21Aug

Amsterdam names 6 orchestras for Mahler Festival

The Concertgebouw will mark the 2020 centenary of Willem Mengelberg’s 1920 inaugural Mahler cycle with a Mahler fest. Six orchestras have been named. Four have historic links to Mahler – the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna, New York Philharmonic and the Concertgebouw Orchestra itself. The other two are Ivan Fischer’s Budapest Festival Orchestra (Mahler was music director […]

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21Aug

Berlin employs atonal music to combat drug use

Deutsche Bahn has announced a plan to play atonal music at the Hermannstrasse station in order to deter drug users from congregating there. No repertoire has yet been chosen. A newspaper report says atonality ‘completely undermines traditional listening habits.’ Should we offer them a playlist? Any more favourites?

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21Aug

Philadelphia recruits two new flutes

The Philadelphia Orchestra has signed a pair of flute players for the new season, starting next mon th. Patrick Williams, associate principal flute, has been principal flute of the Louisiana Philharmonic and co-principal of the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra in Nishinomiya, Japan. Olivia Staton is a recent graduate of the Juilliard School, where she […]

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21Aug

An opera soprano tries crowdfunding her career

From the Vienna-based Russian soprano, Ksenia Skorokhodova: We are directed to everyone who loves music and wants to be part of a very special artistic career with their support. Since today, our crowdfunding campaign for the production of professional of video -/ audio on startnext is online. I’m looking forward to your support. As a reward for […]

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21Aug

The young Putin sings Nessun Dorma

Or perhaps a KGB double.

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21Aug

To those who pretend that El Sistema is unpolitical

From my morning inbox: Melanie Stoutzker and the Trustees of Sistema England warmly invite you to join them for the Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra 2018 (SEYO18) concert and reception at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall on 26 August 2018, celebrating the power of music to unite nations and of youth aspiration through adversity.   This August, Sistema Europe Youth Orchestra 2018 brings together […]

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21Aug

The day the Russians rolled into Prague

Fifty years ago today we awoke the the news that Soviet-led Warsaw Pact forces had marched into Czechoslovakia overnight, toppling the Prague Spring government of Alexander Dubcek and reimposing Kremlin terror. It was a sickening blow to those of us who believed in a gentler road to coexistence. Many Czech and Slovak friends escaped in […]

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21Aug

Happy 85, Dame Janet

In a 2011 Lebrecht Interview with Dame Janet Baker, I warned colleagues that I was going to refer to her as ‘Dame Granite’ – her whispered nickname among awestruck singers who never saw her shocked or rattled. ‘You won’t dare,’ said the BBC producer. So I did, and Janet simply shook with laughter. It was […]

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20Aug

Gatti subs: Concertgebouw turns to Sanderling

The next conductor to fill the gaps in the Concertgebouw season after the #MeToo sacking of the music director is the outgoing Dresden Philharmonic chief Michael Sanderling. He will take over four concerts from 19 to 23 September, making his debut with the Dutch orchestra.

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20Aug

An opera about Schoenberg in Hollywood

Boston Lyric Opera has announced the November world premiere of Tod Machover’s lates work, titled ‘Schoenberg in Hollywood’.   press release (to be taken with a pillar of salt): Surprising, comical and powerful, Schoenberg in Hollywood is inspired by the life of Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg after fleeing Hitler’s Europe in the 1930s. Upon settling in […]

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20Aug

Summer weddings: Two festival directors tie the knot

The happy couple here are the Dutch violinists Maria Milstein and Mathieu Van Bellen, joint artistic directors of the Scaldis Kamermuziek Festival. We wish them many happy years together.  

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