“Until we rid ourselves of the notion that the best music of all time was created by a handful of men who lived an ocean away from us and who all died more than a century before any of us were born, we will never have programming that truly reflects the vast array of musical creativity all around us.”
Category: music
Ten State Legislators Call For New Leadership For Minnesota Orchestra
The letter accuses orchestra leaders of manipulating financial results “in a deliberate deception of the public.” In addition to calling for the resignations, the letter urges the board to immediately end the lockout and resume contract negotiations.
Another Tenor Freaks Out Over Boos At La Scala
Back in 2006, Roberto Alagna actually stormed off the stage and out of the theater mid-performance after some of La Scala’s notorious loggionisti let him have it. This year – again in the house’s season-opening production – they did it again.
What’s The Point Of Doing Opera In Pubs? (Asks A Big-Newspaper Critic)
Rupert Christiansen: “[These] efforts draw small but loyal audiences, usually very appreciative, and you might say at the very worst, that no harm is done. But for the critic these pop-up performances pose a quandary: how can one balance one’s desire to pat honest endeavour on the back with the sacred imperative of rigorously honest and unsentimental judgment?”
Of Course There’s A Point To Small-Room Opera! (Says A Pub-Opera Company Director)
Robin Norton-Hale of OperaUpClose: “Theatre critics don’t tie themselves in knots trying to find a way to compare a production at the (rightly) well-funded RSC or National Theatre to one at … the Edinburgh Fringe. Each performance is judged on its own merits. … Far from being a poorer experience, I would argue that seeing a smaller-scale opera is simply a different one.”
How America Lost Its Real Rural Music
“It’s not discussed enough… someone should write a book on it – how we really lost how we make and listen to music with the onslaught of mass media. It’s changed so much – in 1933 there were 20,000 jukeboxes in America. By 1939 there were 400,000 jukeboxes! That immediately eliminates so many live musicians.”
Radio’s Christmas Music Bonanza
“The fact that Christmas music on the radio performs best the night before Christmas shouldn’t surprise you, but after digging into the data for the top holiday-format stations in each of those markets last year, a few interesting trends emerged.”
La Scala Names Its New Director
“La Scala said in an email Tuesday that Riccardo Chailly, a 60-year-old Milan-born conductor, will be La Scala’s principal conductor from 2015 before becoming musical director in 2017.”
Minnesota Orchestra Musicians Will Play On, Lockout Be Damned
“Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra sounded a note of resolve Monday to continue performing concerts if they remained locked out in their long and bitter confrontation with the Minnesota Orchestral Association.” And they’re raising money to do it – from community members and musicians in other orchestras.
Cleveland Int’l Piano Competition Increases Top Prize By 50%
“Thanks to a gift from Mal and Barbara Mixon, the contest’s first prize now entails an award of $75,000, up from the previous $50,000. This makes Cleveland’s top prize one of the largest of its kind in the world.”