An alleged ‘coalition’ of Jewish groups are planning a demo near the Metropolitan Opera to protest against the Sept. 22 staging of John Adams’ opera The Death of Klinghoffer, which they consider to be anti-semitic.

The news is net-blasted by Arutz Sheva, propaganda outlet of West Bank settlers.

Read here. Treat with care.

 

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We hear the Concertgebouw has very quickly put together a shortlist of the maestros it wants to consider to succeed Mariss Jansons.

Three are Finns: Esa-Pekka Salonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Sakari Oramo.

Paavo Jarvi was added, two weeks ago, the moment he announced his departure from the Orchestre de Paris.

The fifth name is unknown to us at this point.

Of the four, Paavo’s manager will want more than the frugal Dutch can pay, Esa-Pekka keeps saying he means to spend more time composing and Saraste has never held office with a frontline European orchestra.

That leaves this man as Amsterdam frontrunner.

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(c) Norman Perryman/Lebrecht Music&Arts

 

UPDATE: Sakari Oramo has contacted Slipped Disc to say he is definitely not on the C’bouw list. Others, however, have been added.

 

It is reported that Cornwall, probably the poorest part of England and certainly the most beautiful, has decided to sack all of its music teachers. They will be employed as and when required on a freelance basis.

What kind of living is that?

 

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San Francisco Opera and its musicians are singing off the same hymn sheet: ‘Following almost four months of bargaining, characterized by both parties as collegial, respectful and dedicated to shared problem-solving, the new agreement creates a stable working framework now through July 31, 2018,’ said a joint announcement (below).

Expect more like this. The spectre of the Met farce and the Atlanta shootout has brought a new realism to both sides of the American negotiating table.

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SAN FRANCISCO (September 11, 2014)—The San Francisco Opera Association and members of the American Federation of Musicians Local 6 today jointly announced they have successfully negotiated a new four-year agreement for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra effective August 1, 2014. Following almost four months of bargaining, characterized by both parties as collegial, respectful and dedicated to shared problem-solving, the new agreement creates a stable working framework now through July 31, 2018.

 

The labor agreement provides increases in weekly pay of three percent in each year of the four-year agreement along with important changes to the Orchestra’s healthcare insurance which is anticipated to save the Company approximately $300,000 to $400,000 each year.  This new contract was ratified by the San Francisco Opera Orchestra on September 2 and provides stable employment for 28 weeks (including paid vacation) for the 69 members of the Orchestra.

 

The new agreement continues a commitment to media activity, central to the work of San Francisco Opera through its audience development programs and its international media distribution. This follows a transformational media agreement reached in 2011 and subsequently negotiated with the Opera’s other labor partners, thereby ensuring all of the Company’s media activity.

 

The new contract also provides for improvements to the War Memorial Opera House orchestra pit with new lighting and sound shields. In anticipation of the Company’s upcoming expansion into the adjacent Veterans Building/Wilsey Center for Opera, which will include a 299-seat theater, a vanguard new provision for work at the Wilsey Center was negotiated with both parties recognizing the importance of a new kind of programming in that venue.

 

An important new healthcare paradigm provides a selection of HMO, PPO and high-deductible plans aimed at providing more cost-effective, yet still flexible coverage that provides cost savings to the organization while meeting the complex healthcare needs of the Orchestra.

 

“I’m deeply grateful for the dedicated work of both negotiating teams,” commented SFO General Director David Gockley. “At a time of continued turbulence for this industry, I’m heartened that difficult issues were able to be addressed in a respectful manner, with both sides committed to the future of the Company. I’m especially appreciative of the Orchestra’s work with us to find additional savings after significant concessions in the 2011 negotiation, and for partnering with us on finding solutions to the growing cost of healthcare.”

 

Musicians’ Committee Chair Kevin Rivard observed: “Having made major concessions in 2011, the Orchestra is hopeful that this contract puts us on a path toward recovery. We are proud of the joint effort that preserved our contract while producing better understandings between the parties and ultimately helped us find creative solutions to our health insurance needs.”

 

San Francisco Opera’s negotiating team included David Gockley, Matthew Shilvock, Michael Simpson, Teri Xavier and Claire Padien-Havens with legal counsel from Nick Geannacopulos of Seyfarth Shaw. San Francisco Opera Orchestra’s negotiation team included Negotiation Committee members Kevin Rivard (chair), Thalia Moore, CarlaMaria Rodrigues, Mark Drury and Craig Reiss, Musicians Union Local 6 President David Schoenbrun, healthcare consultants Ilene Levinson and Glenn Risso, and administrative assistant Jane Shaffer, with counsel Liza Hirsch Medina. Joel Schaffer, Commissioner of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, participated in the latter part of the negotiations.

