Category: music

According to papers filed in bankruptcy court, “the troupe, which balanced its budget over the last two years, still had an accumulated deficit of $44 million as of last year … Its endowment, which was once $55 million, had dwindled to around $4.5 million.”

“Vänskä, who resigned as music director of the Minnesota Orchestra Tuesday, will conduct the locked-out musicians in three concerts this weekend at Ted Mann Concert Hall at the University of Minnesota. The musicians, who have been locked out for a year, are self-producing the concerts featuring pianist Emanuel Ax.”

“The 34-year-old has agreed to take up the post of music director at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, but will remain with the CBSO until 2015. The Latvian conductor took up the role in 2008, following in the footsteps of Louis Fremaux and Sir Simon Rattle.”

“The good news: Classical music participation rates have held steady for the last five years, stopping a steady decline through 2008. Orchestras have been keeping their feet to the pedals as they innovate at unprecedented rates to develop audiences.”

Ivan Hewett: “These gilded bands exist in some strange never-never land, where questions of pay are discussed in complete isolation from the wider world. … These salaries are at eye-watering levels which would make any British orchestral player weep with envy.”

“I think conventional notation will always be there, just as we will always revere a Bach partita,” she replies, “but I think as new generations come into existence, comfortable with technology, new semiotics and new ways of communicating, they will see these advances and make use of them. So, obsolete? No, but it will have a much smaller place in the world.”

“City Opera was a shadow of what it had been in, say, 1969-70, when it presented 145 performances of 21 works, from Puccini’s “Bohème” to Ginastera’s “Bomarzo.” Sadly, that scrappy, idealistic company really vanished a few years ago.”

“Representatives of the board and musicians said no new talks are scheduled. Musicians prepared to stage their own concerts this weekend, which would have been the orchestra’s season opener.” Board chairman Jon Campbell “said it is far too early for the board to consider drastic steps in reshaping the orchestra, such as hiring temporary replacement musicians.”

“The company said Frenchman Emmanuel Joel-Hornak had ‘withdrawn’ from his post, amid rumours of behind the scenes rows with Scottish Opera’s New Zealand-born general director Alex Reedijk. But the company provided no explanation of why Mr Joel-Hornak was leaving, when he had handed in his notice and why a swift departure had been agreed.”

“The music director’s post at Scottish Opera is now a poisoned chalice. … What the company needs is a young talent with ideas, ambition and full-time commitment. But Scottish Opera must first communicate an artistic vision, instead of lurching from season to season filling holes in its increasingly scanty calendar.”