It has just been released that ‘one of the most celebrated artists of our century’ will grace the 9/11 concert at Lincoln Center this Sunday.
But Jessye Norman’s not going to sing. She’s going to take the narrator’s part. And not in one of the great works of oratory, either. Why’s that?
Here’s the billing:
photo: scena.org
A Concert of Commemoration, Honoring the 10th Anniversary of 9/11
Sunday, September 11th at 2pm Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
For Immediate Release, September 6, 2011, New York, NY … Jessye Norman, celebrated opera singer, activist and American icon, joins DCINY on the afternoon of September 11thfor A Concert of Commemoration, Honoring the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. Over 600 musicians will fill the stage for the concert featuring iconic music of war and peace, including over 300 members of England’s renowned Really Big Chorus. Miss Norman will speak the role of the Narrator in Karl Jenkins’s For the Fallen: In Memoriam Alfryn Jenkins, in its U.S. premiere. Jenkins wrote For the Fallen in memory of his Welsh uncle, Alfryn Jenkins, a viola player who was captain of a Lancaster bomber that was lost, with an all Welsh crew, over Berlin in 1944 while the composer was an infant. It is set to the iconic poem by Laurence Binyon, which incorporates the Last Post bugle call, a soprano solo (Erika Grace Powell) and narration. The piece debuted last year at the Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall.
Miss Norman will also read Mayor Bloomberg’s proclamation to open the concert.
The program also includes Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, a stirring work that has been performed nearly 1000 times in 20 different countries since it was written in 2000, and René Clausen’s Memorial, written in 2003 to commemorate the victims of 9/11.The Distinguished Concerts Orchestra International and Distinguished Concerts Singers International will perform.
TICKETS starting at $20: CentreChange at 212.721.6500 or www.lincolncenter.org
or visit the Lincoln Center box office at 10 Lincoln Center Plaza
More information and VIP packages at www.dciny.org
Levine has not recovered from back surgery this summer, in addition to other complaints.
Luisi, named principal conductor, is covering Siegfried and Don Giovanni.
The Met needs to get its succession strategy in place, fast. Luisi has said he’s not interested in the #1 slot. He’s music director at Zurich Opera, thank you very much.
The Dutch broadcasters appear to be following BBC policy on disruption of concerts by political agitators.
The centenary concert of the Dutch composers organisation, attended by Queen Beatrix, was invaded by a lone intruder. The performance is now online at youtube with the interruption completely edited out.
It might have been a better idea to cut out the introductory speeches as well and go straight to the music…
La Reppublica reports that three waiting-list patients have been saved by donations of the late tenor’s two kidneys and liver.
The body mow lies in state at the Teatro Massimo Bellini which, four years ago today, mourned his great mentor, Luciano Pavarotti.
A correspondent in Sicily informs me that the body of Salvatore Licitra, who died yesterday after nine days in a road crash coma, will lie in state for the next two days in the foyer of the Teatro Bellini in Catania, so that people can go and pay their respects.
Licitra had strong ties to the theatre and many local people want to have an opportunity to pay respect and say farewell to an artist many thought might become the next Pavarotti. Licitra was only 43 at his death.
Local newspapers report that both of his kidneys have been transplanted into waiting patients.
Three weeks ago, I posted an item about a bassoonist in Lake Placid, NY, who was retiring after 64 years’ service. Was David Van Hoesen, I wondered, the longest serving player of all time in the same orchestra?
The wires have been buzzing ever since with suggestions and reader Clinton F Nieweg has come up with a near-definitive list.
The list is heavily Anglocentric. Does anyone know of players in other countries who worked as long, or longer? Russians, perhaps?
1. Violinist Francis Darger: Utah Symphony 1942 to 2011 – 69 years – current member.
http://www.utahsymphony.org/about/the-orchestra/item/270-frances-darger
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2. Bass: Jane Little, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – 1945 to 2011- 66 years – current member.
“Asst. Principal Bass Emeritus of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Jane Little, first performed with the ASO in 1945 under their original name of
Atlanta Youth Symphony for two years before the orchestra officially changed to Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 1947.”
http://www.atlantasymphony.org/About/Artists/ASO-Musicians/Jane-Little.aspx
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3. Principal Timpanist Richard Horowitz: Metropolitan Opera Orchestra 1946 to 2011 – 65 years – current member.
