Less in triumph than benediction, the first winner made his first appearance at the competition tonight since 1958. Here’s what he said:
‘This trip is special in that it is the 53rd anniversary of the Tchaikovsky Competition and is the first time I have returned to the competition since 1958. It is so inspiring to hear the young talents from many countries and to be with friends of long standing as we celebrate the love and majesty of great classical music.’
And here’s how he looked then.
The other guy has been retired from the judges. Here’s the new chair.
pictures and press release from the Van Cliburn Foundation.
Nelson Freire, the great Brazilian pianist, has quit after the first round. Told his colleagues he was exhausted. The emotional temperature in Moscow in rising all the time.
Van Cliburn has arrived, to a pop star reception. One of the piano competitors is in hospital after a stage outburst. A much-fancied cellist, Sweden’s Jakob Karanyi, has pulled out with a hurt finger. Whatever next?
Wimbledon tennis looks tame by comparison.
El Pais in Madrid has published a slightly shortened version of my essay on the celebrity culture violations around Mahler’s deathbed
Here’s the link.
Mahler’s death mask.
Over the past year, there have been more performances of Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand than at any time since its premiere in September 1910 including – would you believe? – a national premiere in Vietnam.
There was even an attempt to revive the original venue in Munich, now an International Exhbition Centre, but here as is most other outcomes, compromises were made, dreams abandoned and the symphony was scaled down to manageable dimensions. In Munich there were reportedly just 400 performers.
Nothing wrong with that. One of the finest accounts I heard was Andris Nelsons in Birmingham, with 650. Here’s some video.
Gustavo Dudamel, however, does not think small is necessarily beautiful. The Mahler Eighth announced for Los Angeles next February will have well over 1,000 performers and will play in The Shrine, home to the Oscars and the Emmys, a venue that seats 6,500.
It is also surely the first performance of Mahler Eighth to feature a Gay Men’s Chorus. Way to go, Gustavo!
Press release follows.
GUSTAVO DUDAMEL LEADS THE COMBINED FORCES OF
THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC AND THE SIMÓN BOLÍVAR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF VENEZUELA IN MAHLER’S “SYMPHONY OF A THOUSAND” AT THE SHRINE AUDITORIUM
Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Chidren’s Chorus, Pacific Chorale and Community Choruses Join the LA Phil and SBSOV
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012 AT 8:00 PM
TICKETS ON SALE SUNDAY AUGUST 21, 2011
WHAT: Gustavo Dudamel will lead the combined forces of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela – joined by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Children’s Chorus and community choruses – in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, known as the “Symphony of a Thousand,” at the historic Shrine Auditorium for a spectacular performance with over 1000 musicians and singers. A roster of vocal soloists will also take part.
This performance is part of the LA Phil’s Mahler Project, in which Dudamel leads Mahler’s nine completed symphonies with the LA Phil and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela in the U.S. and Caracas. The LA Phil will perform Symphonies 1, 4, 6 and 9 (as well as the Adagio from Symphony No. 10), and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela will perform Symphonies 2, 3, 5 and 7. In addition to these symphonic performances at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Mahler Project will also feature the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela on the Symphonies for Youth Concert Series, and will bring members of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela together with LA Phil musicians to perform on the chamber music series. Throughout the Mahler Project the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela will also engage in community and education events. Members of SBSOV will lead rehearsals and master classes at YOLA, Dudamel’s signature education program, provide workshops and educational opportunities for LA Phil partner schools, and perform concerts in local communities and schools. International Mahler scholars will host Upbeat Live, the LA Phil’s pre-concert talks, throughout the cycle. Following the performances in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Philharmonic will embark on a nine-day tour to Caracas performing the symphonic cycle with the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
For more information and complete schedule, please visit: LAPhil.com.
