The blind Italian tenor will attend memorial services at the death camp on January 27, according to the German-Jewish newspaper, the Algemeiner. Bocelli has frequently expressed his admiration for Israel and the Jewish people.
You don’t want to watch this. Trust me, you really don’t.
If you absolutely must, click here.
Don’t say you won’t warned.
News has reached us belatedly of the death on December 13 of Dale Bartlett, aged 77. A Cortot pupil, he won the Viotti competition in Italy and did a round of concerto performances before settling into a groove as his country’s accompanist of choice.
Julian Armour, artistic director of the Chamber Players of Canada, writes: Dale was one of the very, very best – and always a lovely guy as well. The tremendous integrity of his playing, his almost superhuman technical perfection, his ESP-driven ensemble skills and his unerring musicality made him a colleague to treasure. And how refreshing! He was a musician who gave everything, delivered every single time, and never craved the spotlight he so richly deserved. Thank you, Dale, for so many great concerts and so many great memories!
They do like them Polish in Kalamazoo.
The world’s most valuable award for a pianist, announced every four years, has gone to Rafał Blechacz, 28, who in 2005 became the first Pole in three decades to win the Chopin Competition. The Gilmore prize is $50,000 cash and a further $250,000 to be spent on ‘career development’.
Past winners are Kirill Gerstein (2010), Ingrid Fliter (2006), Piotr Anderszewski (2002), Leif Ove Andsnes (1998), Ralf Gothóni (1994) and David Owen Norris (1991). The last three are respectively Russian, Argentine (of East European parents) and Polish.
Press release follows.
New York, NY (January 08, 2014) – Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz has been named the recipient of the 2014 Gilmore Artist Award, it was announced today by Daniel R. Gustin, Director of the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival. One of the most prestigious honors in music, the Gilmore Artist Award is presented every four years on a non-competitive basis to an exceptional pianist who, regardless of age or nationality, has the potential to sustain a career as a major international concert artist. Mr. Blechacz will receive $300,000 in support of his musical and career goals over the next four years. Previous recipients of the Gilmore Artist Award are Kirill Gerstein (2010), Ingrid Fliter (2006), Piotr Anderszewski (2002), Leif Ove Andsnes (1998), Ralf Gothóni (1994) and David Owen Norris (1991).
Mr. Blechacz will perform works by Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven and Debussy during his first public performance as the 2014 Gilmore Artist in an event presented by WQXR at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space on Wednesday, January 8 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Hosted by WQXR’s Jeff Spurgeon and American Public Media’s Fred Child, the Greene Space event will include interviews with Mr. Blechacz, Daniel Gustin, Director of the Gilmore Keyboard Festival, former Artistic Advisory Committee members Ara Guzelimian (1998 and 2006) and Sherman Van Solkema (2010 and 2014) as well as the 2010 award recipient Kirill Gerstein. The Greene Space event will be streamed live on www.greenespace.org, and a Gilmore Artist radio special will air on New York’s WQXR 105.9 FM on Wednesday, January 15 at 10:00 p.m. ET and Sunday, January 19 at 11:00 p.m. ET, and nationally on American Public Media’s Performance Today on January 14 (check local listings for time).
“Rafał Blechacz stood out to us as a truly distinctive musical figure whose passionate commitment to his art and profound musicianship portend a long and brilliant career,” said Daniel Gustin.
Rafał Blechacz, 28, is a native of Poland, where he still makes his home. In October 2005, his career was launched when he was named the uncontested winner of the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, receiving all five prizes including First Prize and special prizes for best mazurka, polonaise, concerto and sonata. He has since performed in Europe, Japan and North America to critical acclaim. Mr. Blechacz is an exclusive recording artist for Deutsche Grammophon, and has made five well-received recordings with the record label.
“To receive this prestigious award is a great honor for me,” said Mr. Blechacz. “The award offers superb support for my upcoming musical projects and undeniably is a significant factor in the furthering of my career.”
The Gilmore Artist Award is given by the Irving S. Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, established in 1989. Candidates for the Gilmore Artist Award are nominated confidentially by a large and diverse international assemblage of music professionals. The finalists among the candidates are then each evaluated for their career potential and musicianship in many live concert performances by Mr. Gustin and an anonymous committee representing various aspects of the classical music world. The committee evaluates the candidates’ work over a sustained period of time, rather than judging their achievements during the course of a highly concentrated and limited set of conditions as in a public competition.
The Gilmore Artist receives a $50,000 cash grant to be used at the artist’s discretion and $250,000 typically disbursed over a four-year period for projects and activities that will enhance the artist’s musicianship and career.
In addition to Mr. Gustin, the supporting committee for the 2014 Gilmore Artist Award included Numa Bischof-Ullmann, Artistic and Executive Director of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra; Anthony Fogg, Artistic Administrator of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Christopher Roberts, President of Robison Consultants and former President of Universal Music; Judith Sherman, eminent recording producer and engineer; and Sherman Van Solkema, musicologist and retired chairman of the music departments of Brooklyn College and Grand Valley State University.
The Gilmore also gives Gilmore Young Artist Awards every two years to the most promising of the new generation of American pianists, age 22 and younger. Andrew Hsu and Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, were named the 2014 Gilmore Young Artists. Between 1990 and 2012, 28 young pianists have received the Gilmore Young Artist Award, including Christopher Taylor, Jonathan Biss, Yuja Wang, Orion Weiss, Kirill Gerstein and Orli Shaham.
