Category: music

Music writer David Hadju says that though the musician bore some resemblance to Mahershala Ali’s Oscar-winning portrait of him in the movie Green Book, there was a lot more to the man – including this exchange: “I asked him how he would feel about being portrayed on screen. ‘Damn foolishness,’ he said. ‘I want nothing to do with it!’ – The New York Times

The chair of the negotiating committee for the union said in a statement, “Beginning at 8 a.m. Monday morning, March 11, picket lines will stretch across all of the doors of Orchestra Hall through 8 p.m. daily until a contract that is fair to the musicians is reached. It is requested that no orchestra, performer or patron cross the line.” The main issue? Wages, of course, and also pension contributions. – Chicago Tribune

It’s bad – and far worse in poorer areas. “One in five primary school teachers reported there was no regular music lesson for their class, and only 12% of schools in deprived areas have an orchestra, compared with 85% of independent schools.” – BBC

Pinar Toprak was the first woman to score a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, a brass ring that she won after an extraordinary effort: “I went and hired a 70-piece orchestra and did a big production of it so that they could see me in front of the orchestra conducting, and I did another video inside my studio where I talked about the character and the theme.” – Vulture

The musicians are not happy with management’s offer on retirement benefits. Time is running out: “The CSO musicians voted to go on strike Sunday if a new agreement is not reached by 3 p.m. The musicians’ current contract extension expires Sunday night at 11:59 p.m.” – Chicago Classical Review

When you hear music — or any rhythmic sound — it activates the portion of the brain that coordinates and times movement, the same neural pathways that regulate your running pace. While any upbeat tune has been proven to aid exercise, music timed so that you’re running in sync with the beat allows for a smoother experience. – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“The good thing is that the actual material we are dealing with on a daily basis is fantastic — [some of] the best things humankind has ever produced.” So what are the problems? Two, Salonen says: “the grid” (the week-in-week-out subscription format) and the messaging. – The New York Times

David Patrick Stearns talks with the youthful 37-year-old composer about his new organ concerto (titled Register), the operas he’s written already, the massive amounts of music he’s churned out, and what he’s learned about his mental health. – The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Serebrennikov, the enfant terrible of Russian theatre, cinema and ballet, has been shuttered in his apartment for two years, accused of embezzlement in what his followers consider politically motivated charges.” But he’s now finishing his third opera staging under these conditions — an updated Verdi Nabucco in Hamburg. Thank heaven for USB sticks. – Yahoo! (AFP)