Category: music

“Hopes now run high that when the Royal Festival Hall opens in June after its £91 million renovation, London will at last have a first-class concert hall to rank with Berlin’s Philharmonie or New York’s Carnegie Hall – the Barbican still falling short of that grade. This is where competition might hot up.”

“In the pop world, talent tournaments are a made-for-TV anomaly, since having a good larynx and knowing how to use it is helpful, but hardly necessary for stardom, particularly for men. (How far would Bob Dylan, 50 Cent or Kurt Cobain have made it on ‘American Idol’?) Opera, though, runs on singing competitions. It’s how the national supply of singers is located, channeled and refined.”

Gerard Mortier, incoming director of New York City Opera, “comes from a European tradition in which the opera house is the home for opera and ballet, as well as academies. … His job in Paris has required a broad perspective and the insight to encourage creative thinking about presenting the arts as a whole. What’s exciting about his impending arrival is that his sort of background brings the promise of crossing over, reaching out, collaborating with, and delving into as much as possible from his post at City Opera.”

“The directive is simple: on March 22, anyone who wants to stick it to the major record labels is being asked to purchase a copy of the song Mine Again, by the independent band Black Lab, at the iTunes Store. If enough people do so, it will send Mine Again to the tippity-top of the iTunes singles charts. It would be like giving the music industry the finger.”

“Music lovers have been so preoccupied by the convenience of downloading music that sound quality hasn’t been much of a priority. But the honeymoon could be ending. Better sound could be the next lure for convincing people to buy music … again.”

“Music lovers came down from as far as Yorkshire to hear A Very British Symphony, by the Queen’s choirmaster Andrew Gant, in Brighton last week. As the Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra concert was about to begin conductor Barry Wordsworth announced Gant’s work had been dropped and would be replaced by a Mendelssohn piece. He told the audience he ‘did not believe in it’ and later added it was a matter of artistic integrity.”

“Sitting in what was once Joyce’s music room and latterly her bedroom, William Barrington-Coupe looks an unlikely conman, even though he has a history of fraud, having been jailed for tax evasion in the 1960s. With his wild grey hair and mournful tone, he exudes the air of a retired music master who doesn’t quite know what to do with himself since the death of his beloved wife.

“People who once downloaded ring tones by the dozen say they’re skipping those tinny tunes to save money, save time and save themselves from embarrassment.”

New York City Opera has spent a lot of time and money looking for a new home. But with the signing of Gerard Mortier as the company’s new director, the issue has melted away. Mortier declares the company will stay at Lincoln Center. So is this just an obvious conclusion? And will Mortier find a way to make it work?

Choosing a new member for a string quartet is a difficult process. Getting them integrated into the group even more so. “Joining a string quartet can challenge one’s confidence — especially in rehearsals, when it can seem as if all we do is criticize one another as we seek to improve our interpretation.”