The Russian press are reporting that the new music director, Tugan Sokhiev, has chosen one of Tchaikovsky’s less-known operas to open his first season in September.

The tradition, lapsed in recent years, is that the Bolshoi must open with a Russian work. In Soviet times, it was always Ivan Susanin, by Glinka.

Rainer Boesch, forst professor of computer music at the Paris Conservatoire, has died at 76. A prolific Swiss composer, he worked at  IRCAM (1976–85), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1988) and Stanford University (1992).

Here’s the full press conference on concertmaster Frank Almond’s stolen Stradivarius, ten minutes long, not much information. The suspects are two men, aged 42 and 36, and a woman, 32. One is said to have previous form in art theft.

‘We emphasize at this time that although we made arrests we have not yet recovered the violin,’ said Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn.

The  missing Strad has been given an insurance valuation of $5 million.

Panic at the LSO tonight when the soloist failed to show in time for the first half of the concert. London was gridlocked by an Underground strike and Anne-Sophie Mutter was trapped in traffic. What to do?

Easy.

The orch played the symphony (Dvorak New World) in the first half and the soloist arrived in time to play the Dvorak concerto after the break.

Two Panufnik pieces, one in each half, were unaffected. Michael Francis conducted.

Local reports say police are pressing charges against three suspects in connection with the theft of a Stradivarius from the Milwaukee concertmaster, Frank Almond.

The violin has not been recovered.

More as we hear. UPDATE: Frank Almond has messaged that there’s a police press conference later today. Fingers crossed.

If you’re likely to find this tasteless, we apologise. Don’t watch the clip below.

We’ve been sent video of Sony artist Khatia Buniatishvili performing a jig (or jiggle) on Georgian TV. It has been uploaded onto Youtube. It is being watched by people who have never heard her Chopin recording.

We’re not sure what she was thinking. Maybe it got lost in translation.

The new Associate Condutor of the NY Philharmonic, Case Scaglione, has got a second foot on the ladder.  He’s been signed by the shrewd Linda Marks at H-P. See here.

A Japanese composer who continued writing symphonies after going deaf has confessed to paying someone else to write them.

Beethoven, so far as is known, didn’t.

Story here.

From the sound of it, the composers Mamoru Samuragochi paid were Brahms, Mahler and Strauss.

Barely a month after the tragic death of Simon Bosé, Universal Spain has a new chief. Time stands still for no man.

Release follows:

NARCIS REBOLLO APPOINTED MANAGING DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC SPAIN

MADRID, 5 FEBRUARY 2014 – Narcís Rebollo has been appointed Managing Director of Universal Music Spain. Based in Madrid, Rebollo reports to Jesús López, acting President of the Iberian Peninsula and Chairman & CEO of Universal Music Latin America.  The appointment is effective immediately.

With an extensive and highly successful career as an executive in the music industry Rebollo, who is 43, was founding partner and Vice President of independent music company Vale Music which specialized in EDM as well as TV formats such as Operación Triunfo, developing superstar artists such as David Bisbal and David Bustamante among others.  Vale Music was acquired by Universal Music Spain in 2006.

Rebollo began his career in his native Barcelona at independent music company Divucsa. He subsequently moved to BMG where he was responsible for marketing and promotion in the Catalonia region before being appointed managing director of independent EDM label Max Music in 1995. After joining Universal Music Spain in 2006 following the Vale Music acquisition he was promoted to Director of New Business and GTS for the company in 2010.

Jesús López said: “Narcis has a unique quality in our industry – he combines extensive experience in marketing and new business with expertise in management and booking which positions him within the Spanish market to be a genuine leader in the ongoing evolution of the music business that we are developing. Under his leadership and with the support of the great team of Universal Music Spain I’m convinced we will continue to grow our capacity to develop incredible artists and innovative new business models.”

Narcís Rebollo said:  “I want to thank Jesús López for his continued trust and support.  I’m looking forward to working with the brilliant team at Universal Music Spain in this exciting new role for me.”

Universal Music Spain is the leading music company in Spain, home to nationally and internationally successful artists including Alejandro Sanz, David Bisbal, Paulina Rubio, Manuel Carrasco, Antonio Orozco, David Bustamante, Antonio Carmona, Paco de Lucía and Miguel Poveda among others.

