tiger piano

A rare, decorated Hamburg Steinway with hand-painted art scenes has turned up in in Connecticut.

Catch a minute of it here:

Lucinda Carver lost part of her middle finger to a defective restroom door in a movie theatre.

She has successfully sued the theatre owners and, her lawyers say, ‘will never regain the full use of her left middle finger and will have permanent pain and numbness in that area.’

The settlement has not been disclosed. Aside from pianism, Lucinda has been music director of the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra and has conducted at Wolf Trap, BAM and other festivals. She is vice dean at USC Thornton.

Do be careful out there.

lucinda carver

 

from our correspondent Rudolf Tang:

Chinese conductor Xu Zhong has been named General Director of Shanghai Opera House. The news was announced today at a press conference. The appointment comes six months after he was appointed Principal Director of the Fondazione Arena di Verona in Italy.

General Director is a Chinese style position widely adopted among opera houses with the functions of an Intendant and a GMD combined. Mr Xu succeeds Mr Wei Song, the famed tenor who stepped down last October. His contract lasts for three years in addition to one year designate. According to the contract, Mr Xu is expected to work 8 months a year in the house.

The Shanghai Opera House is an important music establishment which are currently celebrating its diamond Jubilee this year with a new production of La traviata conducted by Zhang Guoyong and directed by Yi Liming. It has been involved in the new productions of La boheme of Salzburg Festival in 2012 and Verdi’s Attila in a co-production with
Palace of Arts Budapest in 2013.

Though called a House, the Shanghai Opera House is an opera company that performs regularly in its loosely affiliated venues in Shanghai like Lyceum Theatre, Shanghai Concert Hall and Shanghai Grand Theatre. Through years of lobbying, the coming Shanghai Grand Opera House, a 97,000-square-metres opera house with ultra-modern facilities standing on the East side of Huangpu River, will be unveiled by 2020 as the permanent base of the Shanghai Opera House. Local authority hopes that with the completion of the House, Shanghai by then will be on par with Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts.

xu zhon verona

 

It comes from The Opera Company of Brooklyn in a round-robin email this morning.

Slogan: Feel it deep inside, up-close and personal!

opera co brooklyn

 

YOU DESERVE SO MUCH MORE;
FEEL IT DEEP INSIDE, UP-CLOSE & PERSONAL!


GENERAL INFORMATION
OCB is at the northern tip of Manhattan on Inwood Hill Park at Muscota Marsh, located north of The Cloisters and northwest of the Dyckman House at 33 Indian Road or 600 West 218th Street, 1G, NY, NY 10034. The OCB Original BYOB Opera Venue overlooks Manhattan’s last natural forest and salt marsh, Spuyten Duyvil Creek, The Harlem River and The Henry Hudson Bridge. It is a beautiful, quiet, safe area, across from Columbia University’s football stadium and boathouse. “Take the A train” to 207 or 1 train to 215.  Shows start at 7PM and dress is extremely casual. Indicate the opera/s; bring ID’s. For security, all reservations must be made online. Contribute to OCB via PayPal or credit cards.

The Crown Prosecution Service have dropped all charges against the violin teacher Wen Zhou Li after it was found that his accuser had made allegations against another teacher, who was not prosecuted.

Wen Zhou Li, 61, had been charged with rape and indecent assault of a teenage girl at Chetham’s School of Music in the 1990s. He denied the charges and was due to face trial later this year.

The violin teacher, who also taught at the Royal Northern College of Music, was told that he left court without a stain on his character, free to resume his career. He faces heavy legal costs.

BBC report here.

wen zhou li

The dismissal of charges against Wen Zhou Li brings to an end the three-year police investigation of sexual impropriety at Chetham’s and the RNCM in the 1990s. The case brought about the conviction of chorus director Mike Brewer and his ex-wife, Hilary, along with the conducting teacher Nicholas Smith.

The Brewers’ victim Frances Andrade took her own life during the trial. A violin teacher, Chris Ling, shot himself as California police arrived with an extradition warrant. Another violin teacher, Malcolm Layfield, was acquitted of rape.

