This just in from our local paper. Let’s hope support pours in for Abi Baker.
They are trying to raise money by selling off the roof tile by tile, while appealing to cultured people not to let Australia be ruled by philistines. Watch the video. The attitudes it reveals may shock.
Many newspapers are solemnly apologising this morning for their premature announcement of the death of Horace Silver. Horace is 85 and, his son says, in the best of health.
The city of Munich has published a letter from Valery Gergiev to Munich’s Kulturreferent (cultural advisor) Hans-Georg Küppers, saying that he fully and completely supports the city’s anti-discrimination laws. Text follows.
Watch. Life’s not always as reported.
The musicians were European and American. The concert was organised by the French Cultural Centre at the Deir-el-Latin, the region’s only Roman Catholic church.
Credits: Michael Dabroski, Violin and interview. “Goldberg in Gaza” Hosted by Al Kamandjati Association (Ramallah) and Cultural Institute Francais Gaza. Michael is Director of Music at Burlington College, Vermont, USA. Other musicians Ariana Falk (cello), Peter Sulski (viola), Demetrios Karamintzas (oboe). Link by Watania (Gaza).
The Cadaques competition has been whittled down to three semi-finalists, all male.
They are:
Michel Delanghe (Belgium)
Lorenzo Viotti (France)
Vlad Vizireanu (US)
Why don’t they just say women needn’t apply?
(Valentina Peleggi of Italy and Holly Mathieson of New Zealand – made it to the second round, but no further).
UPDATE: The final is between Lorenzo Viotti (France) & Vlad Vizireanu (USA/Romania).
Min-Jin Kym’s Stradivarius violin, stolen from London’s Euston Station in 2010 and later recovered by police, sold today in an online auction for £1.385 million. The buyer is a UK music festival. Press release below.
Stolen ‘ex-Kym’ Stradivarius sold for $2.27m [£1,385,000]
Stolen and recovered Stradivarius sold at auction by Tarisio for £1.385 million The world-famous Stradivarius violin that was stolen from London’s Euston Station in 2010 and later recovered has been sold today, 18th December 2013 for £1.385 million including the buyer’s premium.
The ‘ex-Kym’ Stradivarius has been sold by Tarisio, the leading auction house for fine stringed instruments.
“The 1696 Stradivari has been purchased by a British music festival led by an English violinist. We congratulate the new owner and wish them the best of luck and success with the violin. We are delighted that it will be played and enjoyed for many more years to come and that it will actively contribute to the musical vibrancy of this country through the festival and its wonderful work,” says Jason Price, Director of Tarisio.
The violin previously belonged to London-based violinist Min-Jin Kym, a celebrated international soloist and chamber musician and the story of the theft received worldwide attention and sympathy. After chasing leads across Europe, the instrument was recovered three years later by the police in the Midlands, astonishingly undamaged. The thief tried to flog it for £100.
We’ve received terrible news from Hong Kong. Ambrose Yeung, the popular and capable orchestra director of the Philharmonic, died suddenly today during a game of badminton. Newly married, he was at work as usual in the morning and dropped dead during the game in the afternoon. Tonight’s concert was called off an hour before its scheduled start. The players were too shocked to go on.
Our sympathies to Ambrose’s heartbroken family and colleagues.
The soaring comets and falling stars of a classical year that celebrated Wagner, Verdi and Britten.
The tops:
1 Jonas Kaufmann
The tenor for all tastes
2 Anna Netrebko
Every minigarch’s dream, she dumped an absentee husband and soared in Berlin’s Trovatore
3 Janine Jansen
The first classical soloist to sell strongly on download
4 Daniil Trifonov
A Tchaikovsky winner who prefers Schoenberg, he won a gilt-edged DG contract.
5 PatKop
The barefoot violinist goes boldly where others fear to tread.
And as for the flops:
1 Christoph Eschenbach
A conductor can get away with one bad night. This one had three massive flops.
2 Erwin Schrott
Beefcake baritone lost his diva ticket
3 The Bolshoi
Will the last conductor please turn out the light?
4 Steinway and Pleyel
One piano maker sold to asset strippers, the other went out of business
5 New York
…. which lost both City Opera and the Brooklyn Philharmonic with barely a public whimper.
Let’s hope for better performances in 2014.
A good deal of disquiet remains after the conductor’s press conference yesterday, when he denied any knowledge of Russia’s anti-gay laws. The matter has been rushed onto today’s council agenda. Our man on the spot says it’s a long agenda, with 71 points, but the Pink List feel strongly enough about the city’s new conductor to keep the issue alive. See UPDATE below.
Here is a further selection of the conductor’s comments, confirmed to us by the Munich Philharmonic:
That’s the pledge from Alexander Pereira, the incoming sovrintendente. Take with large pinch of salt. Here.
After 15 years of creating one of the best composer resources in the world, Christian Meyer is moving on. He’s 51 and has one more job in him. Meyer took charge 15 years ago when the archive was transferred from Los Angeles to Vienna. Read here.