Category: music

“His name is Costa Pilavachi, and he is president of the Decca Music Group in London. At 49, he happens to be just about the most powerful person in the classical-music business – the man who produces not only Bartoli’s albums but those of Luciano Pavarotti, Renée Fleming, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Andrea Bocelli and Jessye Norman.” – Toronto Star

It’s been ten years “since chain-smoking, emphysema and pleural tumors ended that neck-and-neck race between Bernstein and “the odds,” he’s still – in a strange way – on the scene, though without his provocative politics, podium gyrations, capes and cigarette holders. So can we finally get to the truth behind the best-documented musician in Western Civilization?” – Philadelphia Inquirer

There are a few hotbeds of contemporary music where both the musicians and the audiences are engaged in the music. But why are they separated off from the mainstream? Ghettoizing new music does no favor to the music establishment. Traditional programs could benefit from the energy of the new. – New York Times

Inexplicably, “model operas” dating from the time of the cultural revolution have become popular again in China. “The term ‘model opera’ is a loose one, referring to two sets of “model” musical and theatrical works that include ballet, symphony and a reformed version of Beijing opera. As highly visible relics of an era that is officially condemned — a 10-year period of chaos in which much of China’s traditional culture was destroyed and countless artists and intellectuals were humiliated, tortured, jailed and killed — model operas are understandably controversial. – New York Times

Wagner was finally performed for the first time at an orchestra concert in Israel Friday night. As the concert was about to begin, an 80-year-old Polish-born man whose family perished in the Holocaust “stood up in the audience, swinging a noisy rattle in protest.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)

Leonard Slatkin explains why Aaron Copland is such a big deal in America. “When we think of the composers who have made their impact on the world scene, only a few names from America come to mind: Charles Ives, George Gershwin, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein and at the top of the list, Copland.” – The Guardian

“Death is a recurring theme in a Ivry Gitlis interview because, well, other people just keep bringing up the subject. ‘Maestro rages against dying of the light’ screamed one review headline after Gitlis made his Australian debut at the 1998 Huntington Festival. Across the globe, music writers never tire of surmising whether the astonishing performance they’ve just witnessed might very well be the violinist’s last.” – Sydney Morning Herald

This past weekend conductors converged on London for a conducting competition. The winner seemed obvious to the audience and at least one critic. “But after a backstage debate of some 40 minutes”, the “five-strong team of conductors, composers and assorted musicians split the prize between two other finalists.” The jury chairman described the result as “interesting”. “Batty would be nearer the mark.” – The Times (UK)

For the 14th season in 15 years, the Chicago Symphony has balanced its budget, posting a modest surplus on a $55 million annual budget. “Attendance at CSO concerts was up 2.3 percent overall, from 257,336 to 263,376. Ticket revenue rose to $15.6 million from $14.7 million.” – Chicago Sun-Times

People are fascinated to speculate that Beethoven may have died of lead poisoning. But why? Does it make any difference to how we listen to his music? “Indeed, such is our culture’s fascination with the great composers that we cannot resist putting them on the psychiatrist’s couch. Not content with enjoying, respecting and honoring their music for its intrinsic artistic value, we poke and prod their brains and bodies in the hope we might fathom that ultimately unfathomable mystery, the source of their creative genius.” – Chicago Tribune