“The 74-year-old tenor was in New York preparing for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Tosca, which he was scheduled to conduct but not appear in. His spokeswoman said he was in the middle of a dress rehearsal yesterday when he experienced pain as well as vomiting and later went to the hospital.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
A New Chamber Music Competition With A $100,000 Prize
“Starting in May 2016, the M-Prize, as the competition will be called, will be the most lucrative chamber music competition in the field. Prizes will be awarded in junior and senior divisions in three categories devoted to traditional string and wind ensembles, and, in an unusual twist, an ‘open’ category to accommodate groups of mixed instrumentation or those employing technology, voice or improvisation.”
Yannick Nézet-Séguin Named Musical America’s Artist Of The Year
Joining the 40-year-old music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra as Musical America honorees are Tod Machover (composer of the year), violinist Jennifer Koh (instrumentalist of the year), and tenor Mark Padmore (vocalist of the year).
This Performance Left Blood On The Keyboard – Literally
Yefim Bronfman’s rendition of Bartók’s Third Piano Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra in Vienna Tuesday night was even more dramatic than usual.
Why We So Often Fail To Predict What Will Improve Our Future Happiness
Miswanting. “It’s the name for the scrambled logic behind our wants, and our tendency to poorly align those wants with what we’ll actually enjoy.”
Why We Fall in Love – and Why Frustration Is Necessary for Satisfaction
“To fall in love is to be reminded of a frustration that you didn’t know you had … you wanted someone, you felt deprived of something, and then it seems to be there. … It is as if, oddly, you were waiting for someone but you didn’t know who they were until they arrived. Whether or not you were aware that there was something missing in your life, you will be when you meet the person you want.”
We’ve Just Learned A *Lot* More About ‘Swan Lake’
“The 1877 original was staged in Moscow, and was by no means the fiasco that used to be supposed. After its Moscow premiere, it was revived there for six of the first seven years of its existence. Recent discoveries … at the old Bolshoi building there, give us a new wealth of detail about it.” For example, the “Black Swan pas de deux” was not intended for either Odette or Odile, and the storm scene is supposed to have a real whirlpool.
Twyla Tharp On The Road: Why We Go Out And Tour
“O.K., you want the fountain of youth, here it is: Travel with a modern dance troupe.”
Banned In Belarus, But The Shows Go On Nevertheless
“It feels appropriate that the audience members have been advised to bring their passports. Never mind that this is on the off chance – as has happened to other audiences – they might be arrested by the Belarussian K.G.B.” Ben Brantley visits Minsk to see a secret production of the Belarus Free Theater.
Making Vegetable Soup Becomes Theatre
“During a performance that begins as a monologue, and which slowly and organically develops into a conversation, we all make a vegetarian soup together: cutting vegetables and garlic – lots and lots of garlic – and gradually turning up the heat so that the smells fill the room like memory itself.”