We’ve been informed of the death of Leslie Head, founder of the Kensington Symphony Orchestra, an amateur ensemble made up mostly of music industry professionals. Leslie and the KSO have been instrumental in boosting many careers. Our sympathies to family and friends.
The violin with which Leila Josefowicz premiered Esa-Pekka Salonen’s concerto sold today in London for close to $300,000. Full details below:
Sale Results:Musical Instruments
Auction by Ingles & Hayday at Sotheby’s:
29 October 2013
GRAND TOTAL: £2,080,000
LOTS OFFERED: 140
TOP TEN RESULTS
LOT PRICE ESTIMATES BUYER
No.87 £336,000 £300,000-500,000 US Private Collector
David Tecchler, (b Salzburg, 1666; d Rome, 1747), A Cello, Rome, 1705.
No.63 £276,000 £100,000-150,000 US Private Collector
Lorenzo Storioni, (Cremona, b 1744; d 1816), A Viola, Cremona, 1787.
No.138 £264,000 £180,000-250,000 Anonymous
Circle Of Carlo Bergonzi, (Cremona, b 1683; d 1747), A Violin, Cremona, Circa 1730.
No.139 £192,000 £150,000-200,000 US musician
Francesco Rugeri, (Cremona, b 1620; d c1695), A Violin,Cremona, Circa 1690.
No.32 £156,000 £100,000-150,000 Private Collector
Probably By Michele Angelo Bergonzi, (Cremona, b 1721; d 1758), A Violin, Cremona, Circa 1750.
Formerly the concert instrument of Leila Josefowicz.
No.126 £84,000 £60,000-80,000 International Trade
Andrea Guarneri, (Cremona, b c1626; d 1698), A Violin, Cremona, Circa 1675.
No.24 £60,000 £50,000-80,000 Private Collector
Giuseppe & Antonio Gagliano, (fl Naples, c1780-1800), A Violin, Naples, Circa 1790.
No.54 £42,000 £15,000-20,000 Asian Private Collector
Eugène Sartory, (b Mirecourt, 1871; d Paris, 1946), A Gold And Tortoiseshell-mounted Exhibition Violin
Bow After F.x. Tourte, Paris, 1900.
No.86 £36,000 £25,000-35,000 UK musician
Vincenzo Panormo, (b Monreale, nr. Palermo, 1734; d London, 1813), A Cello, London, Circa 1800.
No.20 £33,600 £12,000-18,000 Private Collector
Vincenzo Postiglione, (Naples, b 1831; d 1916), A Violin, Naples, 1910.
Following the sale, Auctioneer and Expert-in-charge, Tim Ingles, commented: “This was a very exciting sale
with furious competition for most of the top lots. We are particularly pleased with the results for the Viola
by Lorenzo Storioni (£276,000) and the Exhibition Violin Bow by Sartory (£42,000), both of which were
rare pieces in stunning condition. The strength and breadth of the market is very impressive, with bidding
from five continents and lots of new buyers. Bidders included collectors, foundations, musicians,
orchestras and dealers. We look forward to our next sale, which will be held on 13th May 2014.”
The first time I swam in Herzliya, the translator of the only one of my books ever to appear in Hebrew warned me to be careful. ‘This is where Istvan Kertesz drowned, in April 1973,’ she said. ‘I was here. I saw it from the beach.’
Herzliya is subject to rip-tides. The only safe places to swim are beneath the eye of a lifeguard.
Kertesz was 43 when he died. The former principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, he was regarded as maestro in waiting for the next Big Five US orchestra to fall vacant. He had an open-ended contract with Decca and left, among other legacies, a set of Dvorak symphonies that has never been matched. I never visit this place without thinking of him.
Professor Cynthia Turner, a conductor at Cornell, thinks the new tech has potential. ‘It could be a game changer for anyone who needs two hands to do something,’ she says. Read here. Watch below.
Sheila Bromberg played harp on She’s Leaving Home. She also played sessions at Abbey Road sessions with lots of other pop stars. But was she, as she maintains, the first girl to pluck a Fab Four chord?
We await confirmation from resident Beatleologists.
A letter by Richard Wagner to the editor of a Spanish magazine has gone under the hammer in Barcelona. Dated 1881, it was addressed to the editor of El Periódico Ilustrado Español. The sale price at La Suite was 3,300 Euros.
I have been blown away by Mark Padmore’s new album of songs by Vaughan Williams, Jonathan Dove and Peter Warlock, five stars all the way. Read my Album of the Week review on Sinfinimusic.com.
Tel Aviv is cool city. The proof? They play all sorts of music in the streets and anyone can kick off shoes and make the moves. This little vid was caught by the Israel children’s museum.
In an unusual move that may prove a sign of the times, players in the Charleston Symphony Orchestra have voted to leave Local 502 of the American Federation of Musicians. Only 76 of some 175 eligible musicians cast their vote and they decided by a 49-27 split to go it alone.
Trumpeter Michael Smith, who chairs the symphony’s Negotiating Committee, said: ‘For the health of our organization, it’s really important that the musicians have a collaborative working relationship with the board and management.’
The implications of the cessation could be considerable for orchs across the country where a tough economy may require unusual local concessions on both sides.
