Happy birthday, one day late, to our beloved Ivry Gitlis – probably the best violinist never to have a record career (though he became world famous on film and television).

(Click on ‘Post’ if video fails to pop out).

OK, time to quit.
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Post by Debbie Voigt.

press release:

James Conlon, music director of Ravinia Festival since 2005, announced today that 2015 will be his final season as music director of the festival. Conlon has offered a one-year extension on his current contract that was due to expire at the end of this season, said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman. Conlon and Kauffman have shaped the 2015 season as a celebration of Conlon’s long association with Ravinia, where he has been regular guest conductor since 1977.

            “At the conclusion of another wonderful summer season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, I have chosen to make the 2015 season my last as music director,” Conlon said. “I am grateful to Welz Kauffman, who graciously understood and accepted my decision, and will arrange for a smooth transition.

            “Everything has its time, and after 11 years I feel it is the moment to pass on this responsibility. This has been a difficult decision. The work at Ravinia is very meaningful to me, and the CSO is a supreme orchestra,” continued Conlon. “I have worked year-round, including every summer, since 1974. There are things I wish to accomplish, both musical and personal, and I need dedicated time to realize these projects.

            “I am deeply appreciative to the Ravinia Family for the confidence they placed in me over a decade ago, to Chairman John Anderson and all the past Ravinia Chairmen—especially Eden Martin, who presided over my hiring—the Board of Trustees, the Women’s Board, the Ravinia Associates Board and the entire Ravinia staff (some of whom I have known since my earliest visits to the festival), to the supportive public, and most of all to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for the years of beautiful and exciting music making.”

            Kauffman said, “James has brought us so many magical moments at Ravinia. We’re proud of his multiyear Mahler cycle that commemorated the major anniversaries of the composer’s birth and death. His traversal of the complete Mozart Piano Concertos featured soloists who had graced all the world’s stages right alongside newly minted pianists from Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute (RSMI). And when it comes to Mozart, what could have been better than James daring to take the CSO into the Martin Theatre for a collection of Mozart operas in this perfectly sized hall, equivalent in size to the theaters Mozart himself would have known?

            “Considering James’s worldwide acclaim as an opera conductor, it’s no wonder that his celebration of romantic grand operas blew the roof off the Pavilion. He has drawn on his vast experience in opera and knowledge of the contemporary opera scene to cast Ravinia’s opera performances at the highest international level. We’ll never forget Patricia Racette in Salome,Madame Butterfly and Tosca, the latter with Bryn Terfel and Salvatore Licitra; or Rigoletto with Dmitri Hvorostovsky; and Aida with Latonia Moore, Michelle DeYoung and Roberto Alagna,” Kauffman continued. “James also introduced Ravinia and generations of music lovers to the works of composers suppressed by the Nazi regime. James has made an enormous contribution internationally in rescuing these composers and their music from obscurity. His championing of this music has become a worldwide calling card and a cause that achieved particular impact at Ravinia, which also presented this work at Chicago’s Temple Sholom and at the Illinois Holocaust Museum.”

            “James is a true believer, a lover of music and a musician with boundless capacity for empathy and artistry. He will be missed almost as much as he is admired by the Ravinia Family,” Anderson said. “In addition to his music making with the CSO, Conlon has also brought his teaching acumen to RSMI, adding luster to an already lustrous program, sharing his insights and decades of performing experience with these young artists. We will always be grateful to him.” 

            Ravinia was founded in 1904 and began presenting the CSO in an annual summer residency in 1936. Nearly three decades later Ravinia hired its first music director, Seiji Ozawa (1964–71), followed by James Levine (1971–93) and Christoph Eschenbach (1995–2003).

             “As to the future of Ravinia’s musical leadership, the only decision we’ve made at this point is to not rush into a decision,” Kauffman said. “Such transitions present a rare opportunity to take a fresh look at who we are and what we do in these challenging times for classical music. We know from our audiences that they enjoy seeing a variety of guest conductors leading the CSO, so we will take our time.”

There will be no shortage of candidates clamouring to succeed Paavo Järvi at the Orchestre de Paris in 2016.

