You’ve got to start somewhere in the orchestra. To watch the video, click on the word ‘Post’.
Nice one, Rainer Hersch and Lore Lixenberg.
One of Moscow’s oldest independent record stores, the Purple Legion, founded in 1992, shut down today after poor sales. Our man on the spot says it had the best classical department in the whole of Russia.
The store had downsized sharply two months ago. The order to close came from absentee owners in the US.
Report here (in Russian).
The conductor Yannick Nézét-Séguin has asked us to adjust a previous report, suggesting he was no longer music director in Rotterdam.
He writes: ‘I remain deeply and profoundly proud of being Music Director of the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, I was just there 3 days ago holding auditions for great new members of our Orchestra… unfortunately, Facebook sometimes chooses not to have certain information appear and the next day it changes.’
Bloody Facebook!
An inquest into the death of Frances Andrade, the violinist who took her own life after testifying against her rapist, the Chetham’s head of music Michael Brewer, has been told by her widower that she was upset at the time about her mother, who had been diagnosed in Canada with cancer. There were also some financial worries.
But Levine Andrade said his wife had only become seriously depressed after realising she would have to testify in court against Brewer.
He said: “She fell into incredible despair, the truth hit home. It was not something she wanted to report to the police.
“It brought back horrible memories from her past.
“Life took a real downturn after the court proceedings – that was when she was at her complete lowest.
“Apart from the trial bringing it all back up, she felt the defence barrister seemed to be attacking her personally.
“It got her completely down and she felt completely defenceless. I think she felt she was not prepared enough for the trial.
“She was not expecting to be attacked personally and have to answer so many direct questions in public.
“The words she used were she felt as if she were the one on trial.”
The inquest continues. Report here.
The Canadian conductor Yannick Nézét-Séguin is no longer listed as music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic on his Facebook page.
The orch has sent its managing director Hans Waege on indefinite medical leave (as we reported exclusively) after disagreements with Yannick.
It could be that the matter is about to come to a head. If Yannick has quit, there’s no-one in authority to announce it.
Yannick is presently (as listed):
- Music Director at The Philadelphia Orchestra,Principal Guest Conductor at London Philharmonic Orchestra and Guest Conductor atChamber Orchestra of Europe
UPDATE: We’ve heard from Yannick. It appears Facebook has played around with his data. He’s still m.d. in Rotterdam.
This is the unfortunately named ‘Invasion’, in the Tver region, highlight of the Russian rock summer. More here.
Irina Churilova, 31, from Novosibirsk, won the Hans Gabor Belvedere singing competition in Düsseldorf last night.
Second was the South African baritone, Siyabulela Ntlale.
Third was the South Korean bass, Il Do Song.
The next Belvedere competition will be held in Capetown.
The Australian pianist Jayson Gillham, winner of the Montreal Piano Competition, has signed an agency deal with Emblem Artists, a one-woman firm that has just one other artist on its books – the violinist Nicola Benedetti.
Emblem is owned by Elaine Armstrong, a refugee from the crumbling edifice of IMG Artists.
Jayson (centre) is thrilled to be getting dedicated, professional attention.
It gives us huge pleasure to celebrate the 90th birthday next Sunday of Carlo Bergonzi, still singing strong.
And the 75th today of Elena Obraztsova.
Keith Cerny, head of The Dallas Opera, has picked up two stats from Peter Gelb’s recent moans and turned them on their head.
Gelb said: 75% of the Met US cinema audience is over 65.
Cerny says: 80% of TDO’s simulcast audience is under 65.
Gelb said: our cinema audiences don’t come to the Met.
Cerny says: ours do.
Read on here.
