Sydney, and will be giving their grand finale performance at the Opera House on Sunday. The event will be webcast live on YouTube, which for UK viewers means a 9am start. As with the previous YouTube Symphony Orchestra project, which took place in New York 2009, the Sydney event will be attended by musicians who have applied and been selected via the internet. The orchestra has been rehearsing under Michael Tilson Thomas since Monday. The grand finale performance will include a new work from US composer Mason Bates called Mothership and selections from Stravinsky's Firebird. Their will also be solo turns from violinist Stefan Jackiw, organist Cameron Carpenter and didgeridoo virtuoso William Barton. For more information, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/symphony

William Steinway's diary goes online, documenting 36 years of the piano company's history

Friday 18 March 2011

The diary has been put online of William Steinway, one of the most important members of the Steinway family, who ran the piano company for most of the second half of the 19th century. The Smithsonian Institution, who now own the diary, spearheaded the project, which as well their own curatorial staff, included over 100 volunteers. The diary, which covers 36 years of Steinway's life, is now available both in facsimile and transcription. Steinway writes about riots in New York during the civil war, and about the lengths he went to to protect the factory. He also goes into detail about the political machinations behind the drive to bring mass transportation to New York in the 1890s. The Steinway factory in Queens employed a large workforce, and William was determined to develop the area for the benefit of his workers. The diary documents the building of housing, an amusement park and a school. Musical figures to appear in the pages include the Polish piano virtuoso Ignacy Paderewski. Steinway invited him to New York, but was horrified by his profligate spending. They gave him a huge sum for the trip, but by the time he arrived it had already gone. The diary of William Steinway can be veiwed online at: http://americanhistory.si.edu/steinwaydiary/

Jurowski, Gardner and Pappano compare notes at Covent Garden

Thursday 17 March 2011

Next month, the Royal Opera House will host a discussion between the musical directors of three opera houses. 'In Conversation with the Music Meastros' will be chance to hear Vladimir Jurowski, Edward Gardner and Antonio Pappano discuss their work at leading UK opera houses: Glyndebourne, ENO and the Royal Opera respectively. The event will take place on 14 April at 7.30 in the Linbury Studio Theatre. For more information, please visit: http://www.roh.org.uk/whatson/production.aspx?pid=15378

New record label highlights the work of neglected English composers

Wednesday 16 March 2011

A new record label will be launched this Spring to celebrate the work of hitherto neglected English composers. EM Records is being run in collaboration with the English Music Festival, which takes place at venues in the Thames Valley each May and specialises in underperformed English repertoire. The first release from EM Music will be of Violin Sonatas by Arthur Bliss and Henry Walford Davies, both receiving their world première recordings in performances by Rupert Luck and Matthew Rickard. Future releases will combine live performances from the Festival with studio recordings, and each will include at least one première recording. Later releases currently being planned include Holst's choral work The Coming of Christ, piano music by Roger Quilter, and part-songs by Rawsthorne, Haydn Wood, Robin Milford, Holst and Finzi. The programme for this year's English Music Festival can be found at: http://www.englishmusicfestival.org.uk/programme.html For more information on EM Records, please visit: http://www.englishmusicfestival.org.uk/emrecords.html

Pub Opera in running for Olivier Award

Sunday 13 March 2011

The winners of the 2011 Olivier Awards will be announced at a ceremony in London this evening, and one of the surprise nominees is a production of La Bohème that was originally staged in a Kilburn pub. Opera UpClose originally staged the production at the Cock Tavern Theatre to an audience of 35 in December 2009. The run was scheduled to end after six weeks, but ended up continuing for six months before transferring to the Soho Theatre. The other nominees for the Olivier Opera Award this year are Elegy for Young Lovers at the Young Vic, A Dog's Heart at ENO, and Adriana Lecouvreur at the Royal Opera. The nomination for Opera UpClose is particularly notable, given that it is the company's first production. Elaine Padmore, director of opera for the Royal Opera, welcomed the nomination, saying "The Oliviers is a great event, but normally it's just a polite tussle between Royal Opera and English National Opera as to who is going to win."

McVicar's Aida returns to Covent Garden

Friday 11 March 2011

Aida opens tonight at the Royal Opera House in the first revival of David McVicar's intense production. McVicar avoids specific references to Egypt in his staging, focussing instead on the psychological drama of the work and the brutality of a culture founded on human sacrifice. Not comfortable viewing then, but it's sure to be an intense evening of opera. The revival has a promising lineup, with Roberto Alagna, Olga Borodina, Michael Volle and Brindley Sherratt in the leading roles, and Verdi specialist Fabio Luisi at the podium. Performances of Aida will take place 11, 14, 19, 22, 26 and 30 March at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. For more information, please visit: http://www.roh.org.uk/whatson/production.aspx?pid=13814

Date set for Anna Nicole television broadcast

Thursday 10 March 2011

The Radio Times has confirmed that Mark Anthony Turnage's new opera Anna Nicole will be broadcast on BBC 4 on Friday 25 March at 9pm. The scheduling is good news for the many opera fans who missed out on seeing the opera live, which sold out well in advance of opening night. However, the broadcast is unlikely to be welcomed by Mediawatch-uk, the successor to Mary Whitehouse's National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, who campaigned vigorously against the televisation of librettist Richard Thomas' previous show, Jerry Springer the Opera.

