Oliver Knussen issued the following diatribe last night at the Ivor Novello awards:

‘Some of us who write music today, we don’t write very far out music, we don’t write very populist music, we write what we believe in and to communicate a vision.

‘There are an extraordinary number of incredibly gifted young composers … please BBC don’t relegate all of us to a two-hour slot that you seem to regard as a place to put pond life.

‘Our music is to be used, we write it for us and sometimes it’s a little prickly but some very nice things are prickly, I’ve heard.’

The inaugural winners of the University of Michigan’s Chamber Arts Competition are the Calidore String Quartet.

The quartet, average age 27, beat four saxophonists and a piano-percussion foursome in the final.

Players: Jeffrey Myers; Ryan Meehan; Jeremy Berry; Estelle Choi.

It’s a thorny tax question. If a maestro’s main job is with one orchestra, can he be considered freelance for the purposes of claiming peripheral expenses against tax?

The case was fought out yesterday in a Dresden court between Philharmonic music director Michael Sanderling and the local taxman.

Maestro won.

(Between fuzzy lines.)

Read here.

At noon today, players from the European Union Youth Orchestra, past and present, will join musicians from other youth and professional orchestras in a protest against the EU’s decision to end funding for its youth orchestra.

The idea is to let music sound out against a wall of Brussels silence.

Venue: Festival Terrace, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London.

Be there if you can.

Video message from the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, with Andras Schiff:

No reviews yet of last night’s Lohengrin in Dresden, but the ovations lasted 15 minutes and first social media murmurings suggest that Anna Netrebko’s Elsa, to Piotr’s Beczala’s Lohengrin, was the stuff of dreams.

Irene Jordan, who opened the 1947 Met season as Lakmé before upgrading to coloratura soprano, has died in Dalton MA at the great age of 97.

Before she even won her Met debut she was spotted by NBC and awarded her own weekly show, Songs by Irene.

Leonard Bernstein nominated her in 1961 as one of the Top Ten American Performing Artists.

She went on to marry Arnold Caplan, a first violinist in the Metropolitan Opera orchestra, and have four children.

Apparently, he will be working with a specialist classical chief, whose appointment will be announced shortly. The vacancy arose as a result of Elizabeth Sobol’s departure (for those are keeping score). The other point to note is that classics will be run out of New York, not LA. Anyway, here’re the press release that’s about to hit Billboard:

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP FORMS VERVE LABEL GROUP

 Veteran Industry Executive Danny Bennett Named President & CEO

New Structure Reflects Deepened Commitment To Jazz and Classical Music

SANTA MONICA, May 19, 2016 – Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, today announced the formation of the Verve Label Group and appointed veteran industry executive Danny Bennett, a Grammy and Emmy Award-winning music, film and television producer, and long-time manager of his father, legendary singer Tony Bennett, as the label group’s President & CEO, effective immediately. 

The Verve Label Group will be comprised of Verve and UMG’s U.S. classical music labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Records, Decca Classics, Mercury Classics, and distributed label ECM. The new structure marks UMG’s continued investment in jazz and classical music and the company’s unwavering commitment to building upon its rich history in both genres, while also opening up new opportunities, developing global cross-over artists and delivering innovative jazz and classical experiences to fans.  The jazz and classical labels will maintain distinct A&R, marketing and promotions teams, while also leveraging UMG’s global reach to provide artists with deep resources and expertise to develop their careers.

Under Bennett’s leadership, Verve will relocate to New York, where the label was originally founded 60 years ago as home to jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Stan Getz and Billie Holiday. With his proven strategic marketing skills, Bennett will expand the awareness and reach of UMG’s historic jazz and classical catalogue, and develop and promote emerging artists on a global scale.

Bennett will report to Michele Anthony, Executive Vice President of UMG. Bennett and Dickon Stainer, President and CEO of Global Classics for Universal Music Group, will announce shortly a President of Verve Label Group’s classical music labels.

David Foster, one of the most successful record producers in history, who led the Verve label since 2012, has decided to return full-time to producing, and will continue to work closely with UMG’s labels and artists. Foster is currently producing albums for UMG artists Carla Bruni and Jordan Smith.  

