Two years ago the music establishment was deriding composer Anthony Payne as a vandal for daring to complete Elgar’s unfinished Third Symphony. But since its debut, the piece has been performed more than 100 times and the critics seem to like it. – The Globe & Mail (Canada)
Category: music
A STRANGER AT HOME
Craig Armstrong is, internationally, the best-known Scottish composer of his generation, and he’s scored countless high-profile films. So why is he relatively unknown to his fellow Scots? “It’s partly me. I’m bit of a hermit. I don’t like to be known.” – The Herald (Scotland)
NOT SO FREE
After a year of legal battles, MP3 is back online with two new levels of service. “For no charge, members can store up to 25 CDs. That service will be supported by advertising. For an annual fee of $49.95, members will be able to store up to 500 CDs and enjoy more features and less advertising.” – Orange County Register (AP)
YO-YO MA’S BIGGEST SELLER?
“Costco is our No. 1 outlet for Yo-Yo Ma,” said Larry Germack, Sony’s director of sales. Bigger than Tower Records? A nod. Amazon.com? Another nod. Ma sells about 20,000 units a year, at $11.99 apiece retail. Who sells more? “Ricky Martin sells about 60,000,” said Costco’s Bost. “But how many years will he last?” – San Jose Mercury-News
A DISASTER OF OPERATIC PROPORTIONS
Britain’s TV channel 4 scored one of the worst ratings in its history Saturday night with its filmed version of Glyndebourne youth opera Zoe. “The programme was watched by a mere 300,000 viewers, one of the broadcaster’s worst prime-time audiences ever.” – The Guardian
AUSTRALIAN ORCHESTRAS WARNED
Leading new music proponents warn that Australia’s six major orchestras risk becoming marginalized and irrelevant if they don’t do better at promoting new repertoire. “I’m concerned that the former ABC orchestras are now merely an ornament in our cultural lives dedicated to perpetuating the European canon.” – Gramophone
PIANO HERO
Li Yundi is only 17, but last month he won the notoriously picky Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. “Displaying what judges called virtuosic technique and a poetic style, Li beat out 97 participants to become the first gold medalist at the competition since 1985.” Now he’s a national hero back home. – Los Angeles Times
CHECKING IN WITH LORIN
Conductor Lorin Maazel is 70 and still looking for new challenges. “Not every musician has loved his tough style, but Maazel’s impact on the musical world through weighty interpretations of the classics has been undeniable.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
OPERA AND ADULTERY
It’s a natural pairing. And the changing notions of one are reflected in the other. – New Statesman
THE DISH ON OPERA
“James Jorden is the feared, revered creator of parterre.com, a biting, often bitchy roundup of raves, rants, reviews and gossip that’s read by everyone who’s anyone in opera.” – New York Post