Lincoln Center today sold the naming rights to its main concert hall for $100 million. The winning bidder is David Geffen, co-founder of Asylum Records and Dreamworks. Geffen has shown no previous interest in orchestral music.

Geffen said: ‘As a native New Yorker, I recognize that Lincoln Center is a beacon to artists and musicians around the world. To be involved with such a beloved and iconic institution is deeply satisfying.’

The announcement of David Geffen Hall comes days after a new chairman of Carnegie Hall, Ronald Perelman, called for more rock content in the venerable concert hall. The writing is on Manhattan’s walls.

david geffen

Our colleague Michael Johnson has written an extraordinarily fascinating piece about the tragic life and death of this great artist below. Click here to read.

SimonBarere

The theatre has introduced a wristband system for people queueing to buy tickets, its director Vladimir Urin announced. The idea is to stop large numbers of tickets leaking onto the black market. But from today anyone queuing for a ticket will have a so-called ‘bracelet’ snapped on them by security guards until the transaction is completed.

Sounds a little… forbidding.

edward snowden bolshoi

Here’s one lucky Bolshoi-goer who has kept out of handcuffs, so far.

 

 

The Leipzig Richard Wagner Foundation has given its annual Euro 10,000 award to Christian Thielemann. The prize goes to whichever musician or writer is thought to have done best for the old monster in the previous year.

thielemann sport1

The singer with the most roles in the history of opera has dropped one from his baritone register. Placido Domingo has pulled out of Il Trovatore in Berlin, La Scala and this summer’s Salzburg Festival, saying he can’t manage Count Luna again.

Salzburg has replaced him with Artur Ruciński, who stood in for Domingo last summer.

placido-domingo curtain

Details out this morning of the third Bristol Proms, a Universal-backed alternative to the BBC menu:

(press release)

Bristol Old Vic, 27th July – 1st August

Tickets on sale now from £5

 

The most innovative classical music festival in the UK – Bristol Proms – returns to Bristol Old Vic this July to bring together today’s leading musicians for imaginative and accessible performances of the highest creative standards.

 

Now in its third year, Bristol Proms has firmly established itself in the cultural calendar of Bristol and the UK as an unmissable opportunity to see world famous classical musicians perform in the exquisite environment of Bristol Old Vic, the oldest continuously open theatre in the UK.

 

For another year, the primary media partner for Bristol Proms is Classic FM.  The station will be based in Bristol all week, with presenters Tim Lihoreau, John Suchet, Anne-Marie Minhall and John Brunning broadcasting live from Bristol Old Vic. There will also be extensive online coverage of the festival at ClassicFM.com, including video interviews with all headline performers.

 

Bristol Proms 2015 will open in suitably bold and rousing style with the first performance anywhere of the winner of the Bristol Fanfare Competition, making Bristol the first city in the country to have its very own official fanfare. Commissioned by Bristol Proms, the fanfare is Bristol Proms’ very special gift to its home city to honour Bristol’s upcoming 800th birthday.

 

This year’s programme builds further on Bristol Proms’ growing reputation for giving leading artists the space and freedom to engage with audiences of all ages and all levels of experience of classical music. Demonstrating the popularity and distinctive appeal of Bristol Proms to artists as well as audiences, for many of this year’s performers their appearance at Bristol Proms 2015 marks a return visit.

 

Highlights of Bristol Proms 2015 include:

  • Miloš Karadaglić makes his Bristol Proms debut with ‘From Bach To The Beatles’, an intimate insight into the world’s most charismatic classical guitarist with a programme including a Bach Chaconne, Spanish classics, cool Latin music and brand new Beatles arrangements.
  • The UK’s top trumpeter Alison Balsom will headline Bristol Proms 2015’s Wednesday nightprogramme with a performance in which she will be accompanied by a quartet featuring two trumpets, a cello and a harpsichord.
  • Following her show stopping performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas by candlelight last year Pumeza Matshikiza returns for ‘My Life In Song’, a musical conversation and performance with Charles Hazelwood and his Bristol Proms Chamber Orchestra, including arias from Turandot, Carmen and Madam Butterfly, timeless South African folk songs and Pumeza’s own Xhosa poetry.
  • Violinist Daniel Hope who once more returns to Bristol Proms, this year performing with a hand-picked ensemble of five to play the story of the fierce rivalry between Tchaikovsky and Brahms.

