“Il Postino” is the most successful new opera the company has mounted since its founding 25 years ago. And many, inside and out of the company, are now asking why. Nothing really is new. The opera is based on a popular film. So was “The Fly” two seasons ago; that was a flop.
Category: music
New World Record For “Flight Of The Bumble Bee”
Oliver Lewis managed to play the piece in one minute and 3.356 seconds.
Fired Welsh Nat’l Opera Oboist Loses Lawsuit
For 34 years the principal oboist of the opera company’s orchestra, Murray Johnston “claimed he had been bullied and harassed by former musical director Carlo Rizzi.” But a judicial panel in Cardiff agreed with WNO management that Johnston “was sacked because his [poor] playing risked the orchestra’s reputation.”
A Comedic Opera (and Movie) About a Canadian Prime Minister (This Is Not an Oxymoron)
“Rhombus Media, the film company behind such movies as The Red Violin and Passchendaele, has invested $3.75-million [Cdn] into creating a full-scale comedic opera based on [Brian] Mulroney’s life and turning it into a feature-length film” with music by Alexina Louie.
NY Phil Sues Cheap Trick
“The 1970s power pop group had the temerity to list the illustrious orchestra on the liner notes of its Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 40th Anniversary recording, a suit filed in Manhattan Federal Court says.”
Montreal Symphony and Kent Nagano Do an All-Night Rave
“It would not be strictly accurate to say that this was the first-ever MSO performance at which the Gazette critic was the oldest person in attendance. After all, I had a date.”
Opera In The Pubs (It Works)
Ever since my company OperaUpClose announced that we were turning the King’s Head into London’s third full-time opera house, we’ve been inundated with feedback. Most of it has been extremely positive – ticket sales for the opening production of The Barber of Seville are more than encouraging – but some people are obviously dubious about the merits of “pub opera”.
Chamber Music Society Of Lincoln Center Renews Its Directors (In All Sense Of The Word)
“As traditional careers in music have to some degree diminished, the more entrepreneurial activities have increased, and self-made chamber music festivals are a realistic outlet for young musicians. David Finkel and Wu Han are heroic role models of the chamber musician as entrepreneur.”
Who Will Be The Next Director Of The Colorado Symphony?
“When choosing new music directors, orchestras tend to opt for different types of podium leaders from what they had before. Given that the Colorado Symphony’s two previous leaders were American-born, it is a good bet that it will think internationally this time around.”
Detroit Symphony Strike Reverberates Around The Orchestra World
“In its essence, the Detroit situation stands as a cautionary tale for every orchestra struggling to remain vital through changing times and a slow economy.”