Category: music

Strikes by Paris Opera technicians have caused the company to pare back its offerings. The workers want better working conditions and more money. “Paris’ two opera houses, which are subsidized by the state, together put on 380 performances a year, compared to just 80 in the mid-1990s, and most are sold out.” – MSNBC (AP)

Technicians’ strikes at Paris’ two major opera houses threaten to disrupt the season. “At the heart of the dispute is a 1998 law reducing France’s workweek to 35 hours. The measure is particularly hard to apply in the performing arts because of the variables of rehearsals and performances. – New York Times

“In 1912, Thomas Alva Edison, the inventor of the phonograph, funded a massive talent search throughout Europe, with the hope of finding some outstanding artists to record for his own Edison Record Company. More than 300 singers agreed to make two-minute cylinders to give Edison some idea of their voices.” – Public Arts

There’s always been an aura about “The Premiere” of a new piece of music, a sense that, most often with the composer present or involved in some way, that a first performance provides some special window into a work. In reality though, “far from receiving an absolute truth, those present at these revelations were more often given half-glimpses of unpolished works in their infancy. That is, when they could hear the music at all.” – The New Republic

When Charlie Chaplin won an Oscar for his movie “Limelight,” it wasn’t for his acting but for composing the film’s original score – a talent few of his fans are aware of. “Perhaps because he was so multifaceted – a comic actor of extraordinary imagination, an untiring, perfectionist director, the co-founder of United Artists – it seems unfair that Chaplin had one more talent. But, though it is largely overlooked today, the creator of the ‘Little Tramp’ was an accomplished musician who wrote soundtracks for nearly all of his films.” – The Guardian

Despite the continuing hubbub surrounding Napster’s success, the numbers continue to bear out the same fact: Napster is not hurting record sales. And Christmas CD sales look to be stronger than ever. “Even the cheapest of holiday shoppers isn’t likely to download swapped songs onto a burnt CD and then wrap it up as a gift.” – Salon

The Australian Chamber Orchestra, one of Australia’s top arts organizations, “looks set to end the year $900,000 in the red, due largely to a costs blow-out linked to its protracted merger negotiations with Musica Viva.” – The Australian

Toronto’s main concert hall Roy Thompson Hall, has been criticized since it opened 20 years ago for its bad acoustics. Now there’s a plan to overhaul the acoustic design. But Arthur Erickson, the hall’s architect, strenuously objects to the changes, which he says will subvert his design. – CBC

John Corigliano’s First Symphony, composed ten years ago, and written in commemoration of those with AIDS, has become the most-performed symphony written in the second half of the 20th Century. More than 125 orchestras have performed it. Now Corigliano writes a second symphony. – Boston Globe

It’s another month-and-a-half before Ken Burns’ new 19-hour documentary on jazz is scheduled to be broadcast. But already the critics are lining up to take shots. Burns says he’s not fazed: “I’m prepared for the criticism, I care about it…but I didn’t make this film for the jazzerati.” – Chicago Tribune