In making the announcement, Michele Anthony said, “By forming the Verve Label Group and attracting an industry veteran of Danny’s stature and expertise, Universal Music is making a strong statement about the high value we place on building on our robust jazz and classical repertoire. We are committed to growing our presence in these genres even further and creating crossover successes that deliver artists to new audiences around the world. I want to thank David for the immense creative impact he had at Verve. On behalf of everyone here at UMG, we look forward to recording many more hit records with David for years to come.”

Bennett said, “Universal Music is home to the largest and most historically relevant jazz and classical recordings. It’s a tremendous honor, and I am humbled to be chosen to lead the newly formed Verve Label Group. I’m indebted to David Foster for leading the iconic Verve label and I look forward to working with him on many future productions. Additionally, I offer my profound appreciation to Lucian Grange and Michele Anthony for this amazing opportunity.”

Allan Evans has been out again with his microphone.

William Kapell was married to the extraordinary Dr. Anna Lou DeHavenon. Here is an interview with her and how she faced a stress-fraught performance when her husband was ordered by a Draculesque conductor to swallow an unwanted work.

Listen here.

They have just signed him to record a substantial Bruckner series with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, along with a Beethoven symphonic cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Shostakovich symphonies in Boston.

Actually, even Karajan never signed so much away in a day.

Press release below.

Andris Nelsons, widely considered as one of today’s most charismatic and compelling conductors, signs an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. The announcement, made in Berlin on 19 May 2016, represents a major milestone in the Latvian artist’s recording career and prepares the way for three landmark projects.

Earlier this month, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and DG announced that their Grammy Award-winning Shostakovich project with Nelsons had paved the way for an extension to the yellow label’s ongoing series of live Shostakovich recordings, which will now encompass the composer’s complete symphonies and his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District.

Advanced discussions are underway between Deutsche Grammophon, Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig about a collaboration that will shed new light on the symphonies of Bruckner, redefining Bruckner’s very distinctive sound world.

In addition, Nelsons will record Beethoven’s complete symphonies with the Wiener Philharmoniker in the calendar years 2016-2019, and he returns to perform the complete Beethoven cycle in 2020, the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. “I am absolutely delighted to be substantially partnering with Deutsche Grammophon,” comments Andris Nelsons. “Deutsche Grammophon’s commitment to our Shostakovich cycle in Boston and the tradition, expertise, and excellence they bring to each recording has been so important to me. I look forward to partnering with Deutsche Grammophon, welcoming them into my musical family with the two extraordinary musical institutions of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Furthermore, I am so honoured to be invited to perform and record a Beethoven cycle with the Wiener Philharmoniker. These revelatory works by the genius composers of Shostakovich, Bruckner and Beethoven will be the focus for my upcoming recordings with three of the world’s greatest orchestras. I could not be happier – it is both a dream and an honour.”

A cri-de-coeur from the French harpsichordist Orhan Memed:

I’m one of the many students of Huguette Dreyfus whom Jory Vinikour mentions in his touching tribute and who finds himself utterly at a loss to imagine the musical world without her presence.

I feel compelled to write to point out with regret how few of her recordings have been reissued. A quick search on the ‘net brings up very little, with only the Bartok and the Bach Partitas released in the last 10 years.

I am probably one of the few who has in his possession the list that Huguette kept of her complete discography and I wanted to share it with you…in the hope that readers would see not only how extensive but also how varied it is… and alas how unlucky we are not to have the opportunity to hear these recordings. The Haydn Trios with Eduard Melkus, for example, are gems and I know how much Huguette cherished them as well.

Years ago, with her permission, I sought to track down what happened to the old Valois recordings. I found out that the stock (and rights) had been bought by Naive and when I approached them I was sent a polite e-mail to say that the stock was in a warehouse and no one had taken the time to organise and therefore impossible to retrieve. A more recent attempt back in 2014 was met with a similar response.

Would it be inappropriate to encourage readers to make their desire to have these recordings re-released known to Naive, Denon, etc.?