It is one of the top-paid music director posts in Europe and it will come equipped with a stunning new Jean Nouvel hall, a dedicated management and an excellent, hard-working group of musicians.

So why did Paavo quit?

We haven’t spoken to him recently, and there is no doubting the sincerity of his affection for the city and its musicians. His reasons will be personal and strategic. It may be that he has an eye on other targets, not least the Berlin Philharmonic vacancy that looms in 2017.

pictured: Paavo (centre) with Ivry Gitlis (left) and others

But it seems more likely that he was deterred by the political and economic outlook in France, where the government has just fallen over a new austerity policy and everyone is talking of ‘la crise’.

All through the summer we have been hearing rumours of heavy cuts about to be imposed on orchestras and opera houses. The culture minister, Aurélie Filippetti, was one of a group of three Cabinet members fighting austerity measures. The new Philharmonie hall is running late and way over budget. Its scheduled opening in January may be delayed. Its artistic plans may be curtailed.

Paris is burning with anxiety. Until the government unites for or against fiscal responsibility, the economic outlook will remain cloudy.

Paavo has done a tremendous job at the Orchestre de Paris, but the rush to succeed him will be tempered by sober realities.

The following statement has been issued in the last few minutes.

MESSAGE FROM PAAVO JARVI:

Ladies and Gentlemen

By the end of August, I had to decide whether or not to renew my current contract as Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris.

This was a really difficult decision for me…. I am very fond of the Orchestre de Paris and very close to its wonderful musicians.

Over the past four years we have given many concerts … both at home in Paris and around the world.
Over the remaining two years of my contract, we have many important things still to achieve. In January we have the great honour of performing the opening concerts in the new Philharmonie in Paris and this Autumn we are touring to China where we will be one of the first foreign orchestras to appear in the new hall in the French quarter of Shanghai. We will also complete our recording of the Sibelius symphonies.

In October 2015, I start a new chapter of my life.
In addition to continuing my 20 year relationship with Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, I take up the position of Music Director of NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo.I feel that I must devote time and attention to this new post.

So with a heavy heart I have decided that I will not renew my contract with Orchestre de Paris when it expires at the end of summer 2016.

Paavo Jarvi

UPDATE: Commentary here.

The Polish-American bass Valerian Ruminski has been fired by Opera Lyra in Ottawa, Canada, two weeks before he was due to appear as the Sacristan in Tosca.

Ruminski had posted comments on his own Facebook page about a man he had seen on a bus sporting jewelled fingernails. His comments about ‘deficiencies’ and ‘parading his choices’ came during the city’s Capital Pride festivities and were circulated as a screenshot on Twitter.

The company immediately terminated Ruminski’s contract, saying: ‘Persons employed by Opera Lyra, including short-term cast members, are expected to contribute to good community relations. Respectful behaviour towards others is an essential part of this.’

Ruminski promptly apologised in a statement issued by his publicist:

‘My statement was hurtful and I have realized that what I have said was cruel and not in keeping with the way I generally feel about people and have interacted with people in the past. It was an unfortunate spur of the moment thoughtless comment that I need not have said and should not have said. I apologize and regret any harm this has caused to any and all parties affected by my comments.’

The incident follows uproar in Australia over an overtly anti-gay diatribe that appeared on the Facebook page of the Georgian soprano, amar Iveri, for which she was eventually sacked.

Opera singers must learn to curb their prejudices.

UPDATE: The singer speaks. ‘I’m a liberal… I like to bitch.

We have been informed of the death of Barbara Miszel Giardini, a celebrated mezzo-soprano in major European opera houses.

Here is an obituary by Breandáin O’Shea, in Berlin.

Last week saw the passing of a modest diva, the great Polish singer, Barbara Miszel Giardini. The mezzo-soprano was celebrated in opera houses across Europe for her interpretation of roles as diverse as Bizet’s Carmen, the title role in Rossini’s “La Cenerentola,” or as Judith, in Honneger’s renowned work of the same name. The few recordings that exist of this exceptional singer bear witness to the warmth and beauty of her voice, as well as her great artistry.

