Category: music

The Philadelphians are “hoping for something close to a miracle from a 35-year-old Canadian who only four years ago was scarcely known outside Montreal, where he was (and remains) music director of Orchestre Métropolitain.”

British producer Stephen Evans hopes First Night, his film inspired by Mozart’s CosÃŒ Fan Tutte, will start a trend. The UK is experiencing “a huge surge” in opera activity. Twenty years ago there were about 34 opera companies. Now there are over 200. The number has quintupled.”

“The proposed £100m outpost of the Royal Opera House (ROH) in Manchester is among a swathe of arts projects that have been shelved because of the arts-funding cuts announced earlier this week.”

David Lister: “A multimillion pound Royal Opera House of the North was an ill-thought out and slightly patronising idea. … What is needed is some touring by the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet to showcase the world’s finest singers and dancers around the country. Their lack of a presence in the UK outside London is scandalous.”

“The chief conductor of the Hungarian National Opera Adam Fischer has decided to step down, Hungarian media reported Monday, days after the opera’s director was fired over financial irregularities.” Fischer attributed his departure to government meddling.

Earlier this month, several of the company’s board members publicly denounced what they said was a secret plot to get rid of longtime artistic director Peter Mark when his contract expires in 2012. Now those members have proposed “that Mark’s position continue through mid-2013, that he conduct only one opera a year for his last two seasons and that his salary be adjusted accordingly.”

“One effect of this sad confluence of events” – the orchestra’s suspension of operations due to lack of funds and the sudden death of longtime music director David Stahl – “is that the symphony — should it find its way to a recovery — is left with no heir- apparent, no interim music director and no slate of candidates for the position.” (And no concerts for conductors to try out with.)

“If they cannot go as tourists, put ’em to work.” The New York Philharmonic had to call off plans to play in Cuba last year when the US government refused permission, citing the ongoing embargo, for the patrons underwriting the tour to travel along. So this year, the Phil is adding to its plans some educational work in which the patrons would take part.

“It was a small but telling scene at Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music … The young musicians ended the first movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and looked expectantly at the maestro.” Hogwood’s assessment: “That was Tchaikovsky. It was not Baroque music. Can you buy CDs of Baroque music in China? DVDs? I’d suggest listening to them first.”

“The Canadian Opera Company continued to pack houses in its 2009-10 season, earning $13.4 million at the box office, a 6.2 per cent increase.”