Category: music

The sudden death of conductor Richard Hickox is causing Opera Australia, the organization he led, to reassess its overall position. “The company’s artistic leadership has not always rested with a music director. [Some have] recently advocated the appointment of an artistic director to work alongside a music director.”

“Most pop and rock songs are based on structural repetition of various units: verses, choruses and the like.” That very structure nearly precludes the possibility of songs that go on longer than a few minutes.”But it is when musical themes and motifs are used to bind the music together that we really start cooking up a rock symphony.”

“Fighting Michigan’s slumping economy, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra ended 2008 with a shortfall of $512,000, a relatively modest deficit on a $31.5-million budget. But the financial storm clouds are more ominous than they might appear at first.”

There’s consternation in Philly – and even some bewilderment – that the Philadelphia Orchestra didn’t make Gramophone‘s recent list of the world’s 20 best orchestras. (Worse: the Philadelphians got mentioned in a sidebar with the heading, “Past Glories.”) But there are factors involved in such critics’ polls beyond the perversities of personal preference and groupthink. The time-lag between changes in leadership and changes in reputation, for one, and – in this instance – the perception of hostile treatment by the musicians toward outgoing music director Christoph Eschenbach.

Calling the storm of argument over Richard Hickox’s tenure as the company’s music director “guerrilla warfare,” Opera Australia CEO Adrian Collette wouldn’t say that stress over the affair caused Hickox’s heart attack last weekend. But he made a point of saying that “I suppose if you are under a constant criticism then it must take its toll.”

“Eleven months after firing principal cellist Linda Bardutz, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra has fired her again.” Bardutz was dismissed in December 2007, allegedly for disciplinary reasons, and reinstated the following March after negotiations.

“Renowned violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman will join the London-based Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as principal guest conductor starting in January, but will remain the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s music director. Zukerman will continue to live in Ottawa and will honour his 16-week commitment to the NACO.” (Or so he says.)

The entire concept of the Edmonton Symphony’s program this weekend is now shot. “Kuerti: Father and Son” was to feature 32-year-old conductor Julian in collaboration with his renowned pianist father, Anton. But with Russian conducting legend Gennady Rozhdestvensky having walked out on the Boston Symphony because he didn’t get top billing, Julian, who’s the BSO’s assistant conductor, has to step in.

“The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Board of Directors voted today to suspend opera productions for the 2009-2010, citing losses of more than $1.1 million on 11 opera productions over the last six years, according to a news release.”

“Two years ago, Douglas McLennan wrote in the Los Angeles Times that, by broadcasting operas live to cinema screens in high definition video, the New York Metropolitan Opera had created a new art form,” Karen Fricker writes, begging to differ. “Although I share his enthusiasm – at least at the moment – it’s the delivery method that’s startlingly different, rather than the art form itself.”