Category: music

“Speculation is sure to fall immediately on Esa-Pekka Salonen, whose current contract with the Philharmonia ends, with ideal timing, in the 2016–17 season, and who will have a substantial presence with the Philharmonic in the 2015–16 season.”

“Mr. Gilbert, 47, who has brought a spirit of experimentation to the Philharmonic and has been the first native New Yorker to lead it, said in an interview that he had decided to leave then to allow the next music director to build a relationship with concertgoers before construction begins on the hall, which is now expected to start in 2019, moving the orchestra out of its Lincoln Center home for two seasons.”

“The biggest surprise is that pop music doesn’t get more social-media love from Brazilians, who frequently request that pop stars “come to Brazil!” to the point of Internet meme notoriety.”

Picker, who has been praised for his leadership of the company since its founding five years ago, wants to turn his focus back to his own career as an opera composer – including a commission from the Kennedy Center.

“Manfred Eicher’s approach has changed the cultural conversation more than once, while making serious contributions to musical life. Why haven’t more companies replicated ECM’s model?”

“Since we’re New Music USA after all, I thought I’d further up the ante with a list devoted exclusively to works by American composers. But since I’m also FJO, I couldn’t limit myself to one per number and even broke a few of the rules (as you’ll see)…”

The Berlin Philharmonic’s chief conductor and Finnish music journalist/Sibelius expert Vesa Sirén spend an hour talking about the composer’s music – and what the Philharmoniker find easy and difficult about it. (video interview in English, web page in Finnish)

“In a city where armed men in camouflage ride down the main street in tanks, more than half of the residents have fled and most shops and restaurants are closed, opera should perhaps be the last thing on anyone’s mind. But remarkably, and against all the odds, [Donetsk’s] opera house has remained open, despite the fact that none of the troupe have been paid in months, all four conductors have left town and the singers take a risk every time they travel to work. It is a risk, however, that they say is worth it.”

I can’t help feeling we’ve been here before, and repeatedly, in the past – and not just with ENO, either, but with so many of our opera houses. The management-level soap opera that surrounds it all is always great gossipy fun, but whoever resigns, stays, joins, is fired, insulted, or otherwise slandered, Charlotte I think puts her finger on the bigger story, which is really about the cultural function of opera in the country.

“Evans is so much a part of the jazz environment that many musicians who reached maturity in the 21st century are not conscious that his concepts are part of their musical DNA.”