The Pittsburgh music director started out as a viola player in the Vienna Philharmonic, where his young brother Rainer joined him as a front-desk violinist.

Manfred Honeck went on to make his name as an international conductor. Rainer rose swiftly in the Philharmonic to be its indispensable concertmaster. But does he perhaps have greater ambitions?

Last Friday, instead of leading Vienna in its New Year’s Day extravaganza, Rainer Honeck was conducting an orchestra in Wuppertal – albeit with his violin in hand, in case they needed tuning up.

rainer honeck

More here.

Opening the year on NBC’s Today program was Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, ‘the lightining baton  from Lithuania’. Mirga is one of three Dudamel associate conductors at the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

‘Am I one of the luckiest guys on the planet to watch this?’ cries NBC’s Harry Smith. Watch the segment here.

Or here.

We’ll be hearing a lot more of Mirga before the month is out.

Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla

The author, Bernd Weikl, was a 1970s fixture at Bayreuth, Salzburg and Covent Garden.

swastikas on stage

 

In Bernd’s own words:
The cover image linking Wagner and Hitler by no means reflects my own personal view. To the contrary, it symbolizes my objection to many productions in German theaters today, which are unfortunately even regularly supported by some authors and publicists in the press.
The aim of this book is to raise awareness and encourage protests on the part of the public. Wagner himself suggested a possible solution in Parsifal, at the end of Act III: “One weapon alone will serve: Only the spear that struck you can heal the wound.” 
I hope that the spear that is whetted by the contents of this book will raise awareness and motivate readers so that they, too, will act to help put an end to the destruction it describes.
Das Coverbild verbindet Wagner mit Hitler, gibt aber keinesfalls meine eigene Auffassung wieder. Ganz im Gegenteil soll es meine Kritik an zahlreichen deutschen Bühnenproduktionen symbolisieren, die noch dazu leider von einigen Autoren und durch Pressemeldungen regelmäßig gestützt werden.
Meine Absicht ist es, das Bewusstsein beim Leser, bei der Leserin zu wecken und die Öffentlichkeit damit zu Protesten zu ermutigen. Wagner selbst hat ein mögliches Vorgehen im „Parsifal“, Ende des dritten Aktes, angezeigt: „Nur eine Waffe taugt – die Wunde schließt Der Speer nur, der sie schlug!“
Ich hoffe, dass dieser Speer, der durch den Inhalt meines Buches geschärft ist, meine Leser sensibilisieren und motivieren kann, ebenfalls für ein Ende der hier geschilderten Zerstörung einzutreten.

The book is available from Books on Demand ISBN 978-3-86460-305-1

The 2016 Menuhin Competition has announced its longlists.

Three quarters of the contestants are female.

Even more shocking, there is only one male in the senior section, out of 22 entrants.

The world is topsy turvy.

Yehudi Menuhin in yoga position on his head with

 

Press release:The world’s leading Competition for young violinists announces its 44 competitors who will come to London in April 2016 to compete in the MENUHIN COMPETITION LONDON 2016. 2016 also celebrates founder Yehudi Menuhin’s centenary, and true to his vision for the Competition, the 44 come from across the globe – BUT surprisingly a staggering 36 out of the 44 competitors are GIRLS! Out of the 22 Seniors (under 22s) there is only 1 boy who was selected, and only 7 boys will compete against 15 girls in the Junior (under 16s) section of the MENUHIN COMPETITION LONDON 2016.

Past prizewinner and 2016 juror Tasmin Little OBE says: “I celebrate the fact that gender is no longer an issue in the world of violinists. I know my mentor Menuhin would also be delighted as, for him, the most important thing was always the music and the musician, and never their gender, colour, creed or nationality.”

The host city of London will be filled with world class music over the eleven day festival (7-17 April 2016) with internationally renowned soloists, major concerts with some of London’s best orchestras, world premieres, exhibitions, family concerts, masterclasses and outreach programmes – with the Competition at its heart.

The youngest competitor in 2016 is 10 year-old Singaporean Samuel Tan, who only started playing the violin at the age of 5 when he saw Elmo playing the violin on Sesame Street! Exciting news for 2016’s host city of London is that there are three British competitors: Louisa Staples (15), Juliette Roos (20) and Mathilde Milwidsky (21). Mathilde is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music, the Competition’s host conservatoire in London 2016. Louisa currently studies at Surrey’s The Yehudi Menuhin School, of which Juliette is a graduate. The Yehudi Menuhin School also has a young Japanese student through to the Juniors, 13 year-old Coco Tomita. These entrants are especially poignant as the MENUHIN COMPETITION and The Yehudi Menuhin School are two legacies that Menuhin lovingly set up to nurture young violinists. See below the full list of the 44 competitors.

