Five youths have been arrested over the violent theft of a violin and bow worth an estimated $38,000 from a Cleveland Orchestra violinist last week. The stolen property was recovered inside his fiancee’s car, which was also stolen in the raid.

His fiancée was pistol-whipped during the robbery.

More here.

The Teatro Real has announced its new season.

From the Real press office:

Next season the Teatro Real has ten co-productions from the Teatro Real, seven of which will have their premiere in Madrid: Turandot (Nicola Luisotti/Robert Wilson), Idomeneo (Ivor Bolton/Robert Carsen), Falstaff (Daniele Rustioni/Laurent Pelly), Capriccio (Asher Fisch/ Christof Loy), La peste, by Roberto Gerhard (Juando Mena/Dora García), Con que voz, by Stefano Gervasoni (Nacho de Paz/Oscar García Villegas), along with the world premiere of Je suis narcisiste, by Raquel García Tomás (Vinicius Kattah/Marta Pazos). The remaining the co-productions have had their debut in the theatres which share these with the Teatro Real: Faust (Dan Ettinger/Àlex Ollé), Only the sounds remains, by Kaija Saariaho (Ivor Bolton/Peter Sellars), and Il trovatore.

The Teatro Real completes the opera season programme by inviting three productions from other theatres ─Das Rheingold (Pablo Heras-Casado/Robert Carsen), La Calisto (Ivor Bolton, Christopher Moulds/David Alden)) and Dido & Aeneas (Christopher Moulds/Sasha Waltz)─ with a further two operas in concert version: Agrippina and Giovanna d’Arco.

At the Teatro Real 74.6 % of the annual budget (21.813.771 euros) is self-financed and only 25.4 % comes from public funding.

The Austrian conductor Gustav Kuhn stood down today of his own volition from the Erl Festival that he founded in 1997, ‘in order to avert further damage’ to the event. Kuhn has been accused by five female musicians of sexual assaults, which he denies.

The Festival board, welcoming his decision, has asked his deputy, Andreas Leisner, to stand in as interim artistic director.

Kuhn, 72, has been involved in libel action for several months against a blogger who first raised the allegations.

Full story in the Faz.

The German soprano Nadja Michael reports that the Teatro municipal de Sao Paulo has not paid anyone in the casts of Elektra and Fosca (Gomes) for the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. Nor has the theatre administration responded to messages.

This is outrageous.

It is also normal in Brazil.

If you accept an engagement in Rio or Sao Paulo, make sure you are paid beforehand.

 

25th Anniversary Gala Verbier Festifal 2018.

Gioachino Rossini: William Tell

CASTING
Seong-Jin Cho | Pianist
Evgeny Kissin | Pianist
Mikhaïl Pletnev | Conductor , Pianist
Sir András Schiff | Conductor , Pianist
Sergei Babayan | Pianist
Daniil Trifonov | Pianist
Yuja Wang | Pianist
Denis Kozhukhin | Pianist

CONCERT
Verbier Festival 25th Anniversary Gala
Verbier Festival 2018.07.25

The number of cancellations has reached double figures, leaving the Verbier Festival programme looking more like a fantasy wish-list than a serious schedule.

Here’s the overnight notice:

The Verbier Festival is saddened to announce the indisposition of Radu Lupu for tonight’s concert. We wish him a quick recovery.

At the same time we are extremely grateful to Sir András Schiff who, upon Mr Lupu’s desire, has accepted to replace him in the 4th Concerto by Beethoven conducted by Gábor Takács-Nagy.

François-René Duchâble caused a stir in 2003 when he announced his retirement in protest against the elitism of classical music.

Now he’s quitting again.

For real this time, he says.

François-René Duchâble is 66.

We gave you early warning that a star is born.

Now here’s the video.

Asmik Grigorian.

Remember the name.

Message received:

Opening on October 23rd, 2018, Guarneri Hall NFP is planned as a not-for-profit classical music incubator in Chicago that will present events in a new, acoustically engineered and technologically advanced 85-seat performance space on the third floor at 11 East Adams in the Chicago loop. The live stream of events will be accessible on guarnerihall.org.

Guarneri Hall Not for Profit presents live classical music performances in Guarneri Hall and elsewhere in the city of Chicago and sponsors music education programs in the Chicago community, with a special focus on reaching young people with limited access to classical music.

Guarneri Hall NFP aims to be a leader in the field of music education, providing advanced teacher training for professional ensembles, soloists, music educators, and students, as well as curriculum support for classroom teachers through teacher training initiatives that promote best practices. Guarneri Hall NFP also makes educational resources such as print material and tutorial videos available online to the Chicago community and beyond.

 

An English immigrant to New Zealand has seen his 123 year-old piano vandalised by customs officials in search of illegal ivory.

University of Auckland professor Julian Paton, had the key tops of his piano removed by the Department of Conservation.

‘We were diligent,’ said Paton. ‘We went out of our way to make sure we could legally import the piano to New Zealand. We absolutely deny any wrongdoing whatsoever.’

Read on here.

Name the best-known New Zealand movie? Yes, it’s The Piano.

The most astonishing vocal classic in the whole of rock music.