DISCOGRAPHIE

H U G U E T T E D R E Y F U S

Chez DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON – POLYDOR :

J. HAYDN : Concerto pour clavecin et orchestre en sol majeur

avec l’orchestre de chambre Paul KUENTZ. (Grand Prix du Disque de l’Académie Charles Cros 1971)

Collection ARCHIV PRODUKTION :

H. I. BIBER : “Sonates du Rosaire” pour violon et continuo avec Eduard MELKUS.

F. COUPERIN : Apothéose de Lully et de Corelli

J.M. LECLAIR Sonate “Le Tombeau” pour violon et continuo avec Eduard MELKUS.

A.VIVALDI : “Il Pastor Fido”, pour divers instruments et continuo.

A. CORELLI : Opus V : 12 Sonates pour violon et continuo, avec Eduard MELKUS. En deux disques. Réédité en C.D.

J.S. BACH : Les Six Suites Françaises pour clavecin.

“Capriccio sopra la lontananza del suo fratello dilettissimo”.

En deux disques. Réédité en C.D.

J.S. BACH : Les Six Suites Anglaises pour clavecin. En trois disques.

Réédité en C.D.

J.S. BACH : Les Six Sonates pour violon et clavecin, avec

Eduard MELKUS. En deux disques.

C.PH.E. BACH : Sonates – Rondos – Fantaisies – jouées sur un Hammerflügel.

Chez VALOIS :

J.PH. RAMEAU : Pièces de clavecin (Intégrale en trois disques).

J.PH. RAMEAU : Pièces de clavecin en concerts, avec Christian LARDE (flûte)

et Jean LAMY (viole de gambe).

(Grand Prix de l’Académie du Disque Français 1964)

(Grand Prix des Discophiles 1964).

F. COUPERIN : Sixième et Onzième Ordres

F. COUPERIN : Anthologie de l’oeuvre pour clavecin en quatre disques

(Grand Prix du Disque de l’Académie Charles Cros 1962).

comprenant 9 Ordres et les 8 Préludes de” l’Art de Toucher le

Clavecin”.

(Grand Prix de l’Académie du Disque Français 1970).

D.SCARLATTI : Anthologie chronologique de 70 Sonates. Coffret de quatre

disques.

J.S.BACH : Quatre Toccatas pour clavecin.

J.S.BACH : La Musique de Chambre:

Enregistrement des Sonates pour violon, pour viole de gambe

et des oeuvres pour flûte avec le clavecin ou la basse continue,

avec G.F. HAENDEL (violon), Christian LARDE (flûte), Jean

LAMY (viole de gambe),Michel DEBOST (flûte) et Claude

MAISONNEUVE (hautbois).

Coffret de six disques.

J.M. LECLAIR : Les 9 Sonates pour flûte et continuo en deux disques, avec

Christian LARDE (flûte) et Jean LAMY (viole de gambe).

(Grand Prix de l’Académie du Disque Français 1968).

J. HAYDN : Seize Trios pour Hammerflügel (Pianoforte), violon et

violoncelle (sur instruments anciens) avec Eduard MELKUS et

E. VOGT.

Coffret de quatre disques.

(Grand Prix du Disque de l’Académie Charles Cros 1972).

Chez ERATO :

Père Coelestin HARST : Pièeces de clavecin : le Troisième Ordre.

(Série Châteaux et Cathédrales : Strasbourg).

C.PH.E. BACH : Concerto en fa majeur pour clavecin et pianoforte avec

Robert VEYRON-LACROIX et l’Orchestre de

Chambre de la Radiodiffusion Sarroise dirigé par Karl

RISTENPART.

J.S. BACH : Participation à l’enregistrement intégral de “l’Art de la

Fugue” avec R. VEYRON-LACROIX et l’Orchestre de

Chambre de la Radiodiffusion Sarroise dirigé par Karl

RISTENPART.

J.S. BACH

W.F. BACH : Quatre concertos pour deux clavecins

J.CH. BACH avec Luciano SGRIZZI.

