Category: music

The violinist believes so strongly in Messiaen’s Theme and Variations (“I’m telling you, it’s a terrific piece”) that he rebuked his West Palm Beach listeners from the stage for their tepid reaction (“Tell me something: Was it really that bad that half of you didn’t want to clap?”) and then played it a second time.

The Vancouver period-instrument band “has decided it wants to be led by the internationally-known harpsichordist and music director Alexander Weimann… So, we decided we’re going to form the Alex Weimann Club, and we’re going to let the world know that if we can get enough money to bring Alex Weimann to Vancouver, he can be here on a regular basis.”

“Without the [complete] Ring [planned for next year and now postponed,] though, the season displays the hallmarks of a money-saving year: a number of less-known singers, revivals and productions from other companies, without a single wholly new production in the bunch.”

“The Amato Opera is as far from the Metropolitan Opera as high school hoops are from the N.B.A., but it is a beloved part of the constellation of small performing-arts companies in the city.” Its impending closure after 60 years is a product of that smallness, as director Anthony Amato, yearning for retirement at 88, “said he had decided to shut down the company because he feared its quality would suffer without his dedication.”

“In Alan Gilbert’s first season, just announced, New York Philharmonic will pay a reparatory visit to Vietnam, a gesture infinitely more meaningful and productive than Lorin Maazel’s attention-grabbing swoop last year on North Korea.”

“In recent years, a number of music schools have developed additional academic programs to give students more practical skills to market their talents. Elsewhere, schools that have emphasized entrepreneurship in the past are redoubling their efforts. Eastman is planning to open a Center for Music Innovation, complete with a business school-like project incubator.”

“After 60 years the Amato Opera will close its doors after this season. Anthony Amato, the company’s 88-year-old founder, gave the news to his company before Saturday night’s performance of The Merry Widow.”

“If reports of a document buried in the bowels of the Royal Academy of Music are to be believed, a potentially devastating new light is waiting to be shed on the composer’s life, his death and his music, on the eve of his bicentenary, which is sparking worldwide celebrations in 2009.”

“Although there are still jazz fans who like to hear the old songs performed in a traditional manner, an emerging audience enjoys hearing recent tunes given an improvisational — and often experimental — spin. The former crowd tends to be older; the latter tends to be younger. And the overlap between them seems to be minimal.”

“Blasting through stereotypical images of the starving artist, these top studio, symphonic and theater musicians explore multiple passions without compromising their musical integrity. In doing so, they also hedge their bets against the economic downturn that is eroding arts budgets and threatening employment.”