Category: music

Van Cliburn’s win at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow in April 1958 was one of those moments that managed to change both the music world, and the larger culture. “This anniversary is an apt time to consider the fallout of this event on Mr. Cliburn’s career, the field of classical music and the world of cultural diplomacy.”

A new generation of performers and scholars are redefining the way Vivaldi’s music is heard. “Revelations from specialists range from an obvious tough, craggy, eventful treatment of the music to subtle tweaking of baroque performance techniques… Most of the received wisdom on Vivaldi is in ever-increasing flux.”

It’s becoming clear that there is more to the abrupt departure of the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir than meets the eye. Craig Jessop apparently told choir members that he was “at a major crossroads in my life,” but neither he choir officials are saying much publicly.

“It was the biggest construction project ever begun by the Nazis, but it was never completed. Now, six decades after the end of World War II, part of Nuremberg’s Congress Hall is reopening — as a concert venue.”

Tanya Andersen is suing the Recording Industry Association of America for falsely suing her for downloading. She’s “close to forcing the RIAA into the discovery phase of her countersuit. During that discovery phase, the RIAA could be forced to release potentially incriminating details about its techniques for investigating alleged file sharers.”

Is the music more exciting when the musicians don’t know one other? Or do long-established quartets and trios deliver the better performance?

“The Web site attracts more than 200,000 visitors a day and is widely recognized as the most influential music destination on the Internet. For the last two summers the Pitchfork Music Festival has attracted tens of thousands of fans from around the world to Union Park on the West Side to see the site’s hand-picked bands in concert.”

“We know that we can’t concretely predict how music will be in the future, but everybody knows that music will definitely change. Of course, this is not only about music changing, this is about everything changing. It seems to be obvious that the form, style and way of representation will be endlessly transformed by technological trends, which has long been a tradition within music — from the invention of notation, or instruments such as the pianoforte, to digital downloads today.”

Janine Jansen has crafted a persona. “Times change; today the internet plays such an important role, such a big part of the future,” says Jansen. “In the United States, downloads count for 75% of my Vivaldi recording’s sales. It’s a great way to get new audiences interested; iPods let people enjoy a personal first contact with classical music, and that’s incredibly important.”

Warner is the latest recording company to drop digital rights management. “The MP3 files can be played on nearly all music devices including Apple’s best selling iPod.”