Levine quits Boston Symphony

Thursday 03 March 2011

James Levine is to step down as Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a position he has held since 2004. The conductor has suffered a series of medical problems in recent years, particularly with his back, that have caused him to cancel a number of engagements. Levine has said that he does not plan to sever all links with the orchestra, and intends to return in a less demanding capacity when his health improves. Despite his continuing medical problems, Levine will continue in his other position as Music Director at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, even conducting upcoming instalments of their Ring cycle in the coming months.

#Operaplot is back: 2011 competition announced

Tuesday 01 March 2011

#Operaplot, the competition that brings the world of opera down to the scale of Twitter, is back for another year. This year, the event runs 11-15 April, with entries invited via Twitter. The idea is simple – just paraphrase an opera plot in 140 characters to be in with a chance of winning one of a range of opera-related prizes. But be warned, competition is fierce, as this list of last year’s winners demonstrates. The rules for this year’s competition will be announced in the next few days. So now is the time to get the Kobbé’s off the shelf and get thinking. For more information, please visit: http://theomniscientmussel.com/2011/02/operaplot-2011-save-the-date/

Silent Opera to be performed under London Bridge

Monday 28 February 2011

A new production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas will be premiered tomorrow night under ?London Bridge. And the location is not the only twist; the audience will wear wireless headphones, and the singers’ voices will be mixed with a pre-recorded orchestral accompaniment. The project is the brainchild of Daisy Evans, who currently works as an assistant to the Staff Directors at the Royal Opera House. This production is part of an interdisciplinary arts festival taking place under the arches at London Bridge. The pre-recorded orchestral parts are provided by members of the Rare Theatricall directed by Christopher Bucknall. Evans admits that the project poses unusual challenges for the singers, not least the synchronization of their parts to a recorded backing with no conductor present. But the payoff is a liberation of the medium from the confines of the opera house. According to Evans, the new technology frees the audience “from acres of proscenium arch and orchestra pit. It means site-specific dramatics without losing the sense of narrative. Most importantly, it brings the intense emotion of the singer right into the listener's head. There's no space to lose a single note, breath or word.” Silent Opera: Dido and Aeneas will be performed 1 March (7.30 and 9.30) and 3 March (9.30). For tickets and further information, please visit: http://www.ideastap.com/comingup-tickets

CBSO to perform works by Sir Anthony Hopkins

Sunday 27 February 2011

Two concerts have been announced for the summer in which the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra will play music by Sir Anthony Hopkins. The concerts will include music Hopkins wrote for two of his own films, August and Slipstream. Other Hopkins scores on the programme came about as a result of the success of a concert in Dallas in 2008, when one of his works received a standing ovation. Hopkins said of the event "Up until that point I had only heard in my imagination…What a rush!" The concerts will take place in Birmingham on 23 July and Cardiff on 24 July. The programme will also include music from some of the famous films in which Hopkins has appeared, including The Silence of the Lambs and The Remains of the Day.

Mandela opera planned for Cardiff

Saturday 26 February 2011

A three-year collaboration has been announced between Cape Town Opera and the Wales Millennium Centre. From 2012, a number of productions from South Africa will be staged at the Cardiff venue, and the collaboration will also involve education projects in Wales and staff exchange programmes between the two organisations. Cape Town Opera has already visited the venue. In 2009, they participated in the Centre’s fifth anniversary celebrations with a production of Porgy & Bess. Their next visit to Wales will be in June 2012, when they will present “Mandela Trilogy” an opera based on the life of Nelson Mandela. “Mandela Trilogy” was devised by Cape Town Opera and written by Allan Stephenson, Mike Campbell and Peter Louis van Dijk. It premiered in South Africa on 2010 as part of the cultural programme linked with the World Cup. The collaboration between Cape Town Opera and the Wales Millennium Centre was instigated by Sir Donald Gordon, a South African businessman who was a founding patron of the venue. Gordon said of the collaboration "This is a significant milestone in the history of Wales Millennium Centre and in the development of cultural links between Wales and South Africa…This partnership is the fruition of ambition, resolve and artistic achievement from colleagues at the Centre and at Cape Town Opera and I'm confident that the new relationship will provide cultural opportunities for both organisations and our audiences."

Opera singer thrown out of Vienna taxi for being black

Friday 25 February 2011

An Afro-American opera singer has reported that she was thrown out of a Vienna taxi two weeks ago in a racially motivated incident. Soprano Angel Joy Blue, who is in the city to sing the role of Female Chorus in Britten’s "The Rape of Lucretia" at the Theater an der Wien, says that after she got in the cab "The driver said: ‘I don't drive black women - get out!’ I did so – and started to cry. All I wanted in that moment was to get away from here." The incident occurred at the taxi stand outside the Staatsoper at about 9.30 on 10 February. The singer says that a Caribbean taxi driver then intervened, leading to a heated argument between the two men. Blue has called for the cab driver to be punished, a demand that has been echoed by a number of Austrian politicians, including Sandra Frauenberger of the Social Democratic Party. However, Andreas Curda of the Association of Taxi Drivers in Vienna, said that without his license number he will be all but impossible to trace.