Category: music

Venice’s La Fenice opera house has named Eliahu Inbal to be its music director. “Inbal, 71 and a charismatic figure in the international music scene, previously served in that capacity from 1984 to 1987. This time, the appointment appears to be temporary, Inbal having signed only a two-year contract, as opposed to the usual four.”

Esa-Pekka Salonen is about to take over London’s Philharmonia orchestra, where he had a career-changing experience in the 1980s. “The greatest risk to classical music is not to respond to the culture until one day it just stops. There are some differences in the artistic structures and traditions of LA and London, but the approach that worked in LA was not to dumb down, but to do the opposite, to challenge the audience. And people responded.”

“In the days before iTunes, when you wanted to impress a girl you lovingly put together a compilation tape from your LPs. Now – thanks to the wondrous choice of digital music – mix tapes and vinyl are dying out. But is some of the mystery and meaning of music also disappearing?”

The legendary concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony, Samuel Magad, is retiring from his position this month at the unheard-of age of 73. He has played in the CSO for 48 years, 34 of them as concertmaster.

For most American fans of concert music,serialism is dead, and not particularly missed. The dense tone rows of composers who embraced Arnold Schoenberg’s vision of the future of music never caught on with a public devoted to melody, and in recent years, minimalism and neo-Romanticism have become far more common in the concert hall. But ever since James Levine took over the Boston Symphony, serialism has been having something of a mini-Renaissance in the Northeast.

Valery Gergiev’s tenure as chief conductor of the London Symphony has officially begun, but no one seems to be expecting the maestro to devote a full measure of time to his new band. “Will his reputation for haste and lateness, not to mention workaholic indisposition, see bass player Michael Francis constantly stepping in to lead rehearsals, even concerts, as in Russia last year and at the BBC’s recent Gubaidulina weekend? Will Gergiev really steward the LSO’s continuing evolution, as is surely his job description, or merely drop in from time to time to give us the odd Slavic thrill?”

“The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has announced that the world premiere of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic Symphony, scheduled for this coming March, has been postponed for a season, because Adams won’t be able to finish the adaptation from his recent opera in time for the premiere.

The Southern California-based Pacific Symphony has been doing awfully well since it moved into its fancy new concert hall. “Subscriptions are up 10%, and the orchestra is expecting a 20% revenue boost for its first season in the 2,000-seat Cesar Pelli-designed hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.” Most importantly, the orchestra’s concerts have been playing to a 92%-capacity house.

Mark Kanny loves the Pittsburgh Symphony’s selection of Manfred Honeck as its next music director, and further suggests that the orchestra could be on the verge of a historic turnaround, courtesy of a major change in management philosophy.”For all the good news in ticket sales and finances, the most impressive aspect of management’s performance has been the ability to listen and learn.”

A task force called into action by the Cincinnati Symphony is accepting proposals for a major renovation of the city’s 3400-seat Music Hall. “Officials are brainstorming a menu of ideas, including possibly adding a restaurant, bar, gift shop or donor lounge; fixing up aging symphony offices; and improving backstage technology. In addition, there is a desire for more secure parking,” and a glaring need for fewer seats.