A legal settlement was reached today under which he will not return to the job.
His contract was not due to expire until 2024.
Here’s the official statement: Die Brandenburgische Kulturstiftung Cottbus-Frankfurt (Oder) und Herr Evan Alexis Christ haben sich in einem Vergleich auf die Beendigung ihres Vertragsverhältnisses zum 31. Juli 2018 geeinigt. Herr Christ und die Brandenburgische Kulturstiftung freuen sich, dass sie die Differenzen aus der jüngeren Vergangenheit erfolgreich ausräumen konnten und nunmehr zu einer Einigung gekommen sind. Über den Inhalt des getroffenen Vergleichs wurde zwischen der Stiftung und Herrn Christ Stillschweigen vereinbart.
Die Stiftung und die Leitung Staatstheater Cottbus danken Herrn Christ für seine 10-jährige künstlerische Tätigkeit als Generalmusikdirektor am Staatstheater Cottbus. Unter seiner Leitung wurden vielbeachtete musikalische Höhepunkte erreicht. Hierzugehören richtungsweisende Programminnovationen und Konzertformate, CD- Produktionen und internationale Tourneen des Orchesters des Staatstheaters Cottbus. Diese Arbeit fand viel Anerkennung. Unter anderem wurde dem Orchester unter der Leitung von Herrn Christ im Jahr 2011 vom Deutschen Verlegerverband das beste Konzertprogramm aller deutschen Orchester bescheinigt. Die Stiftung wünscht Herrn Christ für seine weiteren musikalischen und künstlerischen Vorhaben viel Erfolg.
And in English:
Evan Alexis Christ vs. Brandenburgische Kulturstiftung Cottbus-Frankfurt (Oder) The Brandenburgische Kulturstiftung Cottbus-Frankfurt (Oder) and Mr. Evan Alexis Christ have reached a settlement agreement on the termination of their contract on 31 July 2018. Mr. Christ and the Brandenburg Cultural Foundation are pleased that they were able to successfully overcome the differences of the recent past and have now come to an agreement. The content of the settlement may not be discussed. The foundation and the management of the Staatstheater Cottbus thank Mr. Christ for his 10 years of artistic activity as General Music Director at the Staatstheater Cottbus. Under his leadership, much acclaimed musical highlights were achieved. These include trend-setting program innovations and concert formats, CD productions and international tours by the orchestra of the Staatstheater Cottbus. This work has received much recognition. Among other things, the orchestra under the direction of Mr. Christ was awarded the best concert program of all German orchestras in 2011 by the German Publishers Association. The Foundation wishes Mr. Christ good luck for his future musical and artistic projects.
Message received:
The Musicians’ Union (MU) is calling on Government and Parliament to introduce a European Union (EU) touring visa for musicians working in the EU post-Brexit.
Any EU touring visa must be affordable, multi-entry, admin-light and cover all EU member states.
Six months ago Thomas Guggeis, 24, made headlines by jumping in for Christoph von Dohnanyi in Salome, and then landing a big job in Stuttgart.
Now, he has been called back to Berlin to replace Marc Minkowski in a revival of Weber’s Der Freischütz this weekend. Minkowski has suffered a leg injury in a bicycle accident cannot travel.
Canada keenly awaits Rufus Wainwright’s new opera on the life of Hadrian, opening next month.
So here’s a special offer from the Canadian Opera Company:
Gillian Steinhardt’s jewellery creations have graced fashion magazines and been spotted on mega-watt celebrities like Nicole Kidman, Alexis Bledel, and Rachel Bilson. <
Now Gillian’s created a collection exclusively for the world premiere of Hadrian.
Order by October 1, 2018 to wear on opening night of Hadrian (October 13, 2018).
We were the first to report six weeks ago that a unique 1940 recording had been discovered of Serge Rachmaninov rehearsing and performing the Symphonic Dances.
The news excited a good deal of comment and speculation.
Now Joseph Horowitz has got hold of a set and published the first review in the Wall Street Journal.
He’s not pulling any punches: ... it’s now embedded in a three-CD Marston set titled “Rachmaninoff Plays Symphonic Dances.” The result is one of the most searing listening experiences in the history of recorded sound.
It is now widely known that the Boston Symphony messed up the last leg of its European trip, arriving in Amsterdam so late on Monday that the concert was almost abandoned.
The Boston Globe gives this account behind its paywall: On Monday, the orchestra was at Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris, waiting to depart for that evening’s concert in Amsterdam, the final performance of the tour — only to find out that their chartered aircraft had mechanical problems and could not fly. No trains or buses were available for all 110 musicians (not counting staff and patrons) to get to Amsterdam in time: the only option was a 76-seat propeller plane. 76 musicians are not enough to perform Shostakovich’s Fourth Symphony, the main work on the program. Zoë Madonna reports on what happened next.
They played a Beethoven symphony instead. So far, so straightforward. But much more interesting is what we hear from an orchestra tour organiser, writing to Slipped Disc under strict anonymity. Here’s why the tour broke down:
‘Boston Symphony performed in the Paris Philharmonie on Sunday night and arrived at the airport on Monday morning for an 11.00 charter to Amsterdam (with concert Monday night). After a two hour delay, it was apparent that the plane has major technical problems and couldn’t fly. There was no charter anywhere in Europe free and sufficiently large to fly the entire party.
‘The union rules didn’t allow for a coach to Amsterdam on the day of a concert and there were no trains with spaces.
‘Eventually, two small charter planes were found but the available take-off slots means that the first plane wouldn’t take take off until 17.30. So they had to change the programme to something smaller (it was supposed to be Shostakovich). They decided to play Beethoven which they hadn’t performed in concert for two years! Boston Symphony scanned the parts via pdf and the Concertgebouw printed them out.
‘Half the orchestra eventually landed in Amsterdam at 19.00! The concert, supposed to start at 20.15, was delayed until 21.00 and the players got off the coach, changed and went straight into the stage….. no balance rehearsal.’
In brief: They wouldn’t get on the bus for 4.5 hours to save a concert at the Concertgebouw.
The soprano has posted pictures from the general rehearsal and it looks like the dressing room has got too busy with the slap.
She is not so much Egyptian, or even Ethiopian, in this shade of makeup as downright Nubian.
Any other singer, in any other dark-skin role, and there would be cries of cultural misappropriation.
The Concertgebouw has named Dima Slobodeniouk and Philippe Herreweghe to replace their former music director Daniele Gatti in October and November, both in Amsterdam and on tour.
The Russian was due to make his C’bouw debut in April 2019. The Belgian has been a regular guest for 24 years.
photo: Borggreve
David DiChiera, founder of Michigan Opera Theatre, has died of pancreatic cancer, the theatre has announced. He retired last year at 82 as the cancer took hold.
Guillaume Jehl has been upgraded from 2nd trumpet to principal in the Berlin Philharmonic. He replaces Tamas Velenczei, who moves down to 2nd or 3rd.
The move was announced in April.
Jehl is the former solo trumpet of the Basel Symphony Orchestra (2001-6) and the National Orchestra of France (2006-9).
The figures are out for theatre activity in Germany in 2016/17.
The Deutsche Bühnenverein covers 140 state and regional theatres, 128 orchestras, 210 privately owned theatres and 84 Festivals.
It finds a 2.2 percent drop in opera attendancs, 3.3 percent in dance and 6.4 percent for the operetta and musicals.
There was no obvious cause.
A few days ago, after the Welsh baritone’s debut at Teatro Colón, fans began singing Welsh songs as he was signing autographs. Bryn, never missing a beat, joined in, singing as he signed.