 

San Francisco Opera launched the 2014–15 Season on September 5 with a gala performance of Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma, followed by the Company premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah on September 6 and the 41st Opera in the Park concert on September 7. For complete details of San Francisco Opera’s 92nd season, visit sfopera.com.

 

It comes from Milan last night, courtesy of Kevin Pepers.

(If video does not pop out, click on word ‘Post’).

 

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A group of leading Scottish musicians, most of them composers, have published a letter in the Herald warning that a Yes vote could cost them valuable support from the BBC. The signatories are:

Rory Boyle, composer; Helen Grime, composer; James Loughran, former Principal Conductor, BBC SSO; Eddie McGuire, composer; John McLeod, composer; James MacMillan, composer; George McPhee, organist and Master of the Choristers, Paisley Abbey; Stuart MacRae, composer; Paul Mealor, composer; Hugh Macdonald, former director, BBC SSO, 4 Balvie Road, Milngavie.

Read the full letter here.

 

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Hardliner Karole Lloyd, who presided at the 2012 lockout, has cancelled this month’s board meeting. Here’s her memo. We might give her a ring.

 

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TO:                         Members, Board of Directors
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
FROM:                  Karole Lloyd
I wanted to let everyone know that we have decided to postpone next week’s regularly scheduled Board meeting.  We will reschedule the meeting for a later date.
We’re postponing because we do not anticipate any updates on the Collective Bargaining Agreement process by Monday.   If that does change, we will of course schedule a special telephone Board meeting to update you with any substantive news on the bargaining process.
In the meantime, if you have any questions you can call me at my office or my cell (numbers withheld by SD).

Karole Lloyd

The music director’s walkout at the Vienna Opera has hit the orchestra hard. Franz W-M is due to take them on a Scandinavian tour. And their coming season is unusually full of new music –  Olivier Messiaen, Krzysztof Penderecki, Pierre Boulez, Claude Vivier, Jorg Widmann.

‘The Philharmonic musicians are very interested in contemporary,’ declares the orch’s new business manager, Harald Krumpöck.

The ‘not happy’ quote comes from VPO’s new chairman Andreas Grossbauer, and is clearly aimed at the opera boss, Dominique Meyer, who is scrambling around for conductors to fill 34 blank nights this season before he can consider a choice of new music director.

 

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Part three of Gerald Finley’s assault on Mount Kilimanjaro:

Day 3

Slept poorly – dreams strange but fleeting. The occasional deep snore from another tent – apparently a sign of altitude acclimatisation. The large group dynamics of similar language groups always throws up the livelier souls – always laughing too loud too often. Sleep is this strange state of lower consciousness. The heart pounds just loud enough to be unsettling… Slurps of water to try and mitigate the altitude, but resulting need for the loo very frustrating. So, up in the night. Moon had set, stars dancing in the darkness above the peak. But chilly enough to make the lingering brief. A gentle “hello” from Thomas, our very gentle Assistant Guide, roused us out of our half sleep – the sun was hiding behind the mountain and the very fresh air filled our now slightly easier breathing lungs. So a dish bowl filled with hot water encouraged us to get ourselves splashed and beginning to pack up.

Thomas suggests “now is a good time for breakfast” and we creek our joints into the mess tent. The odd body positions of the previous night begin to unwind and the next plate of fried egg, toast and sausages is presented. Tea, or hot chocolate or just hot water with honey make delicious drinks. We know that lunch will just be a snack since a hoped-for cooked lunch yesterday was aborted due to National Park surveillance. We eat lots of the porridge and polish off the eggs. We pack up, under the watchful eyes of the Russian trio, one of whom has the most extraordinary gauze trousers in combat colours: against mosquitoes, wind, ultra violet? A mysterious fashion statement. Finally our bags our packed, our water supplies topped up and we head off, now in the full glare of the sun. The plateau means the incline is gradual so the effort is very reduced compared to yesterdays start up the rock outcrops above Machame camp. We are walking above the clouds, which eerily cover the entire area of the valley behind us. The sun is intense, and, covered in long sleeves, sun hat and other parts in 50 plus sunscreen, we feel assured that we are protected.

The very fresh wind comes at us from behind as we trudge slowly, very slowly, up the dusty path. Porters again overtake frequently, and I find myself easing out of their way until it becomes rather a chore to disrupt the regular pace. My mind is slightly hazy and I wonder if the slight wobble in strep is revealing to outside assessment. We climb through ever- increasing tundra, leaving vegetation behind.

