Robert Rattray, the Metropolitan Opera’s Assistant General Manager, Artistic, and the man in charge of casting and talent, died this afternoon in hospital in New York after suffering a stroke on Sunday.

He was 67.

He is survived by his parents.

pictured (rear) with Martin Campbell-White

Yannick Nézet-Séguin writes:

I am heartbroken.
My friend Robert Rattray, the MET’s Assistant General Manager and former Chief Executive at Askonas Holt, passed away this afternoon. He suffered a stroke on Sunday. Two days before, we had drinks here in New York, and we talked about music, life, singers, the MET, family, cats…Robert has been so important in my life, from my beginnings in Europe with Askonas Holt in 2004, and later here in New York. His support has been invaluable, and his genuine love of opera and singers truly inspiring.
The entire MET family is in a state of shock. We will all miss his kindness, humor, class, his incredible knowledge and above all his immense humanity.
Merci pour tout mon cher Robert. Au revoir.

Singers have responded with shock and dismay.

Tara Erraught writes:

Dearest Robert, your big smile, your positivity, bright eyes and above all, your massive heart, will be missed. You were a Giant of our industry and a true gentleman. & are heavy hearted tonight along with every singer you ever met!

Ian Bostridge:

Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh. In alle Wipfeln spürest du Kaum einen Hauch RIP Robert Rattray, Germanist, witty impressario, supremely imaginative artists’ agent, lover of great art in all its forms, dear friend

Matthew Rose:

So sad that one of the best and most caring people in my life passed away this evening. First as a manager and then as a caring boss at the he was first and foremost a friend who cared about my well being and happiness as much as what roles to sing. Thank you Robert.

Stephen Costello:

The loss of Robert Rattray has come as such a shock. Sending thoughts and prayers to everyone as we morn the loss of such a great man. His spirit will live in the hearts of all that knew him. A very sad day for the music community.

Alice Coote:

Robert cared always most about the human in front of him and saw the truth and did his best for all of us. Eternal love.

Joseph Calleja:

Can’t believe that passed away. His always positive attitude and honest, kind feedback will be missed.

Sarah Connolly: Darling Robert Rattray. An appalling loss and you should be here with us now. I owe you so much but I know you’d just shrug, grin and say, “ My pleasure”.

UPDATE: Met dedicates Parsifal in Robert’s memory

John Ward, principal percussion of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra for decades and mentor to countless fine musicians, died last night.

By all accounts, a lovely man.

 

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has added two more years to Riccardo Muti’s contract as music director, taking him to mid-2022.

It has also reinvited former music director Daniel Barenboim after an absence of 13 years.

A broadcasting tribunal will decide tomorrow if Mathieu Gallet can keep his job as president of Radio France after being found guilty in a criminal court of showing favouritism in public office.

It’s not looking good.

If Gallet is fired, music and orchestras are weakened. If he stays, he’s a lame duck and the orchestras are weakened anyway. The Ministry of Culture is planning to merge the two broadcast orchestras in Paris, starting in December 2018, with the loss of more than 100 musicians’ jobs.

The Orchestre de Paris is reeling from Daniel Harding’s resignation, which takes effect in June. They won’t find a music director quickly. Leading talents and agencies are alarmed at the circumstances that led to Harding’s departure.

The whole orchestra scene in Paris is in turmoil. How will they fill that hall?

 

UPDATE: Gallet is fired.

Message from Chi-chi Nwanoku, principal double bass of the Chineke Foundation:

LOST BOW!!! My worst nightmare!

I changed trains from district line at Hammersmith (eastbound), & left my double bass transitional pernambuco bow (white hair) on the train at approximately 11.10 this morning. It is in a black case. HELP!

Please share.

Contact Chi-chi or Slipped Disc if you have information.

UPDATE: They found it!

We hear that a notice from Daniel Harding will be read this afternoon to the musicians of the Orchestre de Paris, explaining why he is resigning as music director after just one three-year term.

We’ll bring you the details as they arrive, but it appears that his relations with the musicians are fine. The difficulties lie elsewhere in a highly politicised organisation. He will leave the job in June 2019.

