Category: music

It was by Sting. “The former punk rocker’s first classical album, ‘Songs From the Labyrinth,’ was this year’s October surprise. It ranked as the No. 1 title on Billboard’s classical albums chart for 2006, and Sting led the classical artists tally. Featuring music written by 16th-century composer John Dowland, the album benefited from Sting’s sizable fan base and high-profile promotional appearances.”

“Arundo is considered a botanical pest to nearly everyone but certain musicians. The flammable, nonnative plant spreads prodigiously, destroying ecosystems, redirecting river flows, igniting fires, causing flooding and creating expensive beach cleanup projects once it washes out to sea.” But it also provides material for the perfect reed…

For the second year in a row, George Thorogood & the Destroyers’ “Thirty Years of Rock” has topped the Billboard Top Blues Albums charts. The album has spent more than 50 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1.

“Not much has changed in the way Haynes, which claims to be the world’s oldest flute maker, makes its instruments since the company’s founding in 1888. Artisans sit quietly at benches and use delicate tools to make sure the tiny parts fit together flawlessly.”

Joshua Kosman loves Handel’s “Messiah.” Really, he does. And that’s why he thinks maybe it might be time to put it on the shelf for a few Christmases. “I think it might be time to give the piece a short rest — if only so that we might have a chance to hear the music’s brilliance afresh. “Messiah” is too much with us, I suspect.”

Conductor Bernard Haitink, 77, is “among the field’s most distinguished conductors; his recent exploration of the complete Beethoven Symphony cycle with the London Symphony, both in performance and on recording for LSO Live, has garnered high praise.”

A rare Eugenio Praga violin that was stolen in Montana from Turtle Island String Quartet violinist Evan Price has been recovered intact in a police sting operation in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. “The violin was feared gone forever because, as with the art world, legitimate instrument buyers want documented provenance and the black market is hard for inexperienced thieves to access. In this case, the would-be seller phoned a dealer thousands of kilometres away and had the misfortune of finding a personal friend of the instrument’s former owner.”

“You could be forgiven for thinking that the world of pop music is smuttier than ever. “But look again… For all those who bemoan the coarsening of popular music (not to mention the dear, perverse souls who celebrate the same), this year’s sales figures complicate the story. Is it possible that our favorite records are getting dirtier and cleaner at the same time?”

The Israel Philharmonic turns 70 this week, and longevity alone would be quite an accomplishment for an orchestra that lives and works in what frequently amounts to a war zone. But the IPO hasn’t just survived. “The orchestra is one of the hardest-working in the world, supplying the demands of 26,000 subscribers, repeating programmes across Israel up to six times and spending around 50 days a year touring abroad.”

Valery Gergiev is famous for his heavy workload and hard-headed dedication to the tasks he sets for himself and his orchestras. George Loomis writes that “his latest accomplishment off the podium is his most visible yet — a $45 million concert hall conceived and constructed in a mere three years, a classic example of turning adversity into opportunity.”