 

A full list of confirmed performances for Bristol Proms 2015 is below. Further artists and special events will continue to be announced in the coming months, ensuring that Bristol Proms 2015 is the most successful yet, keeping alive the spirited and vivid traditions of the 18th and 19thcentury Proms held at Bristol Old Vic to bring exciting and accessible music to life with ticket prices starting at just £5.

 

Tom Morris, Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic: “Bristol Proms was imagined 3 years ago as a bold experiment to find ways to reintroduce classical music as an art form which touches the hearts of anyone who listens.  We’ll use any tactics: state of the art technologies to access music in different ways, live interactive evenings, or intimate performances in total darkness.  Nothing is out of bounds at Bristol Proms.  This year, we’re pushing this further – taking music into the city, schools and to the next generation of artists and audiences. All this alongside some of the world’s greatest living musicians in the magical setting of our historic theatre.”

 

Dickon Stainer, President of Global Classics, Universal Music Group, said: “Bristol Proms has become an essential fixture and a beloved event in the UK cultural calendar. The feedback we’ve seen from our artists has been incredibly positive, demonstrating amply that Bristol Proms truly is something special. Bristol Proms is a wonderful festival for classical artists and classical music and I congratulate Tom Morris, Ingrid Sutej and the U-live team on another outstanding programme.”

 

Sam Jackson, Managing Editor, Classic FM, said: “Once again, Classic FM will play a central role in Bristol Proms. This world-class festival shares our vision and passion to make classical music available to everyone and we look forward to broadcasting live from Bristol Old Vic in July.”

 

Bristol Proms 2015 runs from 27th July to 1st August and features some of the world’s finest musicians including Alison Balsom, Miloš Karadaglić, Pumeza Matshikiza and Daniel Hope. More details of Bristol Proms 2015 can be found at:  www.bristolproms.com.

 

BRISTOL PROMS 2015 CONFIRMED PERFORMANCES

 

Monday 27th July

 

DANIEL HOPE: TCHAIKOVSKY VS BRAHMS

 

Mr Bristol Proms returns to play the story of the fierce rivalry between two musical giants of the 19th century Tchaikovsky and Brahms. The programme for this intimate performance will include Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence and Brahms’ String Quintet Opus 111, heard in the context of an ideological war that went to the heart of the romantic movement.

 

Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm

 

SACCONI QUARTET: BEETHOVEN’S OPUS 131 IN THE DARK

 

Continuing Bristol Proms tradition of kicking off the week with an intense auditory indulgence, the Sacconi Quartet perform Beethoven’s dramatic Opus 131 from memory in the dark and the half-light.

 

Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6.45pm

 

JON JAMES: BEETHOVEN UNWRAPPED


Bristol Proms associate Jonathan James returns to deliver six talks in the Bristol Old Vic Studio, exploring the beauty and secrets of this year’s programme and providing fascinating insights into the worlds of music and artistry for both newcomers and aficionados alike.

 

Bristol Old Vic Studio: 5.45pm

 

Tuesday 28th July

 

PUMEZA: MY LIFE IN SONG

 

An emotional journey through the unique musical life of the virtuoso soprano Pumeza Matshikiza.  Reflecting upon her South African roots Pumeza will share her folk music heritage as well as launch into the operatic repertoire that made her famous.  Pumeza will be joined by her early collaborator Charles Hazlewood and his Bristol Proms Chamber Orchestra. The programme will include arias from Turandot, Carmen and Madam Butterfly as well as timeless South African folk songs such as O Lili Lili Ha Lulu and Pumeza’s own Xhosa poetry.

 

Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm

 

JON JAMES: A HISTORY OF CLASSICAL MUSIC IN 60 MINS

 

Fascinating insights for newcomers and the initiated.

 

Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6pm

 

Wednesday 29th July

 

LATE NIGHT TRUMPET WITH ALISON BALSOM

 

A late evening of immersive trumpetry, conceived by Alison Balsom and Adam Wright, featuring the music of Franceschini, Bach, Handel, Britten and Stravinsky and played on up to a dozen trumpets with harpsichord & cello continuo.

 

Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 9.30pm

 

PURE MINIMALIST BAROQUE: HAKON AND MARI SAMUELSEN WITH SINFONIA CYMRU

 

The new embaces the old in this astonishing programme interweaving the pure melodic structure of Bach with the intricate patterns of Philip Glass and Giovanni Sollima.  The evening is conceived by the meteoric Samuelsen siblings from Norway, accompanied by the virtuosic young talent of Sinfonia Cymru.

 

Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm

 

JON JAMES: PATTERNS IN MUSIC

 

Fascinating insights for newcomers and the initiated.