 

 

 

From a Slipped Disc reader, Jane G:

Going to the Met is not a pleasant experience – plain and simple. Having to have my Patron’s card scanned when I go into the lounge because “Mr. Gelb wants statistics” feels ungracious and unappreciative. Carnegie Hall manages these things much better – and they give free nibbles. For a multi-thousand dollar annual contribution, they can afford to be a little gracious.

The singing last night in ROBERTO DEVEREUX was superb. Outstanding. Spectacular. And there were rows of empty seats around me (in the Dress Circle). I felt like a chump for paying over $125 for my seat.

I’m finally throwing in the towel. As someone involved with Opera America, as well as President of the Board of a small and very successful opera company, and an advisor for 3 other small companies, if I am finally throwing in the the towel, the Met has much bigger problems than most choose to realize.

Via conversations in the Patron’s Lounge, I know that I’m far from the only one who is finding the Met Experience ungracious, often boring, and definitely not fun.

As an interesting aside, many of these high level donors are pretty much telling Mr. Gelb that he can keep his $14. sandwiches. At least 1/4 of the people in the lounge are brown-bagging lunch for Saturday matinée performances.

The only time I ever hear from the Met is when the want more money. It felt very good to tell the woman who called last week, “No. I’m not renewing.” She replied, “But, we NEED your support.” I replied, “You haven’t EARNED it!”

See full comment here.

met seats

We hear that Alexander Rahbari will resume his duties as music director of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra after resolving his differences with the authorities. Rahbari quit three weeks ago.

The Ministry of Culture should be confirming the Orchestra’s new contract and Rahbari’s continuation in a public announcement early next week.

Rahbari has re-instated their trip to China next month and their opening of the Bruckner Festival in Linz.

UPDATE: We heard initially that they had agreed to pay the musicians by some means other than the discredited Roudaki Foundation.

However, it now appears the Roudaki will continue as paymaster. Watch that swing door.

Ali-Rahbari-returns-to-Tehran

The president of Rio’s opera house has been forced to make deep cuts due to the economic crisis. Here’s his statement:

Important information:

Due to the grave economic situation of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Teatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro was obliged to make alterations in its season of opera, ballet, and concerts.

The opera “Don Quixote”, by Massenet, in April, will performed, as will the concerts including the “Requiem” by Verdi (30 April), and Hommage to Radamés Gnattali (May 7).

The opera “La Bohème”, by Puccini, in May, will be presented in concert form. “Orfeo e Eurídice”, by Gluck, in July, will be retained without alterations, but the opera “Barber of Seville”, by Rossini, planned for September, will be cancelled.

The program Ópera+Ballet, which includes “Mozart & Salieri” and “Sheherazade”, by Rimsky-Korsakov, in September/October, will be done, along with the operas “Lo Schiavo”, by Carlos Gomes”, and “Jenufa”, by Leos Janacek, in October and November. The chamber operas, which already were to be presented in concert form, will be retained. The ballet “La Sylphide”, in June, will be replaced by another title, TBA.

To be retained is the ballet “Trilogia Amazônica”, with music by Villa-Lobos and new choreographies commissioned especially for the spectacle, to be presented during the Olympics. Along with the ballet “Sheherazade”, mentioned above, we will have the traditional “Nutcracker”, with choreography by Dalal Ashcar on music by Tchaikovsky, in December. … Our goal is to keep the Theatro Municipal functioning, and its programming as close as possible to what was announced last year, in spite of the immense financial difficulties that we are facing.

