Category: music

“It’s safe to say music festivals are now an established part of British summer time. There are 450 in the UK alone this year and more people are going to them than ever before, says Virtual Festivals UK.”

“Stephen Webber has news for those who believe classical music and hip-hop could never meet. The professor from Berklee College of Music in the US has composed The Stylus Symphony, a full-length piece for turntable and orchestra.”

“Scottish Opera … management called for talks with the Musicians’ Union over the future of its orchestra. Alex Reedijk, general director of the national company, has arranged talks with representatives of its 53-strong, full-time ensemble next week, because he believes the orchestra is under-utilised.”

“How can one capture the vastness of this subject in a single gesture? …. The very complexity of the venture is stunning. Consider the difficulties of acquiring items in Burkina Faso or Somalia, places with little technology or few modes of transportation, where shipping and political turmoil are both problematic.”

“While as many as 1,200 builders and craftsmen worked simultaneously on reconditioning the Carrara marble staircase, gold-leaf detailing and statue-studded façade of the 102-year-old building, the most complicated part of the $100 million renovation was to preserve the acoustics….”

“Italian composer Ennio Morricone and Icelandic singer Björk have won the 2010 Polar Music Prize, … which includes 1 million kronor ($130,000) each in prize money.” The annual award, which is typically shared by one pop and one classical musician, was established in 1989 by ABBA’s Stig Anderson.

David Cope “long ago reached the point where most people can’t tell the difference between real Bach and the Bach-like compositions his computer can produce. Audiences have been moved to tears by melodies created by algorithms. And yet, it’s not exactly that Cope has created a computer than can write music like a human. The way he sees it, it’s that humans compose like computers.”

After 25 years as the orchestra’s music director, Mester abruptly decided last week to resign over what management described as unsuccessful contract negotiations. The organization is operating on an austerity budget following a financial crisis last year.

“This year, the Metropolitan Opera will again feature a scaled back summer outreach to the outer boroughs concert series, focusing instead on a ten-day festival of free HD screenings in Lincoln Center Plaza. … Is this being done to help lower expectations enough that it won’t be such a shocker if the organization does away with the outer-borough tours all together?”

“The inaugural edition of the event is aimed at introducing the country’s top opera ensembles and bringing the genre closer to the general public. … Organized by the [Korean National Opera] and the Opera Society of Korea, the festival features the state-backed ensemble and four civilian troupes that were chosen among the 85 that are part of the Opera Society.”