Peter de Caluwé, head of the Brussels opera house, has announced 15 jobs losses and an end to the dance programme – this, at the company that was Maurice Béjart’s base. The opera programme will also be shortened.

De Caluwé says he has no choice. The government is clawing back 15 percent of its subsidy.

la monnaie

AskonasHolt, under new management this past half-year, has pulled several early plums out of its Christmas pudding.

In addition to Joyce DiDonato, whose switch we announced two weeks ago, Holt have signed the pianist Andras Schiff, the baritone Ludovic Tézier, the director Frederick Wake-Walker and the French soprano Julie Fuchs.

That’s quite a fistful.

Julie Fuchs Boheme-127942 web crop-480

The Government has appointed Darren Henley, head of Global Classic FM since 1999, as chief executive of Arts Council England.

Now that’s a breath of fresh air.

Darren is a commercial operator with a passion for music who travels up and down the country and is familiar with the workings of the outmoded subsidy system. He replaces Alan Davey, a career civil servant who resisted change and never said boo to a minister.

Darren is his own man. He will stand up to the Govt where necessary and to his chairman, Peter Bazalgette, once he has got his feet under the table.

If the arts in England stand for progress, this is it.

darren henley

David Blenkinsop, a Yorkshireman, turned the Perth arts festival truly original and international as its director from 1977 to 1999. Before that, he was a BBC reporter and a concerts manager at the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Among his landmark achievements was to import Peter Brook’s nightlong staging of the Mahabharata.

David, who was 77, had been suffering from Alzheimers.

david blenkinsop

 

Many happy returns to a dear friend, Menahem Pressler.

He’s playing with Rattle and the Berlin Phil on New Year’s Eve.

menahem Pressler berlin

The soprano has taken down a post on her Facebook page, explaining why she gave a million roubles ($19,000) to the opera house in war-torn Donestsk, handing the cheque to a pro-Russian separatist in front of a separatist flag. The incident has caused her no end of distress.

In Donetsk, meanwhile, the money has been handed out to singers and staff at the opera house. Each received 1,000 rubles ($19). None has received a pay cheque since July.

The theatre’s new chief executive, Yevgeny Denisenko, expressed thanks for the ‘noble gesture’. His predecessor dropped dead two months ago.

donetsk opera

Whatever became of flowing gowns and Away in a Manger? Still, at least they sing in tune…

out-of-the-blue-26213-300

From the publicity blurb: Out of the Blue, Oxford’s all-male a cappella group, in the 1994 hit single, which just turned 20 years old.

Filmed entirely on the Oxford campus, Harry Potter movie fans will recognize the background scenery as the primary filming locations for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The a cappella group even got special permission to film inside the world renown Bodleian Library of Oxford, including the beautiful Old Schools’ Quad and the Divinity School.

A month ago, power brokers in Seville, Spain, split the music directorship between the incumbent political pet Pedro Halffter, who had been rejected by the musicians, and the American John Axelrod.

Halffter will remain opera chief at the Teatro de la Maestranza, while Axelrod gets to lead symphony concerts.

The decision followed an international search for a successor to Halffter in which six maestros were shortlisted. One of them, Karel Mark Chichon, claims he scored top marks in the selection and should have got the job.

Chichon has started legal action against the Ministry of Culture, the Government of Andalusia and Seville City Council over alleged anomalies in the selection process.

garanca chichon

Chichon, 43, British born, is married to superstar mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca. Neither is shy of making a noise.

This sordid Seville fix will not die down any time soon.

 

UPDATE: Significant clarification:

Dear Mr Lebrecht

My name is Jose Maria Fernandez. I am the lawyer who was quoted in the article of El Mundo as confirming that Mr Chichon is considering legal action against the Sevilla authorities which you have included in one of your new items today.

I feel I should clarify to you that I spoke to El Mundo on behalf of the platform of musicians “Maestranza” which was formed by conductors, soloists and other musicians precisely so that the process of choosing a new conductor for Seville would be transparent.  I did not speak on behalf Mr Chichon.

It is this platform “Maestranza” that has alerted Mr Chichon about the anomalies of  the process but of course it is up to Mr Chichon to decide on legal action or not. We as a platform were not a candidate so we cannot consider any legal action against the authorities in question – only Mr Chichon can do that. All we can do is try to ask Mr Chichon to helps us expose the truth in this cloudy process, because we are all upset at the result of Halffter/Axelrod when the opportunity of having Chichon was in our opinion a one-in-a-lifetime chance for Seville to rise up to the top league of classical music.

I therefore ask you kindly to consider clarifying your statement or if you wish publishing me letter in full because we feel it’s not really fair on Mr Chichon when he is only trying to help us out of his own freewill when he has nothing more to gain in this situation.

Thanking you

Your sincerely

Jose Maria Fernandez

 

Madrid’s Teatro Rreal has put its finances in order. It now claims to have, at 30 percent of total revenue, the lowest level of state funding in Europe.

That cannot, however, be true. Covent Garden manages on well below 30 percent and Glyndebourne receives no public funds at all, except for its touring operation. Nice try, Madrid, but no tapas.

Press statement (very dull) below.

teatro real

 

 

MADRID: THE TEATRO REAL ACHIEVES FINANCIAL STABILITY WITH 30% OF PUBLIC FUNDING AND 70% OF OWN INCOME

 The Teatro Real consolidates its financing model with 70% of own income and corporate sponsorship.

 The theatre becomes the European Opera House with the least public funding in percentage terms.