We continue to seek new funds with private initiative and donors, through federal and state laws supporting culture. And we always count on the support and presence of our beloved public. Obrigado. João Guilherme Ripper Presidente Fundação Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro

Mr Ripper is, inter alia, a distinguished composer.

rio teatro-municipal

Informação importante: Devido à grave situação econômica do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, o Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro foi obrigado a fazer alterações em sua temporada de ópera, balés e concertos. A ópera “Don Quixote”, de Massenet, em abril, será realizada, assim como os concertos que trazem o “Requiem”, de Verdi (30 de abril), e Homenagem a Radamés Gnattali (7 de maio). A ópera “La Bohème”, de Puccini, em maio, será apresentada em forma de concerto. “Orfeu e Eurídice”, de Gluck, em julho, está mantida sem alterações, mas a ópera “Barbeiro de Sevilha”, de Rossini, prevista para setembro, será cancelada. O programa Ópera+Ballet, que traz “Mozart & Salieri” e “Sheherazade”, de Rimsky-Korsakov, em setembro/outubro, será realizado, assim como as óperas “Lo Schiavo”, de Carlos Gomes”, e “Jenufa”, de Leo Janacek, em outubro e novembro. As óperas de câmara, que já seriam apresentadas em forma de concerto, estão mantidas. O ballet “La Sylphide”, em junho, será substituído por outro título que será anunciado em breve. Está mantido o ballet “Trilogia Amazônica”, com música de Villa-Lobos e novas coreografias encomendadas especialmente para o espetáculo, a ser apresentado durante os Jogos Olímpicos. Além do ballet “Sheherazade”, mencionado acima, teremos o tradicional “Quebra-Nozes”, com coreografia de Dalal Ashcar sobre música de Tchaikovsky, em dezembro. Entraremos em contato com os assinantes para informar com será o ressarcimento dos títulos cancelados, deixando a opção de manter o ingresso para os títulos substituídos ou para óperas que passarão a ser apresentadas em forma de concerto. Nosso objetivo é manter o Theatro Municipal em funcionamento e sua programação o mais próximo possível do que foi anunciado no ano passado, a despeito das imensas dificuldades financeiras que estamos enfrentando. Continuamos a buscar novos recursos junto à iniciativa privada e doadores, através das leis federal e estadual de incentivo à cultura. E contamos sempre com o apoio e a presença do nosso querido público. Obrigado. João Guilherme Ripper Presidente Fundação Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro

The film director Wim Wenders was supposed to have staged the Wagner centennial Ring at Bayreuth in 2013. But he fell out with Katie two years earlier and nothing came of it.

Now, ‘after a long flirtation‘, Wenders has agreed to stage Bizet’s Pearl Fishers for Barenboim in Berlin next year.

He’s 70 years old and it will be his first opera.

wim wenders

A bit like Woody Allen in LA.

 

The BBC has published an important report this morning, showing that 343 public libraries have closed in the past six years, three times higher than Government estimates. Another 111 will close this year.

Many of those that remain are staffed by volunteers.

A Government minister, Ed Vaizey, has tweeted in response: ‘Pleased that over 99% of public libraries in England will have free wifi following £2.7m of DCM investment.’

Which is neither here nor there.

Many of us derived our basic literary knowledge by borrowing books from public libraries and our musical appreciation by borrowing classical records and scores.

Simon Rattle has spoken often about the importance of public libraries to his personal development.

So: Do UK libraries still curate and loan out classical recordings?

record collection

 

There are surprises in store on the Lebrecht Album of the Week:

Viennese masters, always short of cash, picked up commissions from rich British tourists for composing drawing-room settings of national heritage. Haydn and Beethoven filled their boots with Scottish and Welsh ballads for two ducats a song. Haydn wrote about 200, dressed up with piano, violin and cello accompaniments. Easy money.

The first surprise in this absorbing recital by Christian Gerhaher is that he sings the Haydn ditties in German, in a 1920s translation….

Read on here.

haydn-quartet-243x180

 

Fort Worth Opera will stage the world premiere of JFK: The Opera on April 23.

Our pal Shawn E Milnes has been talking to the composer.

David T. Little told him: ‘There’s no way the story cannot be about the assassination, but that’s different than making about ‘Who Killed Kennedy’ which this is not. It’s a much bigger thing…. In the case of JFK we’re really approaching a sort of seismic shift in culture and American history where there was America before the assassination and America after the assassination, and that’s how we tried to approach the piece.’

Full article here.

Could this be the next Hamilton?

kennedy_center_jfk_bust_front