Category: music

As you might expect, Cincinnati Symphony music director Paavo Järvi would like to have some input into the proposed renovation of his orchestra’s concert hall. One problem with the existing hall is that it seats 3,400 – almost 1,000 more than the average American orchestral venue – and there is a “constant perception of underachieving” even when attendance is good. But Järvi’s first concern is not for his musicians, but for the audience: “a drink before the concert in a trendy new bar, dinner afterward in a Music Hall café, a place to buy CDs and books, and great music” are all parts of the modern concertgoing experience, and orchestras are increasingly looking to up their “hip” factor as a way of attracting new audiences.

Andrew Clements hates Lorin Maazel’s new opera “1984”. “It is both shocking and outrageous that the Royal Opera, a company of supposed international standards and standing, should be putting on a new opera of such wretchedness and lack of musical worth.”

One might be skeptical of Lorin Maazel’s new opera “1984,” getting its premiere this week at the Royal Opera House, writes Rupert Christiansen. But “stir the mixture, and the result is a cleverly concocted piece of operatic fast-food, stuffed with musical additives and devoid of substantial nurtritional value, but quite engrossing and enjoyable. The audience was clearly absorbed throughout and the reception was generally enthusiastic.”

The Philadelphia Orchestra’ has decided to record all of its concerts, and will release recordings of the performances it likes. “We are in the business of telling audiences that every performance is different. The recordings we’re making are not designed to document perfection, but to capture the excitement of the live concert experience. If it’s good and we’re happy with it, we’ll release it. The orchestra’s new three-year agreement with Ondine for at least three releases a year makes it the only Big Five orchestra (Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York and Philadelphia) with a record deal.”

Anthony Tommasini weighs in on Lorin Maazel’s new opera “1984”: “Unfortunately, though there are some compelling elements to “1984” and the creators received a fairly rousing ovation by the expectant audience, the opera is hampered by Mr. Maazel’s undistinguished score. The music is never less than thoroughly professional. But Mr. Maazel lacks a personal voice as a composer. What constitutes a compositional voice is hard to define. But you know it when you hear it.”

Charles Michener used to lament a dearth of great young pianists. This season though, has featured a rich stew of finger-wagglers…

Toronto’s Canadian Opera Company – a year from moving into a new home – has had its best year at the box office in a dozen years. “Box office revenue also rose, grossing more than $8.9 million, a 17-per-cent increase from the previous season. The company reported an 8.8-per-cent increase in the number of season ticket subscriptions during 2004-05. Sales for the upcoming season have already reached more than $6 million.”

This summer, the Mostly Mozart Festival will reconfigure its home at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall. “One goal of the new structure was to break down the formality of the concert hall and enhance the personal and musical connection between players and listeners. “We’re eager to bring back the populist feeling of our origins,” Lincoln Center executive Jane Moss said, citing the festival’s early days, when all tickets sold for $3. The project is also intended to provide an acoustical setting more appropriate to the sound of an 18th-century orchestra.”

The musicians of Orchestre symphonique de Montréal have announced that they will go on strike next Monday after working without a contract for a year and a half. The musicians claim that OSM management’s demands for wage freezes and incremental raises will drive the organization into the artistic ground, and further note that the orchestra has not had a pay raise in 9 of the 14 years since 1991. The strike announcement brings to a head a dispute which had been simmering for months, with musicians frequently wearing red shirts onstage to call attention to their situation.

OSM management insists that it is demanding nothing but vital concessions from its soon-to-strike musicians. “The strike will not change the issues that the OSM is confronted with, as much on the international scene as in the Montreal market. In light of those issues, and as is the case with most great symphony orchestras, the OSM must establish conditions that foster the resumption of touring and recording, taking into account the new reality of the world of classical music. In Montreal itself the OSM faces progressively stronger competition, and it is important that the Orchestra equip itself with a framework of more flexible labour relations if it is to preserve its place in the music and entertainment market.”