Category: music

“When she arrived in January 2000, the Phil was running chronic deficits and was borrowing from its endowment to meet operating expenses – a recipe for disaster if continued too long.” By the end of 2009-10, the orchestra’s net assets had increased by a factor of nearly 20.

The cellist-pianist couple, artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, are the first joint winners of the award. Other honorees include Meredith Monk (Composer of the Year), Jaap van Zweden (Conductor), Gil Shaham (Instrumentalist) and Jonas Kaufmann (Vocalist).

Peter Ramsauer says he has found that listening to Mozart on the Autobahn calms his nerves. So the minister has released a CD of himself playing the slow movements of Mozart piano concertos, backed by the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. The title: “Adagio in the Automobile.”

Every so often a piece of music comes along that changes the way everyone thinks about what music can do…

“This is far more than a wrapper for the audio – it’s an opportunity to become part of the overall music experience. Our business is premised on app developers being the architects of how we experience music going forward.”

Nat Hentoff introduces readers to “Ehsan Khoshbakht, 29, a young Iranian dissident and jazz aficionado whose blog, ‘Take the ‘A’ Train,’ is dedicated to spreading the jazz gospel as a voice for freedom inside his native country.”

“Musicians with the Louisville Orchestra made a show Monday of rejecting management’s latest contract offer, while also confirming that they’ve filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board claiming that orchestra officials have refused to bargain in good faith.”

“Two members of the Tokyo String Quartet , including its founding violist, will retire from the group at the end of next season, in June 2013 … The violist, Kazuhide Isomura, 65, helped start the quartet in 1969. Also leaving is the second violinist, Kikuei Ikeda, 64, who joined in 1974.” The remaining members are violinist Martin Beaver and cellist Clive Goldsmith.

“Terri Pontremoli’s sudden departure raised concern among the festival’s fan base that the event, which reached a new artistic peak on her watch, might be contemplating a turn to crossover or pop acts.”

“Warner Music Group owner Len Blavatnik withdrew his bid for EMI Group’s recorded music business after failing to agree on a price with owner Citigroup Inc. … Warner Music offered about $1.5 billion, less than the $1.7 billion sought by Citigroup.”