And has composed a new piano concerto?

The fictitious composer, who enjoyed a busy career in the 1960s and 1970s, has written a concerto for Jeffrey Biegel.

The following orchestras co-commissioned the work:

The violinist on their record debut, this month:

The international pianist explains, exclusively for Slipped Disc, how he integrates an electronic score-reader into his practice and performance schedule.

Kirill:

I still very much prefer to learn from the printed paper score.

There are actually studies that people learn better from physical media than from the screen and I feel that palpably.

However, as a ‘reminder of the score’ in concert, the iPad is wonderful. Putting it inside the piano (which is possible with the new bigger iPad pro) allows me to take the music desk out of the piano. The music desk is usually quite a big alteration to the sound that the pianist hears whilst playing chamber music. The instrument also sounds better without the music desk.

And the intimate atmosphere of a chamber music group that develops in rehearsals is unchanged without the arrival of an extra person (page turner). Sometimes they are wonderful and sometimes…less than helpful.

So, there – just a little elaboration from me. BUT, I don’t think the printed score should go away and I hope it won’t. I think it is a matter of more options for specific purposes. The new Henle app is a fantastic venture of a traditional publisher and excellent engraving into the digital world.

*

Earlier: Is this the last stand for the printed score?

The country’s oldest choir, the Glasgow Choral Union, has changed its name to the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s Chorus. But it still can’t attract enough singers.

Here’s the latest shout out:

The Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s Chorus is inviting applicants to join the nation’s historic vocal ensemble.

The RSNO Chorus performs in around six different programmes in up to twenty concerts across Scotland with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra each year. In addition to its commitment to the Orchestra, the RSNO Chorus performs independently and has been invited to perform with orchestras in many different parts of the world, establishing an international status for the choir. The RSNO Chorus has toured in Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Israel, Germany, Belfast, Australia, Trondheim and most recently, Amsterdam.

RSNO Chorus Director Gregory Batsleer: “There is no feeling quite like singing in a chorus and at this standard the effort and commitment is substantial but the rewards are without measure. The RSNO Chorus is a historic organisation with a proud legacy, and it is my distinct pleasure to be in a position to guide the ensemble to greater artistic heights. There has never been a better time to join, so we’re keen to hear from those of you who have the temperament, expertise and willingness to be a part of Scotland’s musical history.”

Currently, the RSNO Chorus has around 120 members. As an amateur chorus, the members receive no payment for their services, but the level of performance and the speed at which they are required to learn repertoire means that the ability of singers is high.

Forthcoming performances for the RSNO Chorus include Verdi’s Requiem in December, Handel’s Messiah in January, a new work by Irish composer Gerald Barry in May, and performing live accompaniment to the screening of the Oscar-winning 1984 film Amadeus, also in May 2017.

For more information on the RSNO Chorus and details on how to apply to become a member, contact RSNO Chorus Manager Christine.Walker@rsno.org.uk or visit www.rsno.org.uk/chorus.

Three veterans out, three newbies in.

However, none of them is a heavy-hitter and it still doesn’t look as if the board is properly equipped to provide clear direction to the troubled company.

Here’s the press release:

Today, 14 September 2016, ENO announces the appointment of three new trustees and changes to governance.

Patti White, Patty Dimond and Phil Edgar-Jones are joining the ENO Board of Trustees with immediate effect.  The newly appointed Trustees replace Glyn Barker, David Buchler, and David Harrell who are all stepping down from the ENO Board, following seven, nine and nine years of service respectively.

Separately, Nick Allan, currently a trustee, will become Deputy Chair as well as becoming Chair of the Finance Committee. Nick has been on the Board since 2008 and has had a long and distinguished career in the City.  Catherine May becomes the Senior Independent Director, having served on the Board since 2011. She has held a series of executive committee roles at SAB Miller, Centrica and Reed Elsevier.

Patti White has been President, since 2012, of the American Friends of ENO (AFENO), a US-based autonomous not-for-profit organisation that organises up to six events annually and contributes over £100,000 to ENO annual fundraising efforts. Patti has been involved with AFENO since 2004.

Outside of ENO, since 2006, Patti has sat on the Board and acted as Chair from 2013-2015 for the UK-based charity the UK Friends of the National Museum of Women in the Arts. This supports the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington D.C. and the UK Friends will sponsor the first exhibition to travel to London from the NMWA, opening at the Whitechapel Gallery in 2017.

Patti brings to the ENO Board a wealth of experience in strategic planning for fundraising, advocacy and volunteering.

Patty Dimond is an investor, advisor and mentor of early stage businesses and Co –Author: of “Driven to the Brink: Why Corporate Governance and Culture Matter”.

She has over 25 years international experience in consumer markets having worked with retail, financial services and brands, including Value Retail Management, Musgrave PLC, Mothercare Direct and Storehouse PLC.