Harding, 42, remains music director at Swedish Radio, but the fall from Paris is a setback to his progress.

Here’s an interview he gave on his appointment in 2015.

UPDATE: More trouble tomorrow in Paris.

UPDATE2: Daniel Harding – why I resigned

press release:

Deutsche Grammophon, the world’s oldest classical music label, and IDAGIO, a leading classical music streaming service available in over 70 countries, have today announced an extensive partnership agreement.

The IDAGIO catalogue, which already comprises more than half a million tracks, will now include the complete catalogues of Deutsche Grammophon, Decca, Philips Classics and all classical music productions released by the acclaimed Munich-based ECM label. Currently 15,000 tracks in lossless audio quality are being added to IDAGIO every week.

IDAGIO will feature custom created playlists curated by Deutsche Grammophon and its artists, and will be supported by additional marketing and promotional initiatives as part of the partnership.

 

Former students are lamenting the death on January 29 of Claudia Carbi, a Cremona-born singer with a positive attitude to life and art.

 

She sang at most leading Italian opera houses and specialised in early music and oratorio.


 

The London Philharmonic and the Philharmonia have staged simultaneous season launches.

The Philharmonia defines itself as follows:

The Philharmonia Orchestra and Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor Esa-Pekka Salonen announce their new season in London with a programme that cements the Philharmonia’s position as a symphony orchestra for the 21st century. Through its combination of visiting artists, breadth of repertoire, Virtual Reality experiences and new concert presentation formats, the Orchestra aims to create thrilling musical experiences for the widest possible audience.

Esa-Pekka Salonen said: “We at the Philharmonia have a lively response for anyone who thinks that an orchestra is no longer a vital cultural force. I am looking forward to our new surround-sound Virtual Reality presentations, our Music of Today series, and our programme of music from Weimar Berlin, which will carry into the next season.”

 

The London Philharmonic writes:

The London Philharmonic Orchestra today announced its season at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall for 2018/19, confirming its reputation for adventurous programming with rarities and world premieres alongside the great works of orchestral music that together celebrate LPO’s power in inspiring its audiences.

The celebrated partnership between Vladimir Jurowski, Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, and LPO continues with 12 Royal Festival Hall concerts in 2018/19 season, including Wagner’s Die Walküre; Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress; Bruckner symphonies in his continuing cycle; Haydn’s The Seasons; a Mozart and Mahler concert with Mitsuko Uchida, Dame Sarah Connolly and Stuart Skelton; a major Armistice centenary event including a world premiere of a specially-commissioned work by former Composer in Residence Magnus Lindberg; a programme featuring music by Czech composers who died in the Holocaust for which he is joined by the Borodin Quartet, and a fiftieth anniversary performance of Berio’s Sinfonia with The Swingles, who sang in its historic first performance in 1968.

At a time when the nature of what it is to be British dominates the national debate, LPO is presenting a major celebration of the music of Britain in Isle of Noises across the whole of 2019: three centuries of British music from the first great English opera, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, to a world premiere by one of the leading British voices of today, Helen Grime. The season also takes in three major Elgar works as well as music by Bax, Walton and a rare outing for music by Alice Mary Smith (born London 1839), the first British woman to write a symphony.

When they yammered away about Vorsprung durch Technik, who knew that they meant violin technique?

Audi have appointed Lisa Batiashvili as the first artistic director of Audi Summer Concerts at Ingolstadt.

Until now, the festival has been run by members of the carmaker’s communications department.

The mezzo-soprano Jessica Walker has written a very contemporary version of Kurt Weill’s Ballade von Sexuelle Hörigkeit for her new cabaret, Casting Ouch, rolling out this month.


No matter that later that evening
I felt his clammy hands on my arse…

Next show here.

Yoel Gamzou, hired last summer as music director of Theater Bremen, has been made Generalmusikdirektor and given a three-year contract extension.

Gamzou, 29, signed up last month with Michael Lewin’s agency in Vienna.

Amazing how quickly things can happen when an agent gets involved.