Category: music

A trove of Benjamin Britten’s writings show how he tracked success through his career. “Although the sound and shape of Britten’s prose remained consistent throughout his life – a sturdy, knockabout style befitting an intelligent former public schoolboy – its function changed dramatically. Unlike his letters, which were never conceived as public proclamations, the tone of his published articles illustrates his evolving reputation.”

It’s unlikely that the San Jose Symphony – which closed almost two years ago – will reopen for business. So a new orchestra has been formed from an orchestra created for the area’s ballet company orchestra. “The latest incarnation of the symphony is yet another attempt to keep symphonic music in San Jose. San Jose Symphony, which had been in existence for 123 years, closed in October 2001. Symphony San Jose Silicon Valley was formed under the auspices of Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley 10 months ago and employed the old symphony’s musicians. That symphony, which last year played four concerts, is now changing its name to Symphony Silicon Valley and becoming a separate non-profit organization.”

Overseers of Tokyo’s New National Theatre wanted to improve the quality of their opera productions and decided that they needed to hire a European to accomplish it. But the Austrian director hired for the job has angered Japanese musicians and singers with his internationalist outlook.

Jerry Springer, The Opera is a big hit in London, and Ben Brantley loves it. “Who could possibly forget that exultant song of self-celebration that begins, “This is my Jerry Springer moment . . .”? That number, performed by a grown woman in baby clothes on a swing, comes from “Jerry Springer: The Opera,” the four-alarm fire of a show at the National Theater, and I find myself singing it while doing household chores, the way my mother used to with melodies from “Oklahoma!” and “My Fair Lady.” The scary part is that though it’s a song about parading your exotic sexual tastes on national television, I don’t think, “What a camp,” when I remember it; instead, I feel kind of starry-eyed.”

The New York Philharmonic board has voted to pursue a merger with Carnegie Hall rather than becoming a tenant at the hall. “That the Philharmonic even considered a tenancy arrangement after it had not been mentioned indicates the level of concern among some trustees that the orchestra might sacrifice its independence by becoming part of Carnegie Hall.”

Washington Concert Opera, an unusual company dedicated to presenting rarely heard gems of the operatic literature, is on the verge of financial collapse, and will “have to be restructured, hugely” if it is to survive, according to its board president. WCO ran a $200,000 deficit on an overall budget of $500,000 last season, and the board is unwilling to go into debt to keep the company singing.

The New York Philharmonic’s merger with Carnegie Hall was supposed to be a done deal, with both sides thrilled with all aspects of the new partnership. But the Phil may be balking at the prospect of pooling its assets with Carnegie permanently, and orchestra officials are now openly talking about the possibility of merely becoming a tenant of Carnegie. “The very nature of this evaluation suggests that at least some board members have serious concerns about combining the two organizations. Indeed, the Philharmonic has been pulling back from its characterization of the merger ever since it was announced on June 1 as a fait accompli.”

An Australian opera singer claims to have invented a computerized orchestra which can follow a conductor’s beat, making it the perfect alternative to a live pit orchestra for ballets and operas. Critics and musicians are predictably dismissive of the cyber-orchestra, which basically involves one guy with a laptop following a conductor with his mouse, but small ballet and opera companies which can’t afford to hire full orchestras are excited to try it out.

Musicians and supporters of the nearly-dead Florida Philharmonic have been scrambling to put together the funding necessary to save their orchestra or, at the very least, give it some financial breathing room until a more permanent fiscal plan can be realized. But after starting strong, the rescue mission has stalled badly, and its organizers admit that they’re running out of time. By the end of this week, the orchestra’s board, which many musicians have accused of running the organization into the ground, may decide to convert the company’s bankruptcy filing from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7, which would mean a final, permanent shutdown.