Artistic Director Gordon Back says: “London will be the capital of the violin world in April with a festival of excellence for all to enjoy, celebrating all things Menuhin. The applications for London 2016 broke the Competition’s own record and the overall standard was the highest ever. I know Menuhin would have been proud to see and hear these 44 prodigies, as they step out onto the world stage in his centenary year.”

The world class jurors, including five past MENUHIN COMPETITION prizewinners*, will judge these exceptionally talented young violinists as they play the challenging set repertoire**. Showcasing every aspect of their talent as they compete for the coveted prizes**, the programme demands an extraordinary mix of classical performance – and also improvisation; something new for the Competition introduced by Gordon, as even Menuhin himself found “improv” difficult!

As a charitable trust, the 44 competitors are all invited to stay with Host Families in London – something Menuhin had always championed, so that the young violinists would experience a warm home life in the host city.

Here’s to the MENUHIN COMPETITION LONDON 2016.

Link to all photography INCLUDING 2016 COMPETITORS: here

 

MENUHIN COMPETITION LONDON 2016 – 22 x JUNIOR COMPETITORS

Matvei Bliumin Male 11 Russia
Olivia Chen Female 13 USA
Elli Choi Female 14 USA
Johan Dalene Male 15 Sweden
Marley Erickson Female 12 USA
Kristina Georgieva Female 14 Bulgaria
Klara Gronet Female 15 Poland
Ria Honda Female 15 Japan
Antoni Ingielewicz Male 14 Poland
Yeyeong Jin Female 12 South Korea
NaKyung Kang Female 12 South Korea
Byeol Kim Female 15 South Korea
Anne Luisa Kramb Female 15 Germany
EunSeo Lee Female 14 South Korea
Yesong Sophie Lee Female 12 USA
Hina Maeda Female 13 Japan
Kevin Miura Male 13 USA/Japan
Mahiru Moriyama Female 15 Japan
Michael Rosborg Germer Male 13 Denmark
Takumi Taguchi Male 14 USA/Japan
Samuel Tan Male 10 Singapore
Coco Tomita Female 13 Japan

MENUHIN COMPETITION LONDON 2016 – 22 x SENIOR COMPETITORS

Merve Birbir Female 18 Turkey
Qing Yu Chen Female 15 USA
Yu-Ting Chen Female 20 Taiwan
Larissa Cidlinsky Female 21 Germany
Asako Fukuda Female 19 Japan
Molin Han Female 15 China
Ziyu He Male 16 China
Ariel Horowitz Female 19 USA
Do Gyung (Anna) Im Female 18 South Korea
Yookyung Kang Female 19 South Korea
Jeein Kim Female 20 South Korea
Marie Isabel Kropfitsch Female 19 Austria
Nan Joo Lee Female 20 South Korea
Yoojin Lee Female 17 South Korea
Youjin Lee Female 20 South Korea
HyunJae Lim Female 18 South Korea
Mathilde Milwidsky Female 21 UK
Juliette Roos Female 20 UK
Louisa Staples Female 15 UK
Kelly Talim Female 20 USA
Belle Ting Female 15 Taiwan/Canada
Eva Zavaro Female 20 France

 

*MENUHIN COMPETITION LONDON 2016 – JURORS

Five of 2016’s nine jurors are former Menuhin Competition prizewinners and internationally acclaimed performers; testament to the difference the Competition can make to a young musician’s life. The jury of world class soloists is chaired by American violinist Pamela Frank; and former laureates on the jury are Julia Fischer, Ray Chen (who will also be the youngest ever juror of the Competition), Tasmin Little, Ning Feng and Joji Hattori. Menuhin’s son and pianist Jeremy Menuhin, Korean violinist Dong-Suk Kang and director of the Verbier Festival Martin Engstroem complete the line-up.

Gianandrea would, in many respects, have been an ideal music director for the New York Philharmonic.

He’s Italian (tick), well liked in Israel (tick) and worked with a large Irish community in Manchester (triple tick).

He’s also personable, technically accomplished, efficient in rehearsal and commanding a wide repertoire, ancient and modern, familiar and obscure.

So why did the NY Phil not grab him before Washington nailed his hands to the contract?

No obvious answer. Except that New York probably doesn’t know what it wants and, after six Alan Gilbert years, has forgotten what it needs.

 

Gianandrea-Noseda-thumb-315x209-18846

It’s tomorrow, and we haven’t bought him anything.

Quick lads, find a box.

Not that one, never going to be big enough.

Get a packing case. With his picture on it. Fill it with his recordings. All of them.

