Category: music

Several Calgary aldermen are discussing the possibility of yanking back a $250,000 pledge to the cash-strapped Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, which filed for bankruptcy protection and suspended operations last fall. The city’s contribution was contingent upon the provincial government of Alberta offering up a like amount, but Alberta offered the orchestra an advance on future grants instead, and that has provided the excuse some aldermen opposed to the bailout wanted to reopen debate. The aldermen insist the provincial contribution is a loan, which does not meet the city’s ‘matching’ requirements. Provincial officials had insisted earlier that the funds were not a loan.

One night a few weeks from now, the stars will align and three productions of Pucinni’s “La Boheme” will take to the boards in New York City. That’s “more than 8200 seats to unload on a quiet, midweek evening” on Broadway, at the Metropolitan Oper and at New York City Opera. “Are that many New Yorkers going to be up for an evening of fake snow and chilly, Parisian garrets after five months of their own winter nastiness?”

Twenty years ago the first supertitles were used at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto. “The first titled opera was Strauss’s ‘Elektra’: As Orestes busied himself axe-cleaving his mother and stepfather to death, the audience — its eyes cast upwards at the titles — understood opera as never before. There were a few dissenters, but for most it was love at first sight. We had purists who said, ‘I’m German-speaking, I already understand every word.’ And some people said, ‘I have to look up, and it takes away from the action.’ But in an audience poll, approximately 80 per cent gave their approval.”

The Colorado Springs Symphony has canceled upcoming performances in a dispute with its musicians. “A spokesman for the symphony musicians and their union local, said they view the postponement as a lockout, a description the orchestra’s management rejects.”

Thirty years ago a young Seiji Ozawa learned to conduct as director of the Toronto Symphony. Now the orchestra has hired another inexperienced conductor in Peter Oundjian. “More than three decades later, we have a right to ask whether our orchestra should still be a learning opportunity for a relatively inexperienced maestro. Ozawa, as things transpired, turned out to be a quick study. But San Francisco and Boston, his next cities of residence, reaped most of the dividends.”

UK culture minister Kim Howells is at it again, this time condemning singer Robbie Williams for his remarks supporting music piracy. “He should also realise that many of these pirate operations are linked to organised crime on a worldwide basis. In saying that piracy is a ‘great idea’, Williams is doing the work for international gangs involved in drugs and prostitution who find music piracy an excellent way of laundering their profits.”

The European music industry is pushing to eliminate the VAT on CD’s. “The Give US A Break campaign is supported by all the major trade and professional groups, including composers and music publishers, the record industry and retailers. The price of compact discs has long been a complaint the music industry has faced from consumers, and in 2001 was the subject of an investigation by the European Commission.”

Jay Berman, head of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), tells a conference in Cannes that “all jobs in the European music industry could be in jeopardy if record executives do not tackle the problems of music piracy. That’s 600,000 jobs, he said. “In truth, online music piracy is not about free music. The music creators and rights holders, denied the right to choose how their music is used and enjoyed, are in fact paying the price.”

Members of the English National Opera have voted a resolution of no-confidence in the company’s management, after the board voted to reduce the number of chorus members from 60 to 40. “There’s obviously a concern for their individual futures and there is a worry that they may be put in a position where they have to audition for their own jobs which is a particularly cruel process.”

Paul Daniel is the beleaguered conductor of the English National Opera. How will the company claw its way out of its current managerial and financial difficulties? “A period like this — when people have got the willies about what the hell is going on in our society — is exactly the time for arts organisations to put on interesting, provocative shows! That’s what ENO is about. It is a very volatile opera company. It takes risks. It’s not very good at doing tradition, and I’m proud of that.”