 The budget for the financial year of 2015 presents a surplus and corrects the instability existent in previous years caused by the reduction of public funding.

 Since 2009, the Teatro Real has seen its public funding reduced by more than 62 million euros, and its effect has been absorbed with an economic reorganisation without turning to indebtedness or additional public funds.

 In 2015 the control on the expenditure of the running of the institution, the productions and personnel is maintained, which has meant a reduction of 12 million euros compared to 2009.

 Madrid, 15th of December of 2014 – the Patronage of the Teatro Real Foundation, in an ordinary meeting held today has approved the budget for 2015 with a total of 43.659.192 euros.

 The budget for 2015 approved today presents a surplus of more than 500,000 euros and corrects the instability existent in previous years caused by the significant reduction in funding by the Public Administration: the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport, the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council.

 In 2015 the public contribution of these three administrations will be, with a slight increase of 2%, of 13,188,975 euros. This number stands for 30% of the total budget of the Teatro Real for 2015, a percentage that leaves the institution as the Opera House with least public funding in percentage terms in Spain and continental Europe.

 The accumulated decrease of public funding since 2009, year in which the Teatro Real received almost 53% of its budget through such form of funding (27,773,135) is now of more than 62 million euros. This condensation of public funding has been accommodated by the theatre through its own income, without resorting to indebtedness or additional public funding plans.

 70% of own income and private sponsorship

Facing this considerable reduction of income coming from the Public Administration and an unfavourable economic situation, the Teatro Real has managed to establish a budgetary structure where 70% of the total income is generated by private sponsorship and own income.

 The income provided by the sponsorship on behave 98 companies has risen to 10,455,819 euros in 2015, reaching and doubles the original from 2009.

The section of own income is of 20,013,789 euros, comprising the revenue from sales and other activities like the renting of spaces, guided tours and the rent or sale of past productions. Compared to 2014, both sections have experienced an increase of 6% and 12%, respectively.

 Substantial reduction in expenditure

 The decrease of expenditure initiated in 2009 and intensified in 2012 though the implementation of the action plan for the expense reduction is maintained in 2015.

 In particular, the rigorous adjustment in functioning (-44%), productions (-26%) and personnel (-23%) expenses has allowed a reduction of more than 12 million euros compared to 2009.

Regarding the expenditure in productions, the amount set aside in 2015 will be of 12,702,905 euros, which will allow the development of the important artistic activities of the Teatro Real without any impact in its quality or quantity. In this sense, throughout 2015 (including part of productions belonging to the 14/15 and 15/16 seasons) the Teatro Real has programmed 92 opera performances, of nine different oeuvres, four ballets with 14 performances, 10 concerts and recitals, and 64 sessions of our teaching programme. Other activities like the 7 sessions of “Domingos de cámara” (chamber concerts) and 6 operas on film are included.

 Financial and budgetary stability

 Within the Patronage, and facing the concerns on the economic viability of the institution generated by the recent release of the conclusions reached by the Court of Auditors in their inquiry about the Teatro Real in 2012, the President and the Managing director have reminded that despite being published in late 2014, it includes conclusions only on the accounts of 2012, year that can be seen as a turning point due to the drastic reduction of public contributions to the Teatro Real’s budget.

 They have also emphasised the important reorganisation undertaken by the institution, both in income and expenditure, which guarantees the viability of the institution. They have drawn attention to the rigorous measures applied, especially during 2013 and 2014, that have allowed the Teatro Real to face the economic crisis with increasing strength, while completely correcting the situation of 2012 and reaching the financial balance of 2015.

 Furthermore, they have insisted on the fact that, as opposed to many organisations, both public and private, the Teatro Real has managed to undergo its reorganisation without turning to indebtedness or the help of extraordinary public funds from public bailout plans.

 International Council

The Patronage has approved the creation of the International Council, with Helena Revoredo as Chairman, which will include prominent figures, like José Manuel Durão Barroso. It will contribute to the increasing participation of the international civil society in the Teatro Real and the diffusion of its artistic project.

It’s about to be announced that Dame Fanny Waterman will retire as chairman and artistic director of the Leeds Piano Competition after next year’s round in September. Dame Fanny will be 95 in March 2015.

Dame Fanny Waterman c. Andy Manning (2009)

photo: Andy Manning, 2009

 

A piano teacher, she founded the competition in 1961 at a time when no international music contest took place in the UK. Her partners were her husband, Geoffrey De Keyser, a respected GP, the pianist Marion Harewood (later Thorpe) and the investor Jack Lyons. The first winner was a local sixth-former, Michael Roll. The next three were Rafael Orozco, Radu Lupu and Murray Perahia.

Dame Fanny set the standards, raised the funding, picked the judges and drove the media. The competition is entirely her creation. When I last saw her, she was planning to go on past 100.

Dame Janet Baker, her close friend and the competition’s patron, writes: ‘It has been a privilege to watch this courageous, indomitable lady hold on to the values on which she built this competition. They are the reason it is held in such respect, and why she has been able to count on the financial support of its benefactors for so many years. She has helped young musicians fulfil their promise, something dear to her heart and has guided “The Leeds” to its present international reputation because of her integrity, her passion, her personal charisma and infinite capacity for hard work.’

 

Janis Martin, who commanded major Wagner roles at the Met, has been found dead by a visitor at her home in San Antonio, Texas. She was 75. There were no suspicious circumstances.

A Californian, she sang 147 times at the