Opera critics often noted the exquisiteness of Miszel Giardini’s voice, but also applauded her impeccable technique that enabled her not only to sing a broad dramatic repertoire with great intensity, but also to execute virtuosic coloratura passages with clarity and precision – a rare attribute among singers. The great Italian mezzo-soprano, Gianna Pederzini, one of the 20th century’s most-celebrated Carmens, said in an interview in 1984 that, “Miszel has one of the most exceptional voices.” And the German newspaper, the Düsseldorfer Nachrichten, praised her voice for its “overwhelming expressiveness in both dramatic and lyrical roles.”

Born in 1932 in Lvov, then Poland, today Ukraine, Barbara Miszel Giardini’s family moved to Warsaw prior to World War Two. There, the young singer witnessed the hardships of the Warsaw Ghetto and the destruction of her beloved city during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Throughout her life, she often recalled her horrific childhood experiences in Warsaw at that time.

Initially, the young Barbara wanted to study medicine, but a chance encounter led to her auditioning at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw to study singing. She completed her studies there, obviously with great success, as just three years later she won first prize in the prestigious Warsaw Singing Competition. A series of recordings for Polski Radio followed, where she recorded Lieder by Moniuszko, Karłowicz, Niewiadomski, Żeleński, Opieński and Foster, as well as Schuman and Brahms. Throughout her career, critics praised her interpretation of Lieder for its sensitivity and the attention she gave to language and poetic nuances.

Barbara Miszel Giardini’s stage debut came in 1956, when she was engaged by the opera in the Polish city of Posen. There she sang Hansel in Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel,” and Magdalena in Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” The role of Marina in Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov” followed at the Warsaw Opera, as did Amneris in “Aida” and, subsequently, the title role in Honegger’s “Judith,” which became one of her most-celebrated roles. Indeed, her recording of “Judith” with the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Henryk Czyż, remains a milestone recording today, and is broadcast frequently by Polski Radio.

Already at this early stage of her career, Barbara had a busy concert career, appearing regularly with the Polish Philharmonic in Warsaw, the Cracow Philharmonic and the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, as well as giving guest performances in Denmark, Yugoslavia and Italy. In 1960 a scholarship enabled the young singer to study at La Scala in Milan, Italy. These were formative years in her career, Milan being at that time, the epicentre of opera in Europe. Alongside the excellent training her scholarship provided her, she had the chance to hear Sutherland, Tabaldi and di Stefano at the height of their careers.

In 1962, the-then Barbara Miszel married the Italian physicist, Salvatore Giardini. They lived for a short while in Milan, before moving to  Rome. After the birth of their son, Miszel Giardini returned to the stage. First in Poland at the Warsaw Opera, where she sang a much-celebrated Carmen, and then to Germany and the Hessischen Staatstheater in Wiesbaden, the Cologne and Frankfurt Operas and Düsseldorf’s Deutsche Oper am Rhein. The following decades were a golden age for the Oper am Rhein, when the house flourished under the direction of the legendary stage director, Grischa Barfuss. A great admirer of Miszel Giardini, Barfuss persuaded the singer to leave Wiesbaden and join his ensemble. The house became important for her, as there, alongside her celebrated Rossini roles, she received much critical acclaim for her performances of the dramatic Verdi characters of Eboli in “Don Carlos”, Azucena in “Troubadour”, Ulrica in “Maskenball,” and Quickly in “Falstaff,” as well as Santuzza in Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana”.

The 70s and 80s saw Barbara Miszel Giardini appearing regularly not just at major opera houses in Germany, but also at many of Europe’s leading opera houses including Paris, Lyon, Zürich, Basel, Athens, Lucerne and Geneva. She sang diverse roles, from Amneris in Verdi’s “Aida”, to virtuosic Rossini characters such as Isabella in “The Italian in Algiers”, or Rosina in “The Barber of Seville.” At the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, she sang the title role in “La Cenerentola.” The Rossini operas were all part of a series directed by the renowned director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle‎.

