Category: music

“The multifaceted Gould is a kind of Rorschach test for Canadians. Would you like to see him as a digital prophet, the forward-looking recording artist and broadcaster who called for a democracy that would elevate the audience to the level of the performer and who predicted our mash-up culture? Or perhaps you prefer the child of WASP Toronto, the control freak who obsessed over the quality of his recordings, partisan of Bach and Schoenberg.”

“According to industry figures, the events boosted downloads and sales by a retail value of £2.2m. There were nearly 250,000 extra album sales after the two showcases for British music, and just under 500,000 additional music track downloads.”

“Spring for Music, a noble endeavor to bring six North American orchestras chosen for their creative programs to Carnegie Hall during a weeklong festival, will end after two more outings. The organizers said on Thursday that the fourth festival, in May 2014, would be the last.”

“It’s 30 years since the death of Glenn Gould, but the pianist still provokes strong reactions. So how do today’s top players assess his legacy?” Insights from Stephen Hough, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Steven Osborne, Francesco Piemontesi, and Angela Hewitt (who grew up hearing Gould on CBC Radio).

It’s music “from/inspired” by “Fifty Shades of Grey”.

Hard to complain. New, younger audiences, full houses and a welcoming attitude. And yet, the programming is a bit on the cautious side…

“For better or for worse, this whole kerfuffle has meant I’ve spent the past week thinking hard about this, listening to what everyone was saying and discussing… We have decided we should pay all of our guest musicians. We have the power to do it, and we’re going to do it.”

“If the Federal Trade Commission signs off this week on Universal Music’s controversial $2 billion takeover of EMI, the new behemoth would control over 40 percent of the market alone — enough to make the company the gatekeeper for all sonic innovation, from Silicon Valley to Sweden.”

“A former Met stage carpenter is suing the Metropolitan Opera for sexual harassment, claiming that her male colleagues constantly abused her with unwanted come-ons and crude, dangerous pranks. Teri Orsburn, 53, worked for almost three years at the Met.”

“The thing is, my voice changed a lot – enormously. … I look different, and I’m different in my mind. Well, I’m 41 years old – time to grow up. The last two or three years, I was trying to figure out where I’m going. I tried to postpone heavier repertoire. But now I’m saying goodbye to -inas and I’m very happy about that.”