Category: music

“For critics of all stripes, deriding the Grammys as increasingly insignificant is an annual ritual. But the classical Grammys are particularly irrelevant. Classical music looks on the Grammys much as the artsy kid in school, engrossed in creative pursuits, occasionally peeking over to see if the star athlete has noticed him — only to look down his nose at him when he does.”

“Mobile companies would bundle the cost into the price of a phone or coverage plan, and users would then gain free streaming access to the labels’ entire catalogue. This new revenue, multiplied across most of the world’s mobile phones, would more than make up for sinking record sales.” But the US Justice Department is looking into whether it’s legal…

“Grammy’s best moments have simply celebrated stardom itself, from its thrilling beginnings (Ricky Martin, bursting out of the box in 1999), through its peak (virtually any Whitney Houston show-stopper) and into its dignified twilight (Marvin Gaye, butter-smooth in 1983). Naysayers dismiss such glitzy numbers as empty showbiz, but they’re the building blocks of pop mythology.”

“From Hawaii to Santa Cruz to the Philadelphia suburbs, in living rooms, churches and festival tents, similar gatherings — called community sings, or singalongs — draw together the average-voiced and bring old songs into common memory.”

“They’re going to tear down the Tower Records on Sunset. What are you going to do about it? … This is the spot that has been the beating heart of Los Angeles rock ‘n’ roll since 1971. 1971! That’s, like, ancient history. And that’s what they’re trying to do: Destroy our ancient history.”

At the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the musicality of Stéphane Urbain “has led to a minor revolution in the way that the bells have been rung since he became the chief sacristan three years ago. … The (bells’) caretakers want less music, to diminish wear on the centuries-old bells. Mr. Urbain wants more, to restore the art to what it must have been when the bells were young.”

What do New York Times classical music critics listen to for fun? “They may be works deemed trivial by the lofty day-to-day standards of the art, performances that are dated and thus scorned or condescended to, manifestations of musical personalities that attract a fascination bordering on unseemly obsession. … But it is hard to be high-minded all the time.”

The Alban Berg Quartet is calling it quits after nearly four decades of performing. “Born of a delicate balance of personal chemistry and musical empathy, the dynamic within a quartet is elusive to an outsider. Rehearsals are a battleground as musical ideas are fought over with gladiatorial passion.” Long partnerships are rare, as any musician can tell you.

“The American embassy in London has rejected the singer Amy Winehouse’s application for a US visa, meaning she won’t be able to attend this Sunday’s Grammy Awards. Winehouse, who is undergoing treatment for drugs and alcohol dependency, has been nominated for six awards at the ceremony.”

After playing without a contract for more than half the season, the musicians of the Omaha Symphony have reached a tentative agreement on a new deal. Under the old contract, musicians made a base salary of $29,177 during the 2006-07 season. Details of the new deal have not been disclosed.