She worked with conductors Henryk Czyż, Heinz Wallberg, Georg Schmöhe, and Alberto Erede. She was to have performed Honegger’s “Judith,” with Herbert von Karajan, but was forced to cancel the performance after her mother died suddenly.

Barbara Miszel Giardini’s warm and friendly disposition made her a much-loved member of opera ensembles and she made many great friends during her career. These included not just esteemed singing colleagues and conductors, but also répétiteurs, pianists, chorus members, make-up and costume artists and secretaries. Barbara was loved and cherished by the many who were privileged to work alongside her; many  became lifelong friends. Important as her career was to her, family came first for Barbara Miszel Giardini. Despite her voice still being in top form, it was a personal tragedy that led to her retiring from the stage in the late 1980s. She subsequently made her home in Düsseldorf. While she remained interested in the happenings of the opera and music world, she started to enjoy travelling, free of demanding rehearsal schedules. She did teach a little, but felt it was not a profession suited to her. She remained modest and only spoke of her remarkable career if she was asked about it.

In 2011 Barbara Miszel Giardini moved to Berlin, where she died on August 19, 2014. She is survived by her only child, the opera set and costume designer, Gilberto Giardini.

Players in the Teatro Regio have issued a unanimous letter of support for their music director, Gianandrea Noseda, who has threatened to resign unless the theatre appoints a more compatible manager. The orchestra plays tomorrow night at the Edinburgh Festival. Rumour has it that Noseda has already resigned.

Here is the players’ letter:

The Teatro Regio Torino Needs Maestro Noseda

The news of Maestro Noseda’s withdrawal from the Music Directorship of Teatro Regio Torino is forcing us to clarify our position.

The orchestra hereby states that the artistic and cultural value of an opera house is the fundamental element for its existence locally and internationally. Only the quality and the international profile of our theatre (and consequently of the city of Torino) will allow – in a new strategically driven vision – to attract the financial support, which the political institutions of our country are unable to grant. Our theatre shall continue to pursue the program that has been designed and executed by Gianandrea Noseda, to export its performances, now highly requested worldwide.

Today, facing the news of the departure of our Music Director, the alternative is no longer to perform in Torino instead of in New York, but to stop performing at all.

The Teatro Regio Torino has been suffering a while from a lack of sufficient public funding, which is essential for its activities. Despite the accurate administration of the resources, the financial situation of our theatre is now close to a state of emergency. Time is of the essence, if it has not already expired.

It is an essential and urgent project of further development, which will blend the fund raising activities with a cultural vision of the highest profile.

The Orchestra of the Teatro Regio Torino, based on the results so far achieved with Maestro Noseda, believes that his presence is needed to achieve these goals and urges Mayor Fassino to intervene and make sure that Maestro Noseda’s requests will be met and his stay granted. There is no longer room for additional delayed answers.

Statement approved unanimously by the Orchestra of the Teatro Regio Torino

The players have been given two weeks to accept a package involving unspecified cuts. The board wants fewer players and cheaper health care.

If the players refuse, there is little doubt that a gung-ho management will lock them out, just as they did two years ago.

Since then, Atlanta has been gaining a reputation among good musicians as one to avoid.

Details here.

The Russian prime minister Dmitri Medvedev has published an authorisation for the next Tchaikovsky international competition, taking place in June-July 2015. The sum of 40 million rubles has been allocated for budget year 2014 and 300 million for 2015 – equivalent to $85 million.

Bigger than Van Cliburn?

The city of Izhevsk has decided that all passengers arriving or departing by air or raiL will be accompanied by the music of Tchaikovsky. If you’re running late, Marche Slav might not put a spring in your step. You’d better hope they’s playing one of the friskier dances from Swan Lake (although that could mean dancing on one spot). Let us know if you’ve been hit by the new wall of Tchaik at Izhevsk.

Message from Placido Domingo:

Plácido Domingo has accepted Formula 1 Spanish Champion Fernando Alonso’s nomination of the Ice Bucket Challenge and will support the ALS Association Fund.

 In turn, Placido Domingo has nominated Russian Opera Diva Anna Netrebko, Chinese Pianist sensation Lang Lang and young Italian Cross Over Trio IL VOLO !