 

Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6pm

 

Thursday 30th July

 

ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT: THE NIGHT SHIFT

 

The Night Shift comes to Bristol Proms for the very first time. Two 30 minute sets from the musicians of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment featuring the music of one of England’s finest composers – Henry Purcell. This is music that’ll make your feet tap, stir your soul and touch your emotions, and importantly also accompanies a nice ale very well – Henry was after all, a great fan of the pub. It’s all set inside the Bristol Old Vic’s atmospheric Paintshop which will be transformed into a cabaret club complete with its own bar.

 

Bristol Old Vic Paintshop: 9.45pm

 

Friday 31st July

 

MILOŠ KARADAGLIĆ: FROM BACH TO THE BEATLES

 

A unique insight into the process, journey and musical passions of the world’s most charismatic classical guitarist, Miloš Karadaglić. The programme for this very special performance will include Spanish classics, cool Latin, a Bach Chaconne plus a brand new Beatles arrangement.

 

Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm

 

JON JAMES: THE STORY OF THE GUITAR, FROM MANDOLIN TO STRATOCASTER

 

Fascinating insights for newcomers and the initiated.

 

Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6pm

 

Saturday 1st August

 

THE EREBUS ENSEMBLE: SONGS OF HOPE – IN 40 VOICES

 

The grand finale performance of Bristol Proms 2015 is a luscious experiment in surround-sound choral music inspired by the revolutionary polyphonic Tallis piece Spem in Alium (Hope in Any Other) for 40 voices: composed in an age where 4 or 5 voices was the norm. The Erebus Ensemble return to wrap the audience in rousing polyphony and alongside the magnificent ancient songs of Tallis and Striggio the programme will feature brand new commissions composed especially for this evening and this unique surround-sound experience.

 

Bristol Old Vic Theatre: 7.30pm

 

JON JAMES:

 

Fascinating insights for newcomers and the initiated.

 

Bristol Old Vic Studio: 6pm

 

JOHN RUTTER:  IN CONVERSATION WTH JOHN SUCHET.

 

In the year of his seventieth birthday, the great British choral Composer John Rutter will select some of the pieces of music which have most inspired him, and some of his own compositions which now seem to him the cornerstones and turning points of an extraordinary career in composition.

 

Interviewed and hosted by the great musical wit and raconteur John Suchet, and resented in association with Classic FM.

 

alison balsom pop up

The list has just been released by Carnegie Hall:

NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
2015 Orchestra Roster

* Returning 2013 or 2014 NYO-USA member
** New state / territory represented in 2015 NYO-USA

Alabama  
Presley Ready, Bassoon (Spanish Fort) 
   
Arizona  
Bobby Nunes, Oboe (Mesa)
Kip Zimmerman, Oboe (Tucson)
   
Arkansas  
Madison Moline, Viola (Conway)
California  
Matthew Chow, Violin (Los Altos)*
Celia Daggy, Viola (Santa Monica)
Janice Gho, Bass (Cupertino)*
Mya Greene, Viola (Los Angeles)*
Minku Lee, Cello (Palo Alto)
Adrian Lin, Timpani/Percussion (Cupertino)*
Shira Samuels-Shragg, Conducting Apprentice (Los Angeles)
Sarah Sukardi, Viola (Irvine)
Helen Wu, Violin (Saratoga)*
 
Colorado  
Andrew Burgan, Violin (Boulder)*
   
Connecticut  
Isabella Palacpac, Cello (Wilton)
   
Florida  
Jason Arevalo, Violin (Miami)*
Annabel Chyung, Violin (Miami)*
Alejandro Lombo, Flute (Miramar)*
Mark J. Trotter, Horn (Seminole)
 
Georgia
Nathan Hung, Viola (Peachtree City)*
Andrew Koonce, Violin (Atlanta)
Nick Pelletier, Viola (Duluth)
   
Hawaii  
Kisa Uradomo, Violin (Kula)
 
Illinois  
Torin Bakke, Clarinet (Buffalo Grove)*
Anthony Brattoli, Tuba (Tinley Park)
Ethan Clemmitt, Tuba (Wilmette)
Karen Dai, Timpani/Percussion (Chicago)*
Chris Gao, Cello (Long Grove)
Nivanthi Karunaratne, Horn (Gurnee)*
Jack McCammon, Horn (Naperville)*
Benjamin Smelser, Trombone (DeKalb)
Nhyta Taguchi, Orchestra Library Apprentice (Chicago)
James Vaughen, Trumpet (Champaign)
   
Kansas  
Ashley Dinakar, Violin (Prairie Village)*
   
Louisiana  
Jud Mitchell, Bass (New Orleans)
 
