Category: music

Despite the fact that much rap music contains lyrics that are violent, degrading to women, Jews, whites and blacks, record labels have stood silently by while they have raked in millions of dollars from top-selling rap artists. Now Universal Music Group has told its “rap recording group the Murderers that it wouldn’t release their new album until they removed anti-police and anti-gay slurs from their lyrics.” If they’re being so responsible, some rappers have pointed out, why don’t they object to the “N-word”? – Los Angeles Times

Tonalist composer Frederick Stocken talks about life in the looking-back lane. The young British composer values tonality and tunality, but finds it difficult to escape his anarchist image. – The Idler

After Metropolitan Opera soprano Deborah Voigt cancelled her performance with the Y Music Society (which presents only one singer each season on its Carnegie Music Hall recital series) untested soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian filled in to take her place. The 25-year-old Canadian “is much in the news, in fact, as she will make her New York operatic debut this week in a concert version of Herold’s rarely-heard ‘Zampa.'” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Classical musicians are under pressure to produce better music with less rehearsal time. “Conductors could argue that they go into rehearsals with lower expectations because of the time pressures. What we are talking about is not shoddy workmanship; it is a culture in which routine music-making has become a fixture in the artistic climate and orchestral economy.” – Sunday Telegraph

The Pope has hired London’s Philharmonia Orchestra to play a world tour of concerts promoting peace. – BBC

Seiji Ozawa’s performance with the Vienna Philharmonic in Paris Friday night was delayed because of a bomb threat delivered in protest against current Austrian politics. – Boston Globe

The little-known symphonic compositions of jazz pianist James P. Johnson (who perfected “stride” piano, “so-called for its distinctive, striding, left-hand patterns, and imitated by thousands of keyboard players”) have been unearthed by American conductor Marin Alsop. She has secured the first modern performances of much of it with her own Concordia Orchestra. – The Herald (Glasgow)

A British member of parliament has instigated a bill to ban muzak from public places. “‘Piped music, muzak, or canned music is increasingly despised. All music is devalued if it is treated as acoustic wallpaper.'” – Chicago Tribune (Reuters)

After much speculation, outgoing New York Philharmonic conductor Kurt Masur has been named music director of the Orchestre National de France. – San Francisco Chronicle

The Zefiro Ensemble is part of a growing trend among “authentic” performers of Baroque music: unlike the traditional chamber orchestra model of a “group of musicians that rehearses in a particular city on a regular basis and sets out from there to give concerts,” Zefiro’s players reside in countries throughout Europe and consider themselves “as operating under a brand name.” Sounds awfully 21st century for a group whose mission is to recreate the sounds of the 17th-century masters. – Ha’aretz (Israel)