J.I. KREBS

J.S. BACH : Les douze concertos pour clavecins et orchestre avec

Luciano SGRIZZI, Luigi-Ferdinando TAGLIAVINI,

Yannick LE GAILLARD et l’Ensemble Baroque de

DROTTNINGHOLM.

Chez MUSIFRANCE :

(Une collection ERATO/RADIO FRANCE pour la musique française) :

Henri DUTILLEUX : “LES CITATIONS” avec Maurice BOURGUE,

hautbois, Bernard CAZAURAN, contrebasse et Bernard

BALET, percussion.

(Prix de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque 1994)

Chez CRITERE :

J.S. BACH : Participation à l’intégrale des concertos pour clavecin avec

Ruggero GERLIN et le Collegium Musicum de Paris dirigé par

Roland DOUATTE.

Chez PHILIPS :

Carlos SEIXAS : 14 Sonates pour clavecin (sous les auspices de la Fondation

GULBENKIAN).

J. HAYDN

W.A. MOZART : Sonates pour violon et clavecin avec Claire BERNARD.

Chez BARENREITER-MUSICAPHON :

Hugo DISTLER : Concerto pour clavecin et orchestre avec les Deutsche

BACHSOLISTEN.

Chez HARMONIA MUNDI :

Bela BARTOK : Extraits de “Mikrokosmos” au clavecin, en un disque.

(Grand Prix du Disque de l’Académie Charles Cros 1970);

Chez DENON – NIPPON COLUMBIA :

W.A. MOZART : Les Six Sonates pour flûte et clavecin

KV 10-KV15, avec Andras ADORJAN.

C.PH.E. BACH : Quatre Sonates pour flûte et clavecin, avec Andras

ADORJAN.

J. S. BACH : Quatre Sonates pour flûte et clavecin et Trois Sonates

pour flûte et basse continue, avec Andras ADORJAN

(flûte), et Joachim RABE (viole de gambe).

J.S. BACH : Trois Sonates pour viole de gambe et clavecin, avec

Johannes FINK (viole de gambe).

J.S. BACH : Musique de clavecin : Concerto Italien en fa majeur

BWV 971

Fantaisie chromatique et fugue en ré mineur BWV 903

Fantaisie en ut mineur BWV 906

Prélude et fugue en la mineur BWV 894

J.S. BACH : Inventions et Sinfonies BWV 772/786.

D. SCARLATTI : 14 Sonates pour clavecin.

J.CH. BACH : 3 Concertos pour clavecin et orchestre avec les TOKYO

SOLISTEN.

F. COUPERIN : 11e et 13 e Ordres.

W.A. MOZART : Concerto pour trois clavecins et orchestre KV 107 avec

Georges KISS et Olivier BAUMONT. Deux concertos

pour clavecin et orchestre avec la Capella Academica de

VIENNE dirigée par Eduard MELKUS.

J.S. BACH : Concerto en la mineur pour flûte, violon, clavecin et

orchestre BWV 1044 avec Andras ADORJAN (flûte) et

Jean-Jacques KANTOROW (violon) et le

NETHERLANDS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA dirigé

par Kees BAKELS.

J.S. BACH : Six Partitas pour clavecin BWV 825/830 en trois C.D.

J.S. BACH : Ouverture à la Française – Prélude , Fugue et Allegro

en mi bémol majeur – Quatre duetti.

F. COUPERIN : Septième et Huitième Ordres.

C.PH.E. BACH : Deux sonates pour violon et clavecin

Fantaisie en fa dièse mineur pour violon et pianoforte.

W. FRIEDEMANN BACH : 9 Fantaisies pour clavier.

J.S. BACH : Les “Variations Goldberg” BWV 988

J.S. BACH : 16 transcriptions pour le clavecin de concertos de

compositeurs variés BWV 972/987. 2 C.D.

W.A. MOZART : Sonates et fantaisies sur fortepiano. 2 C.D.

J.S. BACH : Le “Clavier bien Tempéré” Volume 1 BWV 846/869.