WHO: Los Angeles Philharmonic
Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
TBD, soloists
Los Angeles Master Chorale, Grant Gershon, Music Director
Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Anne Tomlinson, Artistic Director
Pacific Chorale, John Alexander, Artistic Director
Angel City Chorale, Sue Fink, Artistic Sirector
Angeles Chorale, John Sutton, Artistic Director and Conductor
Choir of All Saints Church, Pasadena, James Walker, Director of Music
Chorus of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, Charles Dickerson, Music Director and Conductor
Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Chamber Choir, Chung Uk Lee, Music Director
Los Robles Master, Lesley Leighton, Artistic Director
Pasadena Pro Musica, Stephen Grimm , Director
Pasadena Master Chorale, Jeffrey Bernstein, artistic director
Philippine Chamber Singers – Los Angeles, Anthony Angelo Francisco, Artistic Director and Conductor
Vox Femina Los Angeles, Iris S. Levine, Artistic Director
National Children’s Chorus, Luke McEndarfer, Artistic Director
WHEN: Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 8 p.m.
The Russian-American violinist Yevgeny Kutik, 24, has long dreamed of making a debut album that would reflect his family’s odyssey out of the Old Country. The music he has in mind was Shostakovich (Sonata), Schnittke (Sonata No. 1), Achron (Hebrew Melody and Lullaby), and Pärt (Spiegel im Spiegel). This project, he tells me, ‘is more than just my first album, rather an exploration of the cultural, religious, and political pressures of the former Soviet Union, something my own family had to deal with when we left Belarus in 1989.’
It’s very personal stuff, but not exactly commercial, right? So Yevgeny launched a fund-raiser for his album. In 10 days, he had 90 percent of the money. Here’s how (you can read more on his website http://www.yevgenykutik.com/).
Incredible! In only 9 days this campaign has raised past the initial project goal of $7,500. My new goal is now $9,500 by July 7. The more money we raise, the more we can do with the publicity, design, production, and exposure of the final product. Also, all those that gave or give $100 or more will now receive an invitation to private release parties in NYC and Boston! And in addition, everyone that pledges over $300 will be listed in the liner of the album.
Read more on his website
One of the judges of the piano section of the Tchaikovsky competition was seen on television last night with tears in his eyes.
I asked him why.
‘Yesterday we had to eliminate 17 of the 29 for the second round,’ said Peter Donohoe, the 1982 joint silver medallist (gold was withheld), ‘and I personally wanted 26 of the 29 to be in the second round. It is not because I am a softy. Usually I find myself trying desperately to think of ways to make up the numbers for the second round. In this competition – for some reason – they are almost all wonderful.’
Peter is spending today speaking to the genuinely unlucky losers. ‘Never has a piano competition had such a level to my knowledge,’ he tells me.
That’s some assertion…
Here’s Peter, centre stage in the judges row, as the successful candidates are announced.
The following names have gone forward to round 2:
Alexey Chernov (Russia)
Seong Jin Cho (South Korea),
Sara Daneshpour (USA),
Pavel Kolesnikov (Russia),
Filipp Kopachevskiy (Russia)
Eduard Kunz (Russia)
Alexander Lubyantsev (Russia),
François-Xavier Poizat (Switzerland)
Alexander Romanovsky (Ukraine)
Alexander Sinchuk (Russia)
Yeol Eum Son (South Korea)
Daniil Trifonov (Russia).
And a second, more emotional shot.
There were two strong bidders for the Lady Blunt Stradivarius and the winner paid £8.75 million ($14.2m), an auction record for a Cremona instrument. Plus a million and a bit more to the auction house.
That’s a lot of money for a trophy instrument that will never be played after decades of disuse. The buyer remains anonymous, wisely no doubt.
It’s John Le Carre, and about time, too.
The medal is given for outstanding service to the German language and international cultural dialogue. Ever since he wrote A Small Town in Germany nearly half a century ago, no English language novelist can match Le Carre’s acute inside view of Europe’s central nation.
Here’s the announcement.
John le Carré awarded Goethe Medal
< BACK TO NEWS
John le Carré is the recipient of one of the three Goethe Medals awarded this year. The Goethe Institute awards medals each year for outstanding service to the German language and international cultural dialogue.
The Goethe Medals will be presented to John le Carré, Ariane Mnouchkine and Adam Michnik on the 28th August 2011 in Weimar, Germany. Ariane Mnouchkine is an icon of European theatre and Adam Michnik a Polish intellectual who has contributed greatly to dialogue between Poland and Germany in particular.
