Bobby Robinson’s store, “Bobby’s Happy House, which he opened in 1946, is hardly about selling records, cassettes or CDs anymore. It has become a landmark of Harlem’s black heritage and a place that residents of the neighborhood can call home. … But because Mr. Robinson’s store is no longer lucrative, it may succumb to Harlem’s growing corporate landscape.”
Category: music
Abbado’s Golden Years
When Claudio Abbado “conducts these days, it is a choice occasion. At 74, his schedule reduced after his recovery from stomach cancer six years ago, Mr. Abbado has mostly turned away from the kind of grand institutions he once led — La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, the Berlin Philharmonic — and now pours his limited energies mainly into a few bursts of concerts. He has distilled away the distractions of modern conductorhood, like administration, dealing with unions and constant travel. He plays the music he wants with the musicians he chooses.”
Orchestras Climb Aboard The Technology Bus
“Next month, audience members from round the globe will be able to sit in a three-dimensional virtual version of Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool, and watch and listen live as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra gives the opening concert of its new season.”
The Rise And Fall Of The Compact Disc
“Record sales as we know them are in long-term decline. Whereas the wider music market–live, merchandising, streaming video and music social networking–is in rude health. After seven years of gradual change, we are about to see a major shift. Record companies are, at last, in a hurry to transform themselves into proper consumer marketing companies.”
Met Opera Has Record Opening Day Ticket Sales
“Sales topped $2.08 million, a 25 percent increase over last season’s opening-day sales of $1.66 million, after the box office opened to the general public Sunday. Sales on the Internet this year were nearly 50 percent higher than last year.”
Leonard Slatkin To Detroit Symphony?
“Slatkin, who turns 63 on Sept. 1, said that while he has not yet received a formal offer from the DSO, he was continuing discussions about the post with DSO president and executive director Anne Parsons and Peter Oundjian, the orchestra’s artistic adviser and principal guest conductor.”
What Leonard Slatkin Would Mean To Detroit Symphony
“Not least, Slatkin would make of Detroit his own new place in the sun. He expects to preside over a generous portion of the DSO’s 24 classical weeks each season, and he says unequivocally that he would live in the city.”
Cincinnati Symphony In Box Office Swoon
The Cincinnati Symphony says it struggled at the box office last season. “Attendance during the 53-concert season ending in May dropped 10 percent from the previous season, and subscription ticket sales slid by nearly 14 percent, orchestra officials said Friday.”
Katharina Wagner Speaks About Bayreuth And Opera
No one else I’ve worked with has ever had a problem because I am a woman. Sometimes they are very nosy, to see if you can do your job. It’s special for me because I am a woman and I have this name: “Oh, she’s only here because she has that name, but can she really do something?” For me, it’s a very special case.
Opera – In With The New
Surprisingly, there is clear evidence that the operatic repertory is expanding, as major opera companies seek to appeal to a wide audience with a variety of tastes. Premieres will always be partly about prestige, but they are also part of a diversity strategy that is particularly obvious in companies that give a large number of performances.