Category: music

Russian-American conductor Yakov Kreizberg has been named the next music director of the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, succeeding Marek Janowski. “Kreizberg is music director of the Netherlands Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestra, and principal guest conductor of the Vienna Symphony.” He’ll take the reins of Monte Carlo in 2009.

“The Curtis Institute of Music’s proposed demolition of all or part of several Locust Street buildings – including the interiors of two historic townhouses – won the approval yesterday of the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s architectural committee… The committee took a pass on requiring Curtis to rework its architectural plans to preserve the interiors of two significant 19th-century buildings.”

Leonard Slatkin won’t officially take over the reins of the Detroit Symphony until next fall, but he’s already full of ideas for advancing the orchestra’s reputation both at home and around the country. He plans to announce a five-year plan for the DSO for artistic and financial success. Of course, his initial contract only runs for three years, but a two-year extension “is already in the works.”

Why are program notes at orchestra concerts so badly (and pompously) written? “To be a program annotator, it seems, one must have passed a course in turgid prose and have demonstrated proficiency in windy, circuitous, elliptical writing… They are, to paraphrase Anna Russell, written by great experts to impress — and for the edification of — other great experts.”

“Opera Atelier, the Toronto company that presents period performances of Baroque opera, ballet and drama, announced today that Jane Hargraft, the former director of development at Canadian Opera Company, has been named as its new general manager.”

“The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s managing director quit Tuesday after just three months on the job. The ESO cited differences in operational style as the cause for Jay Katz’s resignation.” Katz came to Edmonton from the much smaller Windsor Symphony, and the ESO’s board chair minced no words in saying that his management style led to “discomfort” among many in the organization.

The Brodsky Quartet has been appointed as ensemble in residence at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and Michael Tumelty says the match couldn’t be better. “The cult string quartet are not only a group with a stellar international reputation. They are one of a handful of string quartets that have come to represent an elite in redefining the nature and function of a string quartet ensemble.”

“The UK-run site has leaked 60 major pre-release albums this year alone, said the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). A 24-year-old man from Middlesbrough was arrested on Tuesday morning.”

Classical musicians seem to be spending more and more time on stage explaining the music they’re going to play. “If there’s a formula here, it’s that knowledge equals understanding equals appreciation. But what’s really needed is an intuitive response.”

You hear composed music’s influence in the complex electronic experiments of Radiohead, the symphonic arrangements of Arcade Fire and the dreamy soundscapes of Sigur Ros. Why is this happening and what might the classical-music establishment learn from pop?