Category: music

“The theatre in Milan had been due to present Kenneth MacMillan’s “Manon”, the tragic tale of an avaricious courtesan, but one union decided to walk out, leaving the theatre without enough staff to secure the stage for the dancers.”

“According to recently published research, third- and fourth-graders in Canada who initially scored low in sympathy and helpfulness developed those qualities at above-average rates if they took group music lessons for a full school year.”

Tension is building as Thierry Fischer’s baton deftly draws his orchestra into Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. But the musical tension is nothing compared to the human drama being played out behind the scenes.

“Whether under German, Danish, Swedish, or Soviet occupation, Estonians have long turned to music as a way of preserving some semblance of national identity amid foreign domination.”

“In fiscal year 2015, the SLSO won a Grammy award, got raves at Carnegie Hall, rejoiced in a string of significant anniversaries, hired a new president and CEO, sold more tickets, received more donations and moved closer to a balanced budget.”

“The group, NYCO Renaissance, announced Wednesday that it would mount Puccini’s Tosca – the first production City Opera ever did, back in 1944 – Jan. 20-24 at the Rose Theater. … The group originally hoped to mount a lavish production by Franco Zeffirelli but now plans to use a historical, more economical one based on the designs Adolf Hohenstein created for the opera’s premiere in 1900 in Rome.” (But yes, the group’s future plans do include new and less-performed works.)

“Having a project that is a kind of forum for people to be able to express themselves and to meet each other is wonderful. It can’t possibly be the ultimate story of Detroit, but it will allow people to rally around a narrative of their city.”

“Opera companies are [being] forced more and more to rely on any private money they can raise. Inevitably, a theatre like the Royal Opera House is able to raise more than smaller, less attractive companies. That’s why we’re seeing the extraordinary explosion of country house opera – Grange Park, Longborough, Glyndebourne and so on – and the shrinking of regional opera.”

“The urgency to find a visual attraction to classical music feels rather more recent. A widely shared worry is that modern digital culture causes the visual element to be predominant. A teenager who considers YouTube a primary source of discovering music expects to see something.”

“St Thomas Church of Leipzig, Bach’s employer for 27 years, is about to appoint his first 21st-century successor. When Bach applied for the job in 1723, the search committee also auditioned four candidates. Their first choice turned the job down. So did their second choice and their third. Bach ended up winning the role by default.”