Maine**  
Seoyeon Kim, Violin (Falmouth)
   
Maryland  
Raymond Lin, Cello (Gaithersburg)
Eileen Moudou, Violin (Potomac)
Ethan Shrier, Trombone (Potomac)
 
Massachusetts  
Henri Bouchard, Violin (Ayer)
Christopher Laven, Bass (Wayland)
Evan Wood, Cello (Boston)*
   
Michigan  
Sarah Seungmin Han, Clarinet (Interlochen)
Brent Proseus, Trumpet (Rockford)
   
Minnesota  
Sarrah Bushara, Oboe (Eden Prairie)
Brandon Duffy, Violin (Lino Lakes)
Arjun Ganguly, Viola (St. Cloud)*
Emma Richman, Violin (Minneapolis)*
   
Mississippi  
Julia Kirk, Violin (Jackson)*
 
Missouri  
Aleksis Martin, Clarinet (St. Louis)
Grant Riew, Cello (St. Louis)
Ryan Wahidi, Double Bass (Creve Coeur)
Montana  
Rosie Weiss, Violin (Billings)*
Nevada  
Corbin Krebs, Bassoon (Las Vegas)
 
New Hampshire  
Claire Walter, Violin (Keene)*
   
New Jersey  
Matthew Gajda, Trumpet (Mahwah)*
David Kim, Cello (East Brunswick)
Markus Lang, Double Bass (Allentown)
James Lin, Violin (Bridgewater)*
Soyeong Park, Violin (Princeton Junction)*
Evan Pasternak, Violin (Scotch Plains)*
Samuel Wang, Violin (Medford)*
Katy Wong, Harp (Ridgewood)
Amy Zhang, Viola (Princeton)*
   
New York  
Taylor Abbitt, Bass (Malta)
Sofia Checa, Cello (Dobbs Ferry)
Eli Holmes, Bassoon (Vestal)
Jasmine Lavariega, Horn (Astoria)
Laura Michael, Oboe (New York)
Faith Pak, Viola (Auburndale)*
Phillip Solomon, Clarinet (Montrose)*
Michael Stevens, Horn (East Islip)
Martine Thomas, Viola (Rochester)*
Christopher Vazan, Conducting Apprentice (Woodside)
Austin Wang, Violin (Douglaston)
Yibiao Wang, Flute (Flushing)
Helen K. Wong, Violin (Rochester)*
   
North Carolina  
Gordon Ma, Violin (Cary)*
 
Ohio  
Marguerite Cox, Bass (Hudson)
Joshua Elmore, Bassoon (Shaker Heights)
Paul Schubert, Cello (Enon)
Henry Shapard, Cello (Cleveland Heights)
Grant Zempolich, Cello (Shaker Heights)*
Ashley Zendarski, Violin (Twinsburg)
   
Oklahoma  
Ben Lanners, Cello (Stillwater)
Kevie Yu, Violin (Edmond)*
   
Oregon  
Fumika Mizuno, Violin (Tigard)
   
Pennsylvania  
Sein An, Violin (West Chester)
Tim Crouch, Viola (Swarthmore)
Neil Goh, Violin (North Wales)
Jason C.S. Vassiliou, Violin (Berwyn)
   
Rhode Island**  
William Yao, Violin (Barrington)
   
South Carolina  
Aaron Albert, Bass Trombone (Greenville)
Daniel H. Murray, Bass (Columbia)*
 
South Dakota  
Emera Gurath, Violin (Sioux Falls)
 
Texas  
David Alexander, Horn (Houston)
Hannah Burnett, Viola (Waco)
Michael Langford, Viola (Plano)
Isaiah Obey, Flute (Fort Worth)
Adam Phan, Harp (Dallas)
Mei Stone, Flute (Waco)
Shan Su, Viola (Richardson)*
Lincoln Valdez, Trumpet (Austin)*
Andres Vela, Bass (Edinburg)
Jason Wang, Violin (Keller)
   
Virginia  
Alex Arshadi, Timpani/Percussion (Reston)
Stephen Tang, Violin (Virginia Beach)*
 
Washington  
Evan Falls Hjort, Violin (Fall City)
Bronwyn James, Violin (Seattle)*
Evan Johanson, Violin (Seattle)
Tommy Lin, Bass (Sammamish)
Nolan Welch, Orchestra Management Apprentice (Olympia)
 
West Virginia**
Pete Nichols, Timpani/Percussion (Nitro)
Wisconsin  
Tanner Tanyeri, Timpani/Percussion (Madison)


