In a section of his Tass interview that appeared only in Russian, Valery Gergiev denies ever having signed a letter of support for Putin’s intervention in Crimea.
In March 2014, Gergiev says, he received a call from culture minister Vladimir Medinsky asking him where he stood on events in Crimea. Gergiev replied: People need to be rescued. Medinsky: Then you will sign a letter to Putin (seeking Russian intervention). Gergiev: I need to see the text first. He was never show the text but his name appeared at the head of the cultural signatories.
Russian text below.
Да вот так! В марте 2014-го позвонил Владимир Мединский: “Валерий Абисалович, как вы относитесь к событиям в Крыму?” Отвечаю: “Людей надо спасать”. Министр спросил: “Подпишете письмо к Путину?” Говорю: “Пришлите текст, должен прочесть”. И все, точка. Ничего мне не прислали, а через несколько часов узнаю из прессы, будто я едва ли не первый подписант…
The German music market has grown six percent so far this year.
Even more remarkable is that much of this growth is attributed to German popular artists – as distinct from American – who now command 73 percent of the German market, the highest on record.
A similar pattern has evolved in classical music, with David Garrett and Anne-Sophie Mutter (in that order) outselling all other violinists by miles in the German market.
Report here.
Is this the new Europe at work?
The Santander Orchestra was launched this morning at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice, southern Poland.
The conductors are Penderecki and the American, John Axelrod. Young talent is being recruited from academies across Poland.
Details here.
John Berry was snapped last night at the Metropolitan Opera, escorting Bette Midler to her seat.
photo (c) Slipped Disc
Much more fun than filling in Arts Council forms.
Rather than languishing in camps, Syrians in Bremen have found enough musicians in their midst to form an orchestra. The organiser is double bass player, Raed Jazbeh.
The Syrian Expat Phiharmonic Orchestra (Sepo) gives its first concert tonight, opening with Mendelssohn’s music from Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde, the homecoming from abroad.
TV report here.
We regret to report the death, at her Leith flat near Edinburgh, of the much recorded harpsichord player and organist Lucy Carolan.
A Cambridge scholar who went on to study with Gustav Leonhardt, she was an extremely private person with a wide range of musical connections. Lucy was 62 when she was found dead, on September 4.
The Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov has posted these relaxed pictures from Central Park with his much-loved colleague, who has been receiving cancer treatment.
Hvorostovsky will sing the opening performances of Il Trovatore on September 25 and 29 before returning to London to resume treatment.
Following on from the Danish orchestral fundraiser that we reported earlier, the conductor Nicolas Nebout is putting together a big concert for Syrian refugee children on 11 November at St James’s Piccadilly.
Programme:
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No.5
Gustav Mahler, Kindertotenlieder (soloist: Sarah Connolly)
Malek Jandali, Phoenix in Exile (World Premiere)
Book tickets here.
When Yannick Nézet-Séguin was just 23, a retired national politician called Jean-Pierre Goyer fired the conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal and named the young man his successor.
photo: scena.org
Goyer, who died in 2011, had been Solicitor General in Pierre Trudeau’s government, driving through an agenda of prison reform. He later chaired the arts council of Montreal and was president of its second orchestra when Yannick came to attention.
Now the city has founded a $125,000 Prix Goyer in his name ‘for Extreme Emerging Artist.’
The first winner is a pianist, Philip Chiu.
press release:
Montréal pianist Philip Chiu, heralded internationally for the brilliance of his playing and his infectious personality, is the winner of the $125,000 Prix Goyer 2015-2016 for Extreme Emerging Artist. Prix Goyer is the biggest prize in Canada and one of the largest in the world for an artist emerging in classical music.
The award is founded to honour Jean-Pierre Goyer and his contributions to music, arts and culture in Montréal, Québec and Canada. The prize was presented to Philip on Saturday at the Ensemble Caprice concert in Bourgie Hall, Montréal Museum of Fine Arts.
The Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra is giving a refugee aid concert on Wednesday at the DR hall in Copenhagen.
Viola player Katrine Bundgaard (pictured) tells Slipped Disc she has invited 104 refugees and arranged bus transport from the Sandholmlejren camp.
The programme is:
Sibelius: Karelia suite
Per Nørgård: Percussion concerto (‘For a change’)
Carl Nielsen: 3rd symphony, Espansiva.
Tickets here.
Go. I f you can’t go, give.
Last week, Karl Fenner had his instrument smashed at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia, just after he won an audition to play in the ASO.
Now we hear from Milton Masciadri, a teacher at the University of Georgia, that his doublebass has suffered the same horrible fate. Milton’s bass is, we hear, a beautiful Tessore.
Milton writes: ‘In my case they failed to put the restraining belt on the neck of the bass after inspection. This is the second instrument broken in three days….’
Someone needs to get a grip at the TSA. Meantime, don’t fly an instrument to Atlanta.
The Democratic Party’s socialist candidate has released a list of artists who are lending him support.
There are many musicians among them but only two who are even marginally classical – the film composer Hans Zimmer and the blues composer Corky Siegel.
Does this mean classical music USA has written off Bernie’s chances?
Would many UK classical musicians sign a Jeremy Corbyn list?
