Category: music

The Times makes a list.

“Singer and violinist Alexander Rybak, 23, smashed the record for the most points awarded during the competition. Iceland came second in the vote, followed by Azerbaijan which took the third place. The UK’s Jade Ewen, singing an Andrew Lloyd Webber song, ended in fifth position.”

“Trumpeter Alison Balsom has become the first British woman to win best female at the Classical Brit awards. The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards won the prestigious album of the year for Spirit of the Glen: Journey, recorded during their tour of duty in Iraq.”

Sorry, Philadelphia. “Simon Rattle said Wednesday that he would remain the chief conductor of the world-renowned Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra until 2018,” an extension of six years. Despite rumors of a “turbulent” relationship between Rattle and his players, “he is extremely popular with Berlin’s passionate music lovers and his concerts are routinely sold out.”

“British rock legend Peter Gabriel and Venezuelan conductor and composer José Antonio Abreu on Tuesday won the 2009 Polar Music Prize for their contributions to music, organisers in Sweden said. The winners will receive one million kronor (122,000 dollars, 92,000 euros) each.”

An extensive 25-year master plan for the orchestra – which calls for a new concert hall but jettisons the widely-publicized design commissioned from starchitect Santiago Calatrava – was presented to the board on Wednesday. But members trickled out steadily through the 2½-hour presentation, and by the time of the vote there was no longer a quorum.

“Danielle De Niese took her judging duties quite seriously and returned quarter final, semi final, top 25 results before paring the list down to the seven best ones. Amazing.”

Louisville Orchestra chief executive officer Brad Broecker will step down this month from the position he’s held since 2006 at a salary of $1 per year. He took over “just after the orchestra averted bankruptcy, and quickly brought conductor Jorge Mester back to the organization. … His replacement will be Robert Birman, whom [Broecker] recruited last year as the orchestra’s chief operating officer.”

“It’s been a season of rave reviews for the 109-year-old orchestra, a testament to an organization whose members have continued to play despite partial payments and missing paychecks for much of the season … [The HSO] has a plan for getting out of those [financial] straits, but as the plan is being implemented, it needs a serious influx of cash to cover its expenses.”

Soprano Julianna Snapper, co-creator of the underwater “operella” You Who Will Emerge from the Flood: “It’s not that different from singing operatically on land. It uses the same basic process … with a little bit more care because at the end of the phrase you don’t want to pull any water in.”