That’ll do.

 

brendel 85

Bloody hell, he’ll never be able to lift that on his own.

Call house management.

l-r: Paul Moseley, Managing Director, Decca Classics; Costa Pilavachi, SVP Artists and Repertoire Universal Global Classics; Barry Holden, VP Catalogue, Universal Global Classics

We hear that players in the National Symphony Orchestra have expressed a strong preference and the Kennedy Center president, Deborah Rutter, has got his signature on a contract.

The next music director, succeeding Christoph Eschenbach, will be… Gianandrea Noseda.

You read it here first.

The Italian is presently in New York, conducting Pearl Fishers at the Met. He is expected in Washington in the next few days to announce the appointment.

Noseda, 51, first made his mark as Gergiev’s house conductor at the Mariinsky in St Petersburg. He went on to the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester in 2002, adding the Teatro Regio Torino five years later.

He is principal guest conductor with the Israel Philharmonic and was a strong contender with the LSO, where he missed out to Simon Rattle. Over the past two years, his US reputation has risen fast and he was among the potential candidates for the New York Philharmonic.

Noseda is a terrific catch for DC: energetic, committed, smart and very experienced. Our informant says: ‘The orchestra couldn’t be more thrilled to know an exciting and probing conductor is going to lead them after chaotic, catastrophic, dull and messy period of Eschy……..’

i.1.gianandrea-noseda-teatro-regio-torino-maestro-vf

Gesualdo and Dutilleux apart, 2016 is not a great year for composer centenaries.

So step up Max Reger (1873-1916), a musician who can lull any non-German audience into instant torpor.

In Germany, however, he’s one of the greats.

His facial expression makes a wet Wenesday in Margate look enticing.

Max Reger at the

As for the music, this is probably his greatest hit… and the one great theme in it is not his.

 

christoph-eschenbach_c_jpg_681x349_crop_upscale_q95

The most expensive conductor in America has flown into Seoul to take over three concerts left open by Myung Whun Chung’s departure as music director of the Seoul Philharmonic.

Seoul is desperate and Eschy’s ever willing to talk terms.

 

This is weird but rather wonderful. The centennial of a Gallic composer will kick off in les pays de Galles.

Henri Dutilleux - portrait of French composer in his studio, Paris, October 2003. b. 22 January 1916 -

Cardiff University School of Music is collaborating with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales to mount a tribute to the internationally-acclaimed composer Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013).

A series of orchestral and chamber music concerts featuring Dutilleux’s music at St David’s Hall, Hoddinott Hall and Cardiff University Concert Hall starts on his centenary day of 22 January 2016 and continues into March.

Dr Caroline Rae, Reader at the School of Music, said: “Henri Dutilleux was among the greatest and most celebrated French composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Heir to the tradition of Debussy and Ravel, his music is characterised by that most French of attributes – magic of timbre.

“It is fitting that Dutilleux’s centenary will be celebrated in Cardiff as he had connections with the city. He was made an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University during his visit to the city in 2008 for the BBC Discovering Dutilleux Festival organised by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in collaboration with Cardiff University.”

Alongside the series of concerts, the School of Music will also host the Dutilleux Centenary Symposium and present a day of talks by eminent composers and scholars investigating Dutilleux’s music and legacy. Speakers include Eric Tanguy, Julian Anderson, Caroline Potter and Caroline Rae. The opening address will be presented by Her Excellency Madame Sylvie Bermann, Ambassador of France to the United Kingdom, will present the opening address. Admission to the Symposium is free.

Dutilleux’s music will also be featured daily on BBC Radio 3’s acclaimed Composer of the Week from 11 to 16 January 2016. Dutilleux scholars Caroline Rae and Caroline Potter join Donald Macleod in an investigation of his music.

 

Arts journalism was diminished today by Reuters’ decision to let Mike Roddy go.

Mike, whose title was Lifestyle and Entertainment Editor, gave serious coverage to the serious arts, interviewing composers, writers, conductors and directors – as well as the red-carpet run of celebs and starlets.

But the agency figured it doesn’t need such luxuries any more, and they can get the celeb stuff for free.

So Mike’s off home to Ireland and Reuters has declared itself brain dead.

The move follows Bloomberg’s decision to shut down its sophisticated arts section, Muse. Reuters’ other rivals, AP and AFP, do not employ an arts specialist.

reuters

Read Mike’s recent stories here.

The British baritone is dashing in to replace Alessio Arduini in the title role tomorrow and Friday.

There will be role debuts too for Adriana Kucerová as Rosina und Carole Wilson as Marzellina.

christopher maltman

Dashing, right?