The first prize was withheld at the piano round of the widely-watched Ard competition in Munich. But a South Korean Chi Ho Han (22) was given second prize and the public award and her compatriot Kang-Un Kim (25) shared third.
In Budapest, Taeguk Mun, a cellist at the New England Conservatory, was crowned winner of the Pablo Casals competition.
Professor Jörg-Peter Weigle was announced in April as the next head of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, a major international conservatory. Weigle, 61, had been its Rektor since 2008 and was due to take office on September 1.
On the day, apparently, he failed to show.
The institution has now announced he has resigned on health grounds.
We wish him well.
Weigle was principal conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic 1986-94 and Generalmusikdirektor of the Stuttgart Philharmonic, 1995-2002.
Warnings are being heard across the classical music business that the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra cannot survive a ‘Yes’ vote in the independence referendum.
The BBCSSO is funded from London to provide broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 from concerts and studio sessions that take place in Scotland.
If Scotland left the UK, the BBC would have no duty or desire to maintain an orchestra north of the border. The next head of Radio 3 will come under immediate pressure to ‘rationalise’ an orchestra. Abolishing the BBC Scottish would relieve pressure on other ensembles.
That’s the political scenario as seen from London.
Here’s a journalistic view from Scotland. It does not markedly differ.
The Order of Canada comes in three levels: Companion, Officer and Member. On Friday, four new Companions were invested. Two are musicians. The official citation reads:
Yannick Nézet-Séguin is one of the most sought-after conductors in the world. He is the artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, music director designate of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His talent has led him to conduct numerous other leading symphony orchestras worldwide. He is also highly acclaimed in opera circles, and the prestigious La Scala di Milano and New York Metropolitan Opera have welcomed him to the podium. Lauded for his clear and strong direction, he is also renowned for his charisma, daring, and uncomplicated manner.
Murray Schafer is widely regarded as one of the most important Canadian composers of the 20thcentury. With his singular voice and stunning creativity, he is renowned for infusing his choral, orchestral, chamber music and opera pieces with a distinctly Canadian spirit. His global impact is also reflected in his pioneering writings on acoustic ecology, which studies the relationships between people, sound and the environment. As founder of the World Soundscape Project at Simon Fraser University, he has encouraged academics and musicians to record and preserve the sonic environment of the planet. He remains one of the few Canadian composers to enjoy an international following.
