Helsinki’s getting hot for Kalevi Aho’s new -three-hour opera “Frida y Diego” about the life of artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, to be premiered by students of the Sibelius Academy this Saturday. Wish we were there.
The Estonian composer was awarded the Praemium Imperiale in Tokyo today by Japan’s Prince Hitachi.
The prize, worth 110,000 Euros, is sometimes known as the Nobel of the arts.
(c) DPA/Picture Alliance
The Bach Choir will be giving ‘Tavener: A Celebration’ concert on November 25 at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
Ahead of the event, composer John Rutter, Tavener’s nephew Simon and the choir’s musical director David Hill recall the late composer, quirks and all, and discuss Oh where, tell me where? which will receive its UK premiere at this concert.
Another lovely story from the Met musicians website: James Kreeger recalls playing Barber’s Adagio in the 100-piece College of Strings more than half a century ago. Read here.
The great violinist Salvatore Accardo, returning home from a tour of China, discovered to his horror that Rome Opera had sacked its orchestra and chorus.
‘What has happened in Rome – the dismissal of 182 musicians in the most prestigious theater of our capital city – is a shameful thing, not only for the infamous decision to abolish an orchestra, but also because it falsely justifies an indecent act. They want the public to believe that the only ones responsible for years of mismanagement and holes in the budget are the musicians of the orchestra. Crazy.’
He added:
‘People abroad are horrified, and I emphasize, horrified at the story of the Opera di Roma. The heads of the Opera have said that these procedures – ‘outsourcing’ the orchestra – are done everywhere. But that’s not true. In Germany, Switzerland, France, the United States no one comes to mind who has dismissed the orchestra and relied on ad hoc orchestras.’
The Nielsen Soundscan ratings are in. Three records outsold all others in the US in the past week.
Joshua Bell’s Bach, visible on all public media, sold 824 copies.
The Boys of St Paul’s Choir celebrating Christmas in Harvard Square on Decca, sold 829.
The top-selling US records, at 1,011 copies, was music from the Seattle Symphony by a man called John Adams.
John Luther Adams.
Become Ocean is the shock classical hit of the year.
This is the iconic cover picture of the Abbey Road album. Noi surprises there.
But there were six other shots from which the ultimate cover was selected.
Reverse, for instance.
With London bus. And best of all…
(Recognise her, anyone?)
The set are about to be sold off. Press release below.
London – Rare outtakes and the final cover shot for The Beatles Abbey Road album will be auctioned at Bloomsbury Auctions’ Photographs & Photobooks sale on Friday 21st November 2014.
The set of six photographs commissioned from Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan (1938-2006) as possible designs for the album’s front cover – together with the Abbey Road street sign used on the back cover – is of legendary rarity on the art market.
This is believed to be the first time that a complete suite of the signed and numbered photographs has ever been offered at public auction. The collection will be on view to the public in central London from Sunday 16th November, before going under the hammer on Friday 21st November where they are estimated to achieve £50,000 – 70,000.
On 8th August 1969 Macmillan, a close friend of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, climbed a ladder in the middle of Abbey Road and in the next ten minutes took six photographs of the Fab Four walking back and forth across a zebra crossing. The fifth of his six shots, selected by Paul McCartney, would become the album cover for the Beatles’ last-recorded album and one of pop music’s most famous and recreated images.
In 1989 Iain Macmillan was quoted saying; “That photo’s been called an icon of the 60s. I suppose it is. I think the reason it became so popular is its simplicity. It’s a very simple, stylised shot. Also it’s a shot people can relate to. It’s a place where people can still walk.”
With his Hasselblad camera storing the six images, Macmillian set off to photograph a road sign to use as the back cover. To Macmillan’s annoyance, whilst he was photographing the sign on the corner with Alexandra Road, a girl in a blue dress walked through the shot, however it was this image that was later chosen as the back cover.
At the time the front cover shot advanced speculations in the ‘Paul is Dead’ conspiracy, a theory that suggests Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was replaced with a body double.
Bloomsbury Auctions sold an individual ‘outtake’ print of The Beatles walking ‘backwards’ for £16,000 in May 2012, however, this is believed to be the first time that a complete suite has been offered at auction.
Sarah Wheeler, Head of Photography at Bloomsbury Auctions said; “To see the full collection of photographs together is a rare and fascinating opportunity for fans of the Beatles, Music and Photography. We are delighted to be offering them at auction and anticipate worldwide interest for this famous and timeless suite.”
The Photographs & Photobooks sale will be held at Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions saleroom in London’s Mayfair on Friday 21st November. The full catalogue will be available to view and download at www.bloomsburyauctions.com
The Government of West Australia has instructed its health protection agency to lift the ban on the state opera’s Carmen. The intervention follows an international outcry over political correctness and creeping censorship.
All sorted? No.
These things are not adjusted by order. Perth has been added to our watchlist as an odd climate for opera.
This is Pretty Yende, with Kamal Khan, at Carnegie Hall last night.
ne tirez pas sur le pianist
At a time when most papers are laying off arts writers, we are delighted to learn that the Toronto Star has appointed a new music critic.
He is our longterm associate Michael Vincent, publisher of Musical Toronto.
Just in from Mats A. Johansson in Vienna:
So, 45 min before the concert the soloist gets a call that his wife is having their baby in London, and he is on the first flight. What does the Swedish Radio Symphony orchestra do? They move Heldenleben first in the concert and throw in Mahler 1 after the break. You guys are true heroes (especially Hans Larsson) and you makes me miss Sweden so much! This is the best Mahler I have heard in Vienna!
(conductor: Daniel Harding)