Category: music

“Songwriters and composers are already guaranteed royalties on their recordings for life plus 70 years. The new ruling by the EU’s Council of Ministers means that, from 2013, artists of the 1960s who were not talented enough to pen their own music and garnered income only through performing the songs of others will no longer face losing their royalty this decade, but will keep receiving a payment until the 2030s.”

A judicial hearing this week “was important for laying out two possible imminent paths – a quick resolution or a long, acrimonious battle that could stretch on for some time and have tragic consequences for the orchestra.”

It has been a full 40 years since the BSO undertook a full-fledged search for its leading maestro. (Following Seiji Ozawa’s long tenure, the Bostonians pretty much knew they wanted to work with James Levine). Jeremy Eichler answers some basic questions about the upcoming process.

“A week of rancorous negotiations between the Colorado Symphony and its 79 full-time musicians ended Friday with the resignation of about half the orchestra’s board and the players’ agreement to an emergency 9 percent pay cut.”

Tom Service: “Like no one else has managed to do in music before, he has turned timbre – the texture and grain of the way instruments sound, and the special, surreal possibilities of electronic music – into a carrier of feeling and emotion.” (Yes, feeling and emotion.)

“It is extremely unfair to put professional musicians into a situation where they are emotionally blackmailed into working for no fee and are asked to give their services to a good cause. This is particularly unjust when others associated with the event, such as venue staff, are being paid.”

“We are shocked to hear of the suspension of four members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for adding their signatures to a letter calling for the BBC to cancel a concert by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.”

“A half-century ago, someone looking for challenging music would gravitate toward the classical repertory, while those looking for simpler, more visceral thrills would go for pop. But today, some rock music is quite complex, while certain classical pieces have become so familiar, they can be classified as easy-listening music.”

“Nearly four decades after becoming the first American symphony to tour Communist China, the Philadelphia Orchestra announced it will embark on a cultural exchange to find and nurture young Chinese musicians and composers and bring orchestral music to audiences beyond the biggest cities.”

“Local piano technicians are furious that a Briton, Peter Salisbury, has been brought out to fine-tune the Steinway pianos Kissin is playing in Brisbane and Sydney.”