She is a CFA, a member of the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts and a Canadian Chartered Accountant.

Phil Edgar-Jones is Director of Sky Arts, the definitive destination for Arts and Culture on television. He joined Sky as Head of Entertainment in 2012, before taking over Sky Arts in 2014. During his time at Sky Arts, Phil has commissioned opera broadcasts from the Royal Opera House, ENO and Glyndebourne. Sky Arts is the first broadcaster to broadcast Wagner’s Ring Cycle from Bayreuth which was simulcast in the UK, Germany, Italy and Australia. Phil has also overseen the creation of Portrait and Landscape Artists of the Year alongside a myriad of other programmes spanning the spectrum of Arts genres from opera and ballet to rock and pop, the visual arts and design to fashion and film.

Commenting on these appointments, ENO Chair, Dr Harry Brunjes says, “I am pleased that we have significantly refreshed the ENO Board of trustees over the past year to rise to the challenge of implementing a new business model that will enable the Company to be more resilient and operate on a reduced public subsidy. I look forward to working closely with all three new trustees as we move forward with these plans.

“Patti White is one of ENO’s most generous supporters. Over the years she and her husband George have supported numerous ENO productions and initiatives. I’m delighted that she is joining ENO’s Board of Trustees at this exciting moment in ENO’s history. I know she will help us to build new relationships with donors, ensuring that we can continue on our mission as world-class musical storytellers – taking opera in English to as diverse an audience as possible.

“Phil Edgar-Jones is one of the leading personalities in arts broadcasting. His talents will be put to good use on the Artistic Committee we look to reshape ENO to face the challenges of the future, and to find new and innovative ways for our work to reach as many people across the UK as we can.

“Finally, I look forward to working with Patty Dimond who will bring her experience of luxury brands and investment to bear on the organisation. She will join the Finance Committee with immediate effect.”

Research published today by the Berenberg Bank and the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI) has turned up a shift in the ranking of the country’s major cultural hubs.

The ranking is based on economic criteria of production and consumption – how many people work in the cultural sector and how many buy its products.

The top city in production (and overall) is … Stuttgart.

The #1 city in reception (but 6th in production ) is… Munich.

In Stuttgart 7.6 percent of social insurance contributions are paid in by employees in the cultural industry. In Munich the figure is 7%, Cologne 5.9%, Hamburg 5.1% and Berlin 5%.Berlin, with 37,000 artists, has the highest number of employed cultural workers.

Here are the top five cities in the overall ranking:

1 Stuttgart

2 Munich

3 Dresden

4 Berlin

5 Bonn

Hamburg is 7th, Frankfurt 11th, Leipzig 15th.

Next Wednesday, September 21, the morning of his funeral, the Vienna State Opera will open its foyer at 11 am for an act of official mourning for a much-loved honorary member of the company.

Johan Botha, who died last week of cancer at 51, sang 222 times on the stage of the Vienna Opera.

Many singers will attend the funeral at Vienna’s Zentralfriedhof at 2pm. Our thoughts will go with them.

This is Laura Bretan’s final pitch last night to win the public vote. She chose to sing Puccini’s ‘O mio Babbino Caro’.

The judges seem to be all on her side. Laura is 14. There are nine other contestants.

When the Frank Gehry-designed Pierre Boulez Konzertsaal opens for music next March, the resident ensemble will be … the London-founded Belcea Quartet.

At the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival last week, several performers came on stage with electronic devices, which they parked on their music stands, or just inside the piano lid (Kirill Gerstein’s preferred option).

Last night in Bucharest, a cellist won the Enescu contest, playing off a tablet and using an electronic pedal to move on to the next page of unprinted score.

Orchestras are trialling them.

So is that it? Is 2016 the year that paper began to vanish from the stage?

See also: Kirill Gerstein: I take a tablet between two sheets

Zlatomir Fung, 17, won the cello section in Bucharest last night with a performance of Enesco’s Symphonie Concertante, opus 8. His prize is 15,000 Euros and a stack of concerto dates.

The jury was chaired by David Geringas.

Second was Anastasia Kobekina (Russia), 22. Third: Mon Puo Lee (Spain), also 22.

Here’s how he played earlier this summer.

In a review today in the Wall Street Journal, I argue that the greatest success of the Venezuelan education system is its global branding. But many of its claims for social improvement lack verifiable substance and the system’s slogans have alarming echoes of Soviet education in Stalin’s day.

Sample:
Although El Sistema is not overtly political, its slogan is “to play and to struggle,” with an emphasis on “hard work” and “joy,” slogans that echo Soviet collectivization. Its dogma is equality and inclusion, and its methods involve teaching children in groups to play rhythms, read notes and cooperate with one another. “In ensemble they learn collegiality as an incubator for selfhood within community…”

Read the full review here.