The Canada Council has awarded two young musicians instruments from the council’s instrument bank. “For the next three years, Kaori Yamagami will play the 1696 Bonjour Stradivari cello, the most valuable instrument in the Instrument Bank, valued at approximately $6.1-million. Violinist Hou won the use of the 1729 ‘ex-Heath’ Guarneri del Gesù violin, valued at about $4.3-million.”
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Supremes Make Opera Debut
Who says Supreme Court justices are all law, no show biz? Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Anthong Kennedy and Stephen Breyer, despite their limited performing arts resumes, made rare special appearances, with non-singing roles, in the Washington Opera’s season-opener ‘Die Fledermaus’ on Saturday night.”
The RIAA’s New Man
Mitch Bainwol is the new head of the Recording Industry Association of America. “One Democratic operative describes him – apart from his ever-present Blackberry – as ‘the world’s least hip-seeming guy.’ Hipness is not part of the RIAA job requirement, even if he’s the new Washington voice of the music world’s hottest acts. Representing the interests of the nation’s largest recording companies – and to a certain extent their stable of artists – with unparalleled zeal is the primary mission. collective picture emerges of Bainwol as someone who has the rare combination of steely-eyed resolve, uncanny intelligence, a friendly attitude, the ability to tell it like it is and the tact required to achieve compromise when necessary.”
Universal Strings For CD Price-Cuts
Universal’s plan to cut the suggested retail price of its CD’s comes with some strings that won’t endear it to retailers. “Universal’s cut turns out to be a complex proposal that comes with many conditions for retailers. In order to get a wholesale price cut, retailers would have to make concessions to Universal. Those concessions include such items as guaranteed shelf space and special promotions for the company’s releases.”
From Best To Worst – How’d This Happen?
In Boston an architect builds one of the most-loved new buildings, then turns around and follows it with one of the most-hated. Robert Campbell observes: “In 30 years of writing about architecture, I’ve never heard so many expressions of outrage over a new building. The anguish arrives from all angles: from the general public, and from the community of architects.”
Discount Pressure Influenced Universal?
Universal’s price cuts sound good, but the company was likely influenced in its decision by discount chain stores. “Universal executives downplay the notion that giant discounters directly forced the world’s largest record label to lower the wholesale price of most CDs by 25% and the suggested retail price by as much as 32%. But it was certainly more than coincidence that the amount Universal suggests consumers will now pay for its CDs — around $10 — is the same one that has become common in the weekly circulars distributed by big chains such as Best Buy.”
Downloader Amnesty – But There’s A Price
The recording industry is ready to offer amnesty to music downloaders. But there are conditions. “To be eligible, sources said, people would have to cleanse their computers of all the tunes they downloaded without permission and destroy any CDs they burned with those songs. They’d also have to submit a notarized form to the RIAA, possibly with some official identification, pledging not to run afoul of copyright laws again.”
Susan Chilcott, 40
Soprano Susan Chilcott, considered one of Britain’s brightest young opera stars, has died of breat cancer at age 40. “Among the first to pay tribute to the singer, who died at her home in Timsbury, near Bath, was the Royal Opera House’s music director, Antonio Pappano. ‘We are all devastated… She was surely one of the shining stars on the international opera scene’.”
New Eyes At MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art gets some new curators…
An Opera About A Newscast
It may have some superficial similarities to “Jerry Springer The Opera”, but “Newsnight The Opera” has its own rhythm (and special problems”. “There’s an inherent problem in using reports as the basis for an opera: by their nature, they describe events that have occurred “off stage”, and the evening runs the risk of feeling like a string of messenger speeches.”