“Besides the physical notation, the sheet of paper or whatever, there’s also the psychological notation. That should also be there—where you can deal with the music on a real level. Whether it’s notated on paper or not. You’re still in the room and you’re still in the music.” – NewMusicBox
Category: music
Why Music Grabs Ahold Of Our Brains
“We are essentially pattern-recognizing machines. Every great musician knows that a great performance involves building up tension to an eventual release. And that’s because that taps into our pattern recognition apparatus in the brain. Our brain is trying to figure out what’s going to happen next.” – PBS News Hour
Paris Opera Director Stéphane Lissner Named Superintendent Of Teatro San Carlo In Naples
Lissner, who ran La Scala in Milan (2005-2012) before taking charge of the Opéra national de Paris, reaches France’s mandatory retirement age of 67 next year, so his contract there won’t be renewed past its expiration in August 2021. He begins his five-year term in Naples as both superintendent and artistic director that fall. (in French; for Google Translate version, click here) – Le Monde (France)
Looking Hopeful, Long-Troubled English National Opera Appoints New Artistic Director
“Annilese Miskimmon, the Belfast-born opera director who has drawn influence from Sondheim, Shakespeare and the Muppets [and is currently director of opera at Norwegian National Opera and Ballet], has been named as the new artistic director of English National Opera, after a search to replace Daniel Kramer, who announced in April that he would step down in July.” – The Guardian
Who Will Replace Plácido Domingo At Los Angeles Opera? No One
The company has decided to eliminate the title of General Director and fold its duties in with those of the President and CEO, Christopher Koelsch. – Los Angeles Times
For The First Time In 136 Years, Met Opera Begins Sunday Matinees
As part of three-year labor contracts agreed to in the summer of 2018, the Met has the right to present up to 17 Sunday matinees this season and 27 in 2020-21. Any Sunday show will be followed by a Monday off for both performances and orchestra rehearsals. And Tuesday-morning rehearsals will have limits. – Yahoo! (AP)
The Glastonbury Festival Isn’t Until Next June. But Tickets Sell Out In 34 Minutes
A record number of people had registered to be eligible for the sale, which started at 9am on Sunday and was finished in little over 30 minutes. A record 2.4 million people signed up to have a chance of securing a ticket. – The Guardian
The ‘Wow’ Kid Continues His Special Relationship With The Group That Inspired His Outburst Of Approval
The child whose “Wow!” captivated the classical music world “is something of a celebrity at Symphony Hall.” The Handel and Haydn Society invited the 9-year-old and his grandparents to a recent dress rehearsal where he mostly got a concert directly for him. But “before the dress rehearsal, Ronan wandered the halls and rode the elevator a few times (he is passionate about elevators). Then he spotted two musicians practicing trombone. ‘Yeah, music,’ he said.” – The Boston Globe
What’s The Bestselling Album In Britain Right Now? Abbey Road, Obviously
The last time The Beatles’ Abbey Road was #1 on the charts, a U.S. president was laying the groundwork for his later impeachment, and Harold Wilson was Prime Minister of the UK. This return to the top “sees the album set a record – the gap of 49 years and 252 days since its initial chart-topping run ended in early 1970 is the longest gap before returning to number one.” – BBC
A Case For Reconsidering New Age Music As Art
How did New Age end up carrying so much baggage in our musical memory? Its fall from grace, when it once soared, might be due to New Age’s status as one of the most heavily marketed musical genres, making it the equivalent of aural snake oil, to be sold on the yoga-conference circuit and in corporate supplement chains. – The New Yorker