The Gilmore Festival and Awards are the legacy of Irving S. Gilmore, a Michigan businessman and philanthropist based in Kalamazoo, whose special devotion to piano music and pianistsinspired the creation of the biennial Gilmore International Keyboard Festival and the Gilmore Artist and Young Artist Awards. Mr. Blechacz, along with former Gilmore Artists Kirill Gerstein, Piotr Anderszewski and Ingrid Fliter will appear at this year’s Gilmore International Keyboard Festival taking place April 24 to May 10, 2014 throughout West Michigan. More information can be found at www.thegilmore.org.
Flu-ridden, she has cancelled the first two performances of L’Elisir d’Amore on Jan 9 and 13.
The lucky sub is Canadian: Andriana Chuchman. Not, you’ll be pleased to see, a shrinking violet. This will be her Met debut.
Arts Council England announced today that it has taken extraordinary measures to avoid a 17% funding cut from 2015/16. By dipping into National Lottery revenues, which it manages, the ACE will restrict the cuts to two percent.
The bad news/good news ploy was used to disguise a flagrant raid on Lottery money, which has been been firewalled until now for new buildings and projects under a principle known as ‘additionality’. By blurring those lines, the ACE has opened the door to a dangerous precedent – the prospect that, under a future Government, the state might withdraw altogether from funding the arts and leave their maintenance to the vagaries of Lottery income.
First report here. The Guardian follows up, uncritical as ever of its ACE sacred cow.
We don’t know where or when. We don’t eve know the guy’s name. Anyone recognise him?
The video was posted in France last month. Start playing after warm-ups at about 1:00. Be amazed.
h/t Mary Finnigan
Press release: Bach’s B Minor Mass takes on a Hebrew accent in this version created by New York psychiatrist Eric Weitzner, adapting Jewish prayers and theological ideas to Bach’s transcendent music. Bach’s universality truly comes to the fore in this community Sing-in.
Selected movements of Bach’s Prayer in B Minor will be prepared in advance and sung by members of The Dessoff Choirs, and other movements will be sung by everyone in attendance. But there’s no obligation to sing – all are invited to experience the great affinity between the Christian and Jewish faiths, and the universality of Bach’s sublime music.
Both Dr. Weitzner and Dessoff’s Music Director Christopher Shepard will offer spoken commentary. Scores will be provided.
Come. Sing. Or listen. And learn about the Second Life of one of the pinnacles of the choral repertoire.
Tickets are only $15 ($10 Seniors/students).
Order online to avoid long lines at the door and to make sure we have a score for you.
Sunday, January 12, 2 pm
Congregation Habonim
44 W. 66th Street, New York City
It was lucky Valentina Lisitsa was in Paris today. Boris Berezovsky called in sick for tomorrow’s Liszt concerto. Val, who’s just released a Liszt disc, was happy to oblige. No change of programme. Press announcement follows.
Pour nos prochains concerts des 8 et 9 janvier, je dois vous communiquer un changement de dernière heure concernant le pianiste Boris Berezovsky.
MERCREDI 8 ET JEUDI 9 JANVIER
SALLE PLEYEL – 20H
Paavo Järvi, direction
Valentina Lisitsa, piano
ERIC TANGUY
Affettuoso, « In memoriam Henri Dutilleux »
Commande de l’Orchestre de Paris – création mondiale
FRANZ LISZT
Concerto pour piano et orchestre n° 1
Danse macabre pour piano et orchestre « Totentanz »
PIOTR ILYITCH TCHAÏKOVSKI
Symphonie n° 4
Metallica. Just announced.
End of civilisation.
GRAMMY® NOMINEES LORDE
AND KATY PERRY TO PERFORM
ON THE 56TH ANNUAL
GRAMMY AWARDS®
METALLICA AND LANG LANG
TOGETHER
IN A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE
NILE RODGERS,
NOMINEE PHARRELL WILLIAMS,
AND STEVIE WONDER TO JOIN DAFT PUNK
AND NOMINEE ROBIN THICKE
AND CHICAGO TO PERFORM TOGETHER
Music’s Biggest Night® Airs Live on CBS Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, 8 P.M. ET
We have been informed of the death of Clifford Hughes, a popular and adventurous artist who as once described as ‘Scotland’s foremost lyric tenor’.
After singing with the Choir of King’s College Cambridge, he worked in both opera and oratorio until a long battle with cancer forced him to consider other options. He became a teacher, and a preacher – Minister of St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington, from 1993. After surgery to remove his larynx in 2001, he retrained his voice with a valve implant and took to singing bass.
He lived a full life, against formidable odds.
Profile here.
A WQXR report on the closure of NYC’s last classical record outlet has brought out the white handkerchiefs for many loyal customers, among them conductor David Bernard:
A trip to NYC for me as a classical music obsessed music-geek child consisted of browsing scores at Patelsons and LPs at J&R Classical Record Store (it was called the J&R Classical Outlet back then). J&R was staffed with knowledgeable sales people (you know, people who could actually discuss the pros and cons of various releases of a Beethoven Symphony) and I would come home with a pile of LPs and scores, but more importantly the experience and knowledge that comes from browsing a full stock of classical items.
Back then, in the pre-Tower Records/HMV days, we would scoff at the meager stock of the typical record stores, and even Barnes and Noble & Sam Goody, which were more like “The Classical Music Bin” rather than the encyclopedic stock of the J&R Classical Outlet.
After a long hiatus, I stopped by the Classical section of J&R a few years ago and observed that the stock was a fraction of what it was, and you could see that it was on a downward spiral.
So now J&R is following Patelsons, Tower and HMV into oblivion. I guess we could all see it coming, but I can’t help feeling a bit sad about this.
