The move comes as the company investigates an allegation “that the 42-year-old tenor allegedly groped a female chorus singer during a curtain call — in front of fellow performers and the audience — at the end of a performance of Gounod’s Faust in Tokyo last Wednesday.” – BBC
Category: music
At Last Minute, Met Opera Cuts Plácido Domingo Loose
One day before he was due to take the stage in the title role of Verdi’s Macbeth, both the tenor-turned-baritone and the opera house announced his withdrawal from the production. (Domingo said he would not return to the Met.) The move comes after an apparent rebellion at the company, where many objected to continuing to work with the singer as accusations of sexual misconduct keep mounting. – The New York Times
Cleveland Orchestra Extends With Franz Welser-Möst Through 2027, Returns To Recording, Launches Diversity Initiative
By the time Welser-Möst’s extension runs out in 2027, he will have been the orchestra’s music director for 25 years, one year longer than George Szell. Early in 2020, the orchestra will begin issuing a series of recordings (CD and digital) of concert performances, and the new fellowship program, called Nurturing Diverse Talent, aims to give young Black and Latinx musicians “people a chance to rise to the level of the Cleveland Orchestra.” – The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)
Anne Midgette Resigns As Washington Post’s Classical Music Critic
“I am resigning from @washingtonpost as of Nov. 22 to work on my book, be home at night for my son, and see what the next chapter holds. … The Post is committed to replacing me, and it will be exciting to see a new voice in the role. This was completely my choice. Excited to see what comes.” – Twitter
Baltimore Symphony Musicians Ratify One-Year Contract, End Lockout/Strike
For the time being — this season — management got what it wanted: a reduction of the orchestra’s season from 52 weeks to 40. Thanks to a special donation, the musicians will be paid for next summer, and their total compensation will fall by only 1.6%. – The Baltimore Sun
Met Opera Staffers Protest Placido Domingo’s Continuing Work With The Company
A number of longtime employees at the opera house have told NPR that they are furious that the New York company is continuing its association with Domingo. These staffers believe that their employer has a specific responsibility to take allegations of sexual misconduct seriously after the downfall of James Levine, the Met’s former music director of four decades, who has been publicly accused of sexual abuse by nine men. – NPR
Time To Rethink The Ticket Model For Classical Music Concerts?
Is it so far-fetched to wonder what could happen if — like museums, which only raised about 13% of their budgets through admissions fees and memberships in 2015 — they shifted even further away from relying on ticket revenue and more toward a low-cost membership model? – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Why Lizst Is Better In The Catacombs Than In Carnegie Hall
Well, at least his “Poetic and Religious Harmonies.” Why? Pianist Jenny Lin: “This is definitely a very private Liszt, one who’s retreated to his inner self. … I don’t think you could do this at Carnegie Hall. It would be weird.” – The New York Times
Music Composed In Response To The Brett Kavanaugh Hearings
Composer Kenji Bunch had what he called a weird idea while watching the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings: Why not create music in response to “such a fraught moment, a watershed event”? He took his idea to Facebook, where other composers responded immediately. – Oregon ArtsWatch
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Reaches Tentative Agreement, Could Perform Next Week
The union ratification vote is Monday, and the public won’t hear details of the proposed contract until then. But late Friday night, “a brief, joint statement by the BSO and the Musicians’ Association of Metropolitan Baltimore Local 40-543 said that if both the players’ union and the BSO’s board of directors vote to sign the contract ‘it would enable the Baltimore Symphony to open its concert season’ next weekend.” – Baltimore Sun