2 C.D.

J.S. BACH : Le “Clavier bien Tempéré” Volume 2 BWV 870/893

2 C.D.

PRIX DU DISQUE

GRAND PRIX DU DISQUE DE L’ACADEMIE CHARLES CROS :

1962 : F. COUPERIN : 6è et 11è Ordres (Valois)

1970 : B. Bartok : Mikrokosmos au clavecin (Harmonia Mundi)

1971 : J. HAYDN : Concerto pour clavecin et orchestre en sol

majeur avec l’orchestre de chambre Paul Kuentz

(Deutsche Grammophon-Polydor).

1972 : J. HAYDN : Seize trios pour Hammerflügel (Pianoforte),

violon et violoncelle (sur instruments anciens)

avec E. Melkus et E. Vogt.

(Coffret de 4 disques) – (Valois).

1985 : PRIX DU PRESIDENT DE LA REPUBLIQUE

J.S. BACH : Cinq disques (Archiv Produktion-Deutsche

J.S. BACH : Un disque (Denon-Nippon Columbia)

D. Scarlatti : Un disque (Denon-Nippon Columbia)

Grammophon)

GRAND PRIX DE L’ACADEMIE DU DISQUE FRANCAIS

1964 : J.PH. RAMEAU : Pièces de clavecin en concerts, avec

Christian Lardé (flûte) et Jean Lamy

(viole de gambe – (Valois).

1968 : J.M.LECLAIR : Les 9 Sonates pour flûte et continuo en

deux disques, avec Christian Lardé

(flûte) et Jean Lamy (viole de gambe).

1970 : F. COUPERIN : Anthologie de l’oeuvre pour clavecin en

4 disques comprenant 9 Ordres et les 8

Préludes de “l’Art de Toucher le

Clavecin” (Valois).

GRAND PRIX DES DISCOPHILES

1964 : J.PH. RAMEAU : Pièces de clavecin en concerts avec

Christian Lardé (flûte) et Jean Lamy

(viole de gambe) – (Valois)

PRIX DE LA NOUVELLE ACADEMIE DU DISQUE

1994 : HENRI DUTILLEUX : Participation au coffret de Musique de

Chambre avec “Les Citations” avec

Maurice BOURGUE (hautbois),

Bernard CAZAURAN (contrebasse) et

Bernard BALET (percussion).

DISCOGRAPHIE

Parmi de nombreux enregistrements notons:

Chez D.G.G. Archiv Produktion:

Suites françaises et anglaises de J.S.BACH

Chez Valois :

l’oeuvre pour clavecin de J.Ph.RAMEAU

Chez Harmonia Mundi :

un disque de Mikrokosmos de B.Bartok

Chez DENON-NIPPON COLUMBIA :

des oeuvres de J.S.BACH, C.Ph.E.BACH, W.Friedemann BACH, J.C.BACH,

F.COUPERIN, D.SCARLATTI.

Les disques les plus récemment parus sont :

J.S.BACH: Le Clavier bien Tempéré (Vol.I et II) (DENON-NIPPON

COLUMBIA)

H. DUTILLEUX : “Les Citations” pour hautbois, clavecin, percussions et contrebasse

(MUSIFRANCE. Collection ERATO-RADIO FRANCE)

Not the cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who won this year’s competition, but one of the other finalists, horn player Ben Goldscheider.

Read on:

Ben Goldscheider was due to study at the Berlin Hochschule next year, but his plans have just changed quite dramatically…

He has been approached by the Barenboim-Said Akademie (also in Berlin), a phenomenal new institution set up by Daniel Barenboim and the literary theorist and intellectual Edward Said. Their aim is to bring together the most gifted young musicians from the Middle East and Europe, and combine the study of music with the humanities. This part of the curriculum is designed to foster intellectual curiosity, critical reflection, and persuasive written and oral expression based on the study of philosophy, history and literature.

The Polish-French film composer Casimir Oberfeld died in January 1945 on a forced march westwards out of Auschwitz. His body was dumped on a Czech railway platform at Prelouc, and buried locally.

Yesterday, his son exhumed his remains and brought them for burial at the Paris-Montmartre cemetery.

Among the many tragic ironies of Oberfeld’s life, one of his melodies was stolen by the Vichy regime and adapted as its authoritarian anthem.