The first Goethe Medal was awarded in 1955 and since then 326 people from 58 countries have been honoured. Le Carré joins an impressive list of Goethe Medal recipients including Billy Wilder, Karl Popper, Daniel Barenboim and Jorge Semprún.
The medal honours John le Carré’s life work. The author, who is fluent in German, set one of his best known novels, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold in Germany.
A committee of the German Bundestag has savaged the Wagner family at Bayreuth for handing out too many free tickets to friendly politicians and public celebrities. Of 57,000 available seats, 2,500 went to Wagner pals and pols. The committee wants parliament to impose tighter scrutiny on the Wagner family. About time, too.
Here’s a German report.
That’s what fans of Korean boy band ShinEE have been claiming since I spotted them yesterday at the studios. But is it really so?
I have some recollection of Decca recording the Chung trio, but perhaps that was another London venue.
Rack your brains, ye who read this site, and help us keep the record straight.
Here‘s the latest band pic.
And here’s a first update: bob Dickinson reports that ???Seikima-II – Japanese Heavy Metal Band – recorded their album, ‘Ponk!’, at Abbey Road in 1994.
The auction ends tonight and the highest online bid so far for the Lady Blunt Stradivarius is stuck on £6million ($9.6m).
The last time it sold, in 2008, was to the Nippon Music Foundation for $10 million. Now the Foundation is selling it to raise funds for Japan earthquake relief. A price well in excess of $10 million has been anticipated.
The Lady Blunt is one of the two most perfectly preserved Strads in existence (the other is the ‘Messiah’ at the Ashmolean in Oxford). It has not been played in half a century and cannot ever be brought back to the stage. But as an exemplar of the craftsman’s original work it is almost unmatched. Eleven hours to go. Keep bidding. Watch here for the outcome.
The New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra is streaming a performance of Mahler’s fifth tomorrow with conductor Daniel Harding with a view to raising awareness of the continued need for aid to Japan’s earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster victims.
Daniel was in Japan during the crisis and, as I reported then, tried to rally other artists to remain. He pledged to return and has made good his promise. Here’s the press release with all streaming details. I shall certainly try to catch the performance.
With the cooperation of the Sumida Triphony Hall, the New Japan Philharmonic will hold a charity concert featuringworld-renowned conductor Daniel Harding. The concert will be broadcast on USTREAM.
On March 11, the day of the East Japan Great Earthquake, Daniel Harding was in Japan, scheduled to hold his celebratory first concert as Music Partner of NJP. He was on his way to the final rehearsal of the concert when he experienced the magnitude nine earthquake himself. Though the concert of that evening was held as scheduled, the next three concerts were cancelled, and he reluctantly left the country four days later.
Ever since those days in Japan in March, he had a strong desire to hold a charity concert, a wish that will come true on June 20th. This USTEAM broadcast will be accessible both in Japan and overseas, to anyone who has an Internet connection. At the time of the broadcast, a Japan Red Cross donation window will be shown concurrently in order to collect donations online. These funds can be collected not only in Japan but also from overseas locations (using PayPal).
Concert Overview:The Harding/New Japan Philharmonic Charity Concert–Hope for the Future after the 3/11 East Japan Great Earthquake–USTREAM Broadcast OverviewBroadcast Date: Monday, June 20, 2011, 18:30-21:30 (JST)USTREAM http://www.ustream.tv/channel/harding-njpcharityconcertShow title: Harding & NJP Charity ConcertProgram: Mahler: Symphony No.5
At present, three months after the earthquake, though progress has been made in the recovery of many areas, some 90,000 people area still living in shelters, and circumstances in a number of areas remain as they were immediately after the earthquake. In light of this situation, we hope to make this an opportunity to share this concert simultaneously with those who for whatever reason are unable to attend this concert, including the disaster victims themselves and others who live far away—and one way of supporting the reconstruction effort.
Conductor Daniel Harding, the man who proposed this concert, comments as follows:“Maybe music, amongst the many great achievements of mankind, can help us to try to comprehend the magnitude and the context of such suffering. Maybe music can also help us, in the smallest way, to begin to heal.As musicians we can try to provide those in need with happiness, emotion, vitality and courage through beautiful and thought-provoking music.”We would very much appreciate your cooperation on announcing this meaningful event.