NYO-USA China Tour—Summer 2015

July 10 Purchase, NY Performing Arts Center, Purchase College, SUNY
July 11 New York, NY Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
July 15 Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts
July 17 Shanghai Shanghai Oriental Art Center
July 19 Suzhou Suzhou Cultural and Arts Centre
July 21 Xi’an Xi’an Concert Hall
July 23 Shenzhen Shenzhen Concert Hall
July 24 Guangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall
July 26 Hong Kong Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Some time in the mid-1980s, I noticed that it had been nine months since the London  Symphony Orchestra last saw its music director. Claudio Abbado had taken a short sabbatical to study Mahler’s ninth symphony and then got too busy with other engagements to attend to his London job.

I wrote a piece about his absence in the Sunday Times. Questions were asked at the Arts Council and a certain discomfort was felt at the long absence. Abbado’s contract was not renewed (apparently on his volition since he could not bear working in the dull acoustic of the Barbican Centre). Small storm, quickly over.

Few music directors ever live in London. Most choose London as a convenient landing-point between other commitments. No one is much bothered where the Philharmonia or LPO conductor happens to be.

But the LSO is not any other London orchestra. It is the oldest, the benchmark, the defining London orchestra. It is the city’s swagger band, its trophy orchestra, always giving of its best when the chief is a genuine Londoner. Andre Previn lived in Surrey when he was in charge. Colin Davis was at home in Islington. The LSO was at home with itself.

rattle screen grab

 

 

Now, after the fleeting visits of Valery Gergiev, the orchestra needed and deserved a conductor who was in London, of London, with London. Simon Rattle, a Liverpudlian, spent the early part of his career talking up the merits of other UK cities at the expense of London. He maintained a home in the capital for a few years, but he has never been a Londoner. Lately, he  has gone on the record to say that his home and heart are now in Berlin.

When Rattle was voted chief of the Berlin Philharmonic, he announced at once that he would move to Berlin and master the German language (for the record, he still rehearses in English). Today, as the new chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, he will conduct its affairs from Berlin.

It’s hard to acclaim the Rattle succession with full-throated joy when he won’t be living in our midst.

Frank’s will shut on Friday, the WSJ reports.

That’s all folks.

It could be a question of attitude. One regular customer tells us: ‘I never liked Franks personally—-you are not permitted to browse, and must request what you want from the shopkeeper.’

 

frank music

Following my Standpoint essay on the Berlin Philharmonic elections, I put three questions to the orchestra’s co-chairmen,  Peter Riegelbauer and Ulrich Knörzer as they faced the press in Berlin. Slipped Disc’s questions:

1 Can you confirm no women are being considered? If not, why not?

2 A simple majority will be enough, right? If the orch splits 62-61, is there a plan for accommodating the ‘loser’?

3 All candidates will have given prior agreement to being considered. If the first-choice candidate declines the post (see my current Standpoint essay), will the players turn to the one with the next highest votes?

Berlin Phil replies below.

 

berlin philharmonie beethoven 9

1.       “The first round of the election is open to any living conductor (female or male). If the first round of election (on 11th May) will have no result, there will be a shortlist created for the second round on the basis of the results from the first round. We don’t know yet, how many people will be in this list (depends on the number of votes).”

2.       “There will be 124 musicians with tenure eligible to vote. The new Artistic Director must have a clear majority in order to be considered elected. We will not announce exact figures either prior to or following the election.”

3.       “The newly elected Artistic Director will be informed of her or his election immediately after the votes are counted and may then accept or decline the election. Should the person chosen decline the election, subsequent action (further voting or fixing a date for a new election) must be agreed upon in the orchestra assembly. No list of potential candidates for the position of Artistic Director (a so-called shortlist) will be drawn up before 11 May 2015, and no one will be called/asked whether she or he is available as a candidate prior to the election.”

Chi-chi Nwanoku informs us of the death, aged 85 and sadly without fame, of Arthur Labrew, the great recorder of black history in western classical music. Arthur was most widely known for his work on the origins of Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata (originally written for George Bridgetower), but he retrieved many other players of colour from undeserved obscurity and never received the recognition he craved in his hometown, Detroit. For a full account of his achievements, read here.

 

arthur labrew

Eric Lu, 17, a Curtis student of Jonathan Biss and Robert McDonald, took first prize at the Ninth National Chopin Piano Competition Sunday at Miami-Dade County Auditorium, SFCR reports. Details here.

 

Eric-Lu_Photo-2-390x584