Donald Runnicles probably flies just under the radar of many music aficionados, but he’s quietly become one of the more in-demand conductors in the classical music world. “The man who first conducted at the Metropolitan Opera 20 years ago and made an early Bayreuth debut thrives in music that requires the generalissimo treatment – wielding big forces and big scores into coherent statements of sound.”
Author: sbergman
Musicians Soldier On In Fight Against Nukes
Nuclear disarmament isn’t the cause it once was, but in Cleveland, an organization calling itself Performers and Artists for Nuclear Disarmament (PAND) is turning 25, helmed by two former members of the Cleveland Orchestra.
Cultural Giving Way Up In Oregon
“There’s a credit crisis right now, but that hasn’t stopped Oregonians from giving to the Oregon Cultural Trust, which, in turn, is dispersing its funds in record amounts… The trust announced $1.65 million in grants for 2009, an increase of about 21 percent.”
Remaking The Vatican Choir
St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican’s church, has a long and venerable history, but in recent years, the in-house choir had deteriorated, even becoming known as St. Peter’s Screechers. Then, Rev. Pierre Paul arrived, and began revolutionizing the Vatican’s approach to choral music.
Columbus Musicians Play On
The Columbus Symphony may be officially shut down, but “with the grass-roots support of volunteers and others, the musicians, acting as their own managers, have played on.” Still, the expense and logistical challenges of putting on orchestra concerts with no access to the CSO’s usual venue and library have been immense.
Emmett Till’s Tragedy Goes Operatic
A New Jersey opera company is presenting the world premiere of an operatic version of the tragic story of Emmett Till, a black teenager from Chicago who was viciously beaten and shot in Mississippi in 1955. The opera was composed by Charles Lloyd, Jr, best known for his jazz compositions.
Alice Chalifoux, 100
“Alice Chalifoux, the diminutive, salty-tongued and beloved former principal harp of the Cleveland Orchestra, died Thursday at the age of 100… Chalifoux, who became a centenarian in January, was a legend in the music world. She served as principal harp in the Cleveland Orchestra from 1931 to 1974,” and taught many of the top harpists in the business at Oberlin and Cleveland Institute of Music.
Like A Bird On A Wire
“In the middle of the night on Aug. 7, 1974, a French high-wire artist named Philippe Petit broke into the just-built World Trade Center with a small band of accomplices. As dawn was breaking, the men strung a cable between the Twin Towers, upon which Petit proceeded to walk for 45 minutes, crossing back and forth eight times as he danced, knelt, and lay down on the wire… The final prize [wasn’t] a vault full of cash but an act of pure, useless, and terrifying beauty.”
Red Scare On The Prairie
“When inner-city business owners decided to unite against the scourge of graffiti, they thought they had nothing to lose but its stain. But a summer painting project went awry when a figure in a mural depicting Eastern European immigrants in the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike took on a startling resemblance to” Karl Marx. The artist has been told in no uncertain terms to scrap the Marxist imagery.
British Museum Barely Hangs Onto Another Artifact
“A rare astronomy tool that helped medieval scientists tell time will remain in Britain after the British Museum scrambled to come up with the money to buy it… Money from the National Heritage Memorial fund, the Art Fund and the British Museum Friends helped the museum purchase it recently for $700,000.”