The days journey is designed to climb high and sleep low (altitude), so we will climb some 800 metres up to 4600 metres. This is roughly where we will spend at camp on Day 5 before the ascent. We started today at 3800 and there is no doubt that even the regular pace and slight incline are making us feel a bit strange. But from Filex “How are you, Baba?” always gets the reply “OK, thanks”. The boys seem rather jaunty, and Daniel asks one of the porters what the word for “great” is; the reply is “Mzuka!!” This has the porters in hysterics whenever Daniel responds with it to “Mambo?” Another version is “po-a, po-a, ca chisi, ca mandisi” (cool as a banana…!).

We trudge along for some time, the height gain is continuing and Filex encourages us to get to our lunch stop where we will be at maximum altitude and can then enjoy the final push to Lava Tower and the rapid decent thereafter. The stop is just long enough for an attempt at text messaging – which fails – but soon we are on our way again pressing onward toward Lava Tower. Dusty and then boulder-strewn, we see it begin to loom, then there is a very hefty climb up a steep incline but our pace is snail slow and rhythmic. We definitely begin to struggle to the top and we suddenly recognize that we will not climb this high again until summit day. The path out of Lava Tower descends precipitously. The altitude weariness gives way to the tough action on knees and hips as we pound down a tricky boulder section. Again, porters jostle for pace and urgency to reach the camp ahead of the clients. As we descend, the immense rock formations begin to become enveloped by clouds blowing up the side. We begin to lose views and perception and the walking becomes a real chore along with the accompanying headache. And then the cloud begins to condensate on our packs and hats. Finally, not too soon, we find ourselves reaching the Baranco Camp, unaware of the surroundings due to the dense cloud. Our knees and legs are exhausted and our faces from what must be wind and sun. A very tough hike. Soon, however, with rest and food, we begin to revive. The clouds somehow disappear with ice forming on the tents and on the ground and then the mountain begins to shine behind us, the ice shimmering in the moonlight. We are right beside it – as close to touch. Looking the other way, the lights of Moshi twinkle some 12000 feet below. It is magical, the glow of the moon on the terrain and the nearness of the mountain. I am even a little bit excited by the thought of being up there. The stars are vibrant and shed their light dust upon the camp. The crunch underfoot going to the loo in the middle of the night brings on a cascade of Canadian winter memories.

How amazing to be here with this tired body and two amazing sons to taste the beauties of such natural splendour. The silence is immense.

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Day 4

Did I actually sleep? Two brief sessions maybe. Crazy dreams! It feels like morning in no time, but the final half hour sleep is nearly the best. The hot water bottle is still warm, and I finally have found a position that lasts a while. Thomas’ “hello, how are you?” breaks the general early morning murmur and rising hubbub and we are invited to breakfast after a pack up that is much better in planning – camping is all about where to put what, where. There is nearly a system…! Getting out of the tent reveals the supreme majesty of the rock face we will climb today, with the sun just about to illuminate the camp and part of the path up the Baranco Wall. After another delicious breakfast with real crepes (they call them chapattis) we are ready to go.

But the climb is slow, slow, slow. Hundreds of people on a single ascending precipitous path mean that bottlenecks, large porter packs and slow climbers reduce all movement to a half snails’ pace. There are treacherous sections where holding on with both hands in a bear hug to the bolder allow feet to shimmy alongthe narrow rock ledge. Always upwards it allows a few brief conversations with fellow trekkers, but today it feels like there are just too many people on this section.

One step and a domino effect would take out a dozen people. We clamber higher and higher, then sun finds us on the top of the wall. From there, we begin a long descent, testing knees and hips again, eventually arriving at one side of the Karanga Valley. A fiercely sunny day with the ever cool-cold wind. Lots of remarks about sunstroke keep us covered and drinking. We finally reach the camp, tired and hungry. At least sun and mountain are hidden in cloud. Lunch of sandwiches and chapattis, then unpacking and a brief snooze. We got a photo of our whole group, and they sing the “Kilimanjaro song” – a slightly cheesy tradition for the clients but at least performed with cheerfulness and warmth. It was the first encounter with some of the faceless porters who carry anything and seemingly above the fifteen kilogram personal weight limit. Our stuff is always set up ahead of us, and the porters seem to vanish in the camp. Final instructions from Filex about the “big day ahead” involve what to wear, when and what the timing will be. Tomorrow is indeed summit day with all its endurance, strength and exhaustion attached. I have a brief moment of “what are we doing here?!” but stepping out of the mess tent after a dinner of chicken cacciatore with rice, the bright moon and stars again spotlight the mountain. We are underneath the peak. We are actually going up there tomorrow!

The producers insist no money changed hands. It’s just Macca reaching out to a new audience – with what sounds like an offcut of the numbers he was writing 40 years ago for Wings. Listen to it here. 

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