After all the fuss and bother, Lee Hall’s school play with music by Harvey Brough opened yesterday, the BBC reports.

In the thick of the Murdoch fuore, it drew less than a flutter of media attention, a storm blown out in a Yorkshire teacup.

Not one Sunday newspaper has bothered to report the premiere. End of story.

 

A heated discussion on a previous page of this site has yielded the welcome information that Jackie Evancho, the 11 year-old child presently topping the US Billboard classical charts, checks in to study at the Juilliard School.

One of her fans reports: Jackie’s mother released the name of her Juilliard coach today. She’s Lorraine Nubar, the head of Juilliard’s Pre-College Division of singing.

Well, in a manner of speaking. Ms Nubar runs a Saturday class for 12 to 15 year-olds. Jackie has been allowed to slip in under the age bar. But it’s a good sign. She’ll get a solid grounding in general technique and a sharp eye for career opportunity. I look forward to receiving her grades.

 

 

The death has been announced of one of the great American baritones, the Met’s trademark Scarpia, Cornell Macneil. He was 88, sang 26 roles and recorded powerfully for Decca with Karajan, Serafin and Solti.

He made his Scala debut in 1959 but made relatively scarce appearances in Europe. He was home-loving guy.

Here‘s an Opera News profile.

MacNeil in <i>Mahagonny</i>” width=”207″ border=”1″ /></p>
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Roberto Minczuk, who required all players in the Brazil Symphony Orchestra to re-audition for their jobs, has been made to step down as artistic director of the orchestra under pressure of international protest.

A committee of three will take over the OSB’s artistic dirtection.

Minczuk will, however, remain the orchestra’s regular conductor. His ally, Eleazar de Carvalho junior, continues as chief executive.

Here‘s a local report. I was promised a comment from the orchestra’s management several days ago but they have gone strangely quiet… This story is, I fear, not yet over. Minczuk’s will need to engage in some intensive damage limitation to his international career.

A Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira sob comando do maestro Roberto Minczuk

 

They are four Russian girls and they are called Gravitation (??????????).

Here‘s their website, with more decorous pictures. Oddly, it says nothing about repertoire. Nor do we learn their names,

Instead, we are told: ‘For fast price, contact Mikhail Smirnov’ (is that him, behind them?).

String Quartet "Gravitation"

Here‘s some video of a Christmas jingle, with fairly ropy sound. And here’s a parting shot, for luck.

String Quartet Gravitation

Pierrette Alarie – anyone remember her? – was 89 when she died this week. Her husband and singing partner Léopold Simoneau, predeceased her in 2006. They belong to a half-forgotten breed who flourished in the 1940s and 1950s, before the glory of stereo, appealing to live audiences more than armchair buffs.

Here‘s a clip of them singing.

Pierrette Alarie et Léopold Somoneau

And here’s the lady apparently in her dressing-room, actually in a performance of La voix humaine.

More pics here at www.lebrecht.co.uk

Further to yesterday’s account of the bogus agent who entraps young artists and stings them for money, here’s a more old-fashioned scam. It’s an obscure agency in the boondocks that chases down young musicians on facebook and promises them a smarter way to fame.

Forget the old method of building relationships between artists, presenters and audiences. It’s all about tele-marketing now, say these guys. Pay us $300+ a month and we’ll hit the phone and get you dates. Artists who make a tentative inquiry are then hassled for cash up front.

Here’s the deal:

Our Premium Management is a direct-marketing service that provides direct telemarketing to the Concert Music Industry. What this means is that you would be assigned to a marketer who would then call/contact presenters and performing arts organizations on your behalf, introducing you, presenting your press kit and so forth.
At the end of each month you will have a report sent via email listing which presenters and performing arts organizations you have been presented to. We will design a press kit and include you on the (company) website plus add you to our weekly rotation in our email newsletter. (Additional advertising may be available.)As you know all too well, it takes lots of time to organize a concert season, to promote one self. By joining (our company), you will join a great management company which will work with you,  for you, for your career. The cost of this premium service depends on the amount of marketing hours you would like. We have 3 different plans:$300/month= 8 hours of direct marketing
$400/month= 12 hours of direct marketing
$500/month= 16 hours of direct marketing 

All of the above are per month and on a yearly contract basis. 
For artists whose commissions exceed the yearly retainer we charge 20% of the gross engagement fee, so the artist pays either the retainer fee, either the commission.

Please understand that (our company) is unable to make any guarantees concerning engagements. (Our company) has been a leader in concert management for over 25 years and we believe direct marketing is very effective in helping concert soloists and conductors broaden their careers.

 

What can I tell you? Do not – repeat not – reply to anyone on facebook who offers to become your agent.

I have blocked both of these scammers from my site. If I hear that they continue trawling innocent talent on facebook, I will name them. What they are doing is not illegal, but it can damage young careers.

 

I came across this picture on a classical website and did a double-take.

Surely this cannot be a publicity photo of one of the fastest rising conductors on the circuit? And what’s the dedicated Marco Borggreve doing snapping footballers, quick as they might be with a score? He’s a classical portraitist.

Actually, it wasn’t this picture. It’s the one below.

Conductor François-Xavier Roth talks Saint-Saëns (photo: Marco Borggreve)

His name’s Fracois-Xavier-Roth, and he’s chief conductor in Liege and Baden-Baden (radio). But isn’t this how Wayne Rooney will look when he’s 40?

It should have been glamour night at the Lucerne Festival – the unassailable Claudio Abbado matched with the unattainable Helene Grimaud, one the thinking man’s maestro, the other much thought about by overheated men. And wolves, of course.

But it wasn’t to be.

A press release tells me that Claudio will not be working with the belle Helene. They regret the inconvenience.

I’ll let you know if I hear what really went down.

Press information: July 14th 2011

 

IMPORTANT CHANGE TO PROGRAMME

 

It is with deep regret that Claudio Abbado and Hélène Grimaud have announced that, due to artistic differences, they will not be able to collaborate as originally planned for their performances at LUCERNE FESTIVAL (August 10, 12 and 13) and at London’s Southbank Centre later this year. Both artists apologize for any inconvenience resulting from this decision.

 

The programme remains unchanged. Radu Lupu has graciously agreed to take over as soloist in the Piano Concerto in D minor of Johannes Brahms for the concerts in Lucerne with Claudio Abbado and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA on August 10, 12. and 13. The soloist for the London concert will be announced as soon as possible

Reports reach me of a predatory facebook friend who pretends to be a classical music agent and promises a career to young innocents.

This person scours the pages of well-known music people, looking for potential prey in their friends list. Any young artist who accepts this tainted friendship offer is granted a showcase on the ‘agent’s’ website – after agreeing to pay 300 Euros a month and a 25% fee on all future commissions.

Some of the pictures and cvs on the website are advertised there without authorisation, or connection to the proprietor. At least one legal action is pending – as a result of which I had better not name the alleged offender for the time being, although I have details on file.

All I can do is to warn young artists not to enter into any agent relationship online, least of all on Facebook.

And any so-called agent who asks you for a monthly fee ought to be avoided, in any case, like a blood-sucking leech.

 

Laugh? Cry? What do you do when a publisher says he/she wants to sign your next 75 books?

Sit down and write them, I guess. Pretend you’re Enid Blyton. Or jump off a cliff. Or ask why 75, it is a mystic number?

Anyway, her name, dear readers, is Laurann Dohner (no, me neither).

Tell me if you can tell one title of hers from the next. More here (thanks, Hephzi).  
Try not to despair.