Keri-Lynn Wilson, the Canadian-born conductor who is married to the Metropolitan Opera manager, is about to become the first woman to conduct an opera at Tokyo’s New National Theatre.

Japan is not quite up to the pace in gender equality.

The opera Wilson is conducting is Madam Butterfly. Women today, she tells an interviewer, ‘generally do not sacrifice their lives to a man in the same way.’

The conductor has been talking to CNN about anti-gay politics:

I think it was seen internationally as a bad thing happening in Russia.  I think in Russia, the view was different.  The way people read this law is slightly different or sometimes very different.  First of all, I myself hate any form of discrimination. And as the head of an institution, it’s a big institution, we have more than 3,000 people working for the Mariinsky Theatre, I would never allow any sort of discrimination to take place.  But in Russia, I think it’s a very controversial issue.  And now, because of the Olympics coming very soon, everyone thinks of safety.  So I am sure it’s not the issue number one and number two, number three, safety, and very successful scenario for the Games, structurally and organizationally.  But I think not one sportsman or anyone who comes will be upset with it.  I simply can’t imagine anyone in Russia who wants to upset the world’s community during the Sochi Olympics or after or, of course, not before.  I myself question very much why the country needed something like this law.  And I didn’t even read it.  Honestly, I didn’t have time.  I only learned about this law when things started to happen that I heard about, people being against this happening in Russia.

And about Vladimir Putin:

I think a lot of people are wrong about President Putin.  That’s my view.  I am myself not a student, so I’m – I saw many, many people.  I met many heads of state.  I look at their policies or their actions better to say, especially toward culture.  Many of them are totally uninterested.  And I think President Putin belongs to a very small group of world leaders, a very small group, who thinks that this is actually very important.  And he would do something – he recently came to the rehearsal of the children’s chorus, rehearsal.  It was Christmas Day in Russia, basically.  The president, like all of us, has a right to simply be free, you know. He chose to be there with the kids who represented all regions of Russia.

Full interview here.

The conductor has lost both of her parents in the past two weeks. Both were respected professional musicians. Marin has asked Slipped Disc to share these messages with the music community.

Dear friends;

It is with great emotion that I share the news of my mother’s passing.  Kristin and I had a slumber party with her all night and after we served a big lunch, surrounded by friends and family, we sorted through old pictures near her bedside, laughing and sharing memories together.  Shortly after we finished my mother slipped away to a deeply peaceful rest.

She was courageous to the end, defying every single doctor’s expectations, living 5 times beyond their predictions…but would we have expected anything less?

Most importantly, in the end, she was truly at peace and had become the person and mother she had always wanted to be. Thank you all for loving my mother and for sharing her time on this planet.

with much love

Marin

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Saratoga Springs

Ruth Alsop – 82, passed away at home, surrounded by her family, on January 23rd. She was born on February 24th, 1931 in Melrose, Massachusetts, the daughter of the late William and Mary O’Neil Condell. She attended St. Mary’s Academy in Melrose, after which she attended Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart, where she received her Master’s degree in Music. She also attended the Yale School of Music, eventually moving to Colorado to further her study in music.

She was a cellist for 50+ years with the New York City Orchestra Ballet. She toured with Columbia Artists with the Gotham Trio. Ruth was also a cellist for the Radio City Music Hall and taught music at Brooklyn College and Potsdam University for many years. When the Statue of Liberty reopened, Ruth played with Frank Sinatra at the ceremonies. She owned Schoolhouse Antiques in Saratoga.

Ruth is survived by her daughter Marin Alsop and her Partner Kristin Jurkscheit of Baltimore, MD; Sisters M. Elaine Love of Saratoga Springs, NY., Clair Meuse of Wilton, ME., Nancy Green of Wakefield, MA; Beloved grandson, Auden Alsop, 11 nieces and nephews and many, great-nieces and nephews and adored friends. The family will hold a Tribute to Ruth’s amazing life later in the year.

Online condolences can be made at www.compassionatefuneralcare.com

Donations to the Alsop Family Foundation to further Ruth’s commitment to women in the arts can be made in lieu of flowers.

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