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/season/bio.aspx?id=3964&type=1
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4. Violinist Felix Resnick: Detroit Symphony Orchestra – 1943 until his death in April 2008 at age 89. 65 years.
http://dso.pastsoftware.com/Collections.aspx?ID=33
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5. Bassoonist David Van Hoesen: Lake Placid Sinfonietta NY – 1947 to 2011 – 64 years – retired.
http://www.lakeplacidsinfonietta.org/orchestra.cfm
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6. Clarinetist Stanley Drucker: New York Philharmonic 1948 to 2009 – 62 years – retired.
In 1948, Drucker won a post in the New York Philharmonic clarinet section.
In 1960, he became the orchestra’s principal clarinetist. In January 2008,
the New York Philharmonic announced Drucker’s retirement from the orchestra
at the close of the 2008-2009 season, for a total of 61 years with the
orchestra and 49 years as its principal clarinet. Guinness logs his career
at “62 years, 7 months and 1 day as of June 4, 2009”.
Drucker’s final concert with the orchestra was July 31, 2009 in Vail, Colorado.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/arts/music/05druc.html?pagewanted=all
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7. Violinist Earl Summers Jr.: joined the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra at age 12 as a section violinist in 1929, the founding year of the orchestra, and retired from performing in 1990 as Concertmaster of the WSO – 61 years.
http://wheeling.weirton.lib.wv.us/history/people/hallfame/Summers.htm
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8. Violinist Jerome Wigler: Philadelphia Orchestra – 1951 to 2011 retired – 60 years – age 91.
http://www.juilliard.edu/alumni/news/spotlight/archive/2009-10/200910.php
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9. Principal Trumpet Adolph (Bud) Herseth: Chicago Symphony Orchestra – 1948 until 2001, and served as principal trumpet emeritus from 2001 until his retirement in 2004. 56 years.
http://abel.hive.no/trompet/herseth/
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10. Percussionist Joe Sinai: San Francisco Symphony “His career as a symphonic performer began in 1915 [and continued to 1970]
… for 55 years with the San Francisco Symphony.”
http://www.meredithmusic.com/joe-sinai-san-francisco-symphony
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11.Timpanist Alan Taylor: Royal Opera House Covent Garden Orchestra, 1951 to April 1, 2002. 51 years. (d. May 15, 2002, aged 71)
http://www.s142342584.websitehome.co.uk/alantaylor/
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12. Principal Harpist Sidonie Goossens: “…Her professional debut in 1921
at a Prom concert, and took part in the first tour by the London Symphony
Orchestra. She was Principal Harpist when the BBC Symphony Orchestra gave
its first public concert under its founder, Sir Adrian Boult, in October
1930, and she was still in the post when the Orchestra celebrated its golden
jubilee in 1980, the year she officially retired.”
At age 91 in 1991, she became the oldest person to perform at the Last Night
of the Proms concert, televised by the BBC. She died at the age of 105 on
December 15, 2004. 50 years with the BBC Orchestra.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3393369.stm
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13. “Violinist Newton Mansfield joined the New York Philharmonic in 1961” to 2011- 50 years – current member.
http://nyphil.org/meet/orchestra/index.cfm?page=profile&personNum=81
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14. Cellist Jules Eskin: Principal of the Boston Symphony Orchestra – 1964
to 2011 – 47 years – current member.
http://www.cellist.nl/database/showcellist.asp?id=1577
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15. Timpanist Erwin Mueller: Muncie Symphony Orchestra, Muncie, IN – since its inception in 1949 to 2011 – current member.
http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/CollegesandDepartments/Music/Directory/Brassand PercussionFaculty/MuellerErwin.aspx
“I checked and while Erwin did play the first concert and in the early days
of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra, he went off to Grad. School and then on to
the Chattanooga and Indianapolis Orchestras before returning to Muncie in
the late 60s. This probably removes him from the list of ‘constant’
membership but as for ‘allied’ membership..around 45 years.” – Leonard Atherton
I have seen a letter from Hannah Munitz, director of Israel Opera, confirming that she has terminated Graham Vick’s contract for a forthcoming production of Lucia di Lammer moor in Tel Aviv, after the furore over his Mose in Egitto at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro.
Vick represented the Jewish slaves as Palestinians and Moses as a Bin Laden-type demagogue, sparking protests during the first performance and outrage at what some perceived as an anti-semitic slur. Vick has declined several invitations to explain his production and the motives behind it.
That said, I am not sure it was wise of Israel Opera to bow to donor pressure and sack him. Far better to have worked with him in Israel and tried to work on his flawed perceptions. There are no winners in this outcome, only losers.
In her letter to a supporter, Munitz wrote: ‘the director has received from us a letter of cancellation a day after the report on the event took place. We are busy in finding a director and a production to replace the current one. We agree with your opinion and we have acted accordingly.’
