Category: music

“I really want to shake up this old-fashioned, beautiful, wonderful place a bit,” says composer Olga Neuwirth, 51, whose adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando opens on December 8. (The house actually commissioned an opera from Neuwirth back in 2004, only to reject the libretto written by Nobel laureate Elfriede Jelinek.) – The Guardian

“The five-year extension [of his contract as general manager] … will give Mr. Gelb at least a 21-year reign at the opera house, the largest performing arts organization in the United States. The only Met general managers with longer tenures than that have been Giulio Gatti-Casazza (who held the post for 27 years beginning in 1908) and Rudolf Bing (1950-72).” – The New York Times

Mark Swed: “Typically, a new opera is a multiyear project, so the very notion of this pop-up one, which seems to have been in the works for a couple of weeks at most, is extraordinary. But if you go back to the 18th and 19th centuries, operas were popular entertainment put on with the regularity and immediacy that television shows are today.” – Los Angeles Times

At a time of public outrage over corporate greed and a heightened awareness of gender-based power dynamics, the 29-year-old Ms. Swift was able to turn a commercial dispute into a cause célèbre. – The New York Times

Three quarters of young people in Britain have never heard of Mozart, a survey reveals. One in five think composer Johann Bach – who died in 1750 – is still alive. – The Daily Mail

As a record number of people want more than just Spotify or YouTube videos, well, the logical result is that “music cruises are one of the interesting growth areas of music tourism. There has been a boom; it is a real development of the last few years.” – The Observer (UK)

There are many, many tensions between the two countries, but “the orchestra’s rock-star status in China offers it unique possibilities for bridge-building. Even youngsters are aware that, in 1973, it was the first Western orchestra to play in the People’s Republic of China. It has made 11 full visits since then, the most recent one in May.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

Christian settlers and missionaries feared and banned throat singing, so the choice to make a Christmas album wasn’t exactly obvious, they say. “At the same time, they say some of their most cherished childhood memories include Christmas in the North, with the joy and hilarity associated with feasting, games and dancing.” Hence the meld. – CBC

Here’s the deal: “Each section has a reputation based loosely on the personality types drawn to certain instruments and the parts they play on the field. Trumpets generally own the melody, so the section attracts people who want to be the center of attention, at least musically. The perfectionist woodwinds — piccolos, flutes, clarinets and saxophones — are invariably drowned out by the brass section, meaning their dedication to musicianship doesn’t rely on recognition.” And there’s so much more. – The New York Times

There is an “arc the NSO has traversed over my 11 years in Washington, from the disaffected, sloppy ensemble that Leonard Slatkin left when he departed in 2008 to the group that’s starting to taste real international demand under Noseda. Those ­in-between years have seen ups and downs.” – Washington Post