The company’s chairman says, “We have ceased business and we are trying to work out the arrangements with our secured creditor about what will be done with our very few remaining assets.” There will be no bankruptcy filing: “The cost of doing so would be wasted money.”
Category: music
Anna Nicole Smith, The Opera
If they can do it with Jerry Springer, why not Anna Nicole? Covent Garden has commissioned a new piece from composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and librettist Richard Thomas (who did, yes, Jerry Springer) for a 2011 premiere. The Royal Opera’s head says, “It is not going to be tawdry; it is going to be witty, clever, thoughtful and sad.”
Why An Anna Nicole Opera Is A Grand Idea
Charlotte Higgins: “Take Janacek’s Jenufa […] The heroine is stabbed in the face, abandoned by the lover who has made her pregnant, and the resultant baby is murdered by her stepmother. […] Or Lulu – Berg’s heroine could almost be a kind of model for Anna Nicole Smith.”
Cast Your Own Anna Nicole Smith Opera!
The cher public at Parterre Box is having a grand old time suggesting the ideal singers to re-enact the life of the former Vicki Lynn Hogan. So far, candidates for the title role range from Netrebko to Mattila to Bartoli; Plácido Domingo is suggested for the elderly husband, as is 106-year-old tenor Hugues Cuénod, and barihunks should be fighting to play baby-daddy Larry Birkhead.
Gramophone Mag Launches Online Archive
The venerable classical music magazine has opened in beta, at www.gramophone.net, “a searchable database containing every issue of Gramophone from April 1923 to the latest issue.” Each page is available as a PDF image and a plain-text version, and access is free except for the current issue (available to print subscribers).
Going Down: Muzak Files For Bankruptcy Protection
“Muzak Holdings, the maker of background music heard in elevators, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday. The company had a heavy debt load, and it filed to try to refinance some of its debt. In a court filing, the company listed its total debt at $100 million to $500 million.”
Met Casts New Stars In Chic Revivals, And The Seams Show
“At the Metropolitan Opera in recent seasons, great emphasis has been placed on the recruitment of new stage directors and on showcasing particular singers. So what happens when the special new productions with cutting-edge directors are revived with different stars? Recently, the Met … demonstrated the pitfalls of this mix-and-match approach.”
Fire Strikes Pleyel Piano Factory
France’s last manufacturer of pianos was devastated by an overnight blaze at its factory in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. About 40 pianos were destroyed, including 10 custom-designed instruments, with total damage estimated at €5 million. All models and designs survived intact (as did Pleyel’s technicians), and the company expects to resume production in the spring.
NY Phil To Visit Vietnam Next Fall
As a follow-up to last year’s headline-making concerts in North Korea, the Philharmonic (with incoming music director Alan Gilbert) will play two programs in Hanoi. The Asia tour will also include Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Tokyo and possibly Bangkok.
Connecticut Opera: No Refunds For Cancelled Shows
Having called off the rest of its season, the company last week sent a letter to subscribers saying, “In keeping with our promise to keep you informed of our plans for the future, we have the disappointing task of announcing that we are unable to provide refunds for your remaining tickets. You may, to the full extent allowed by the law, claim your unused tickets… as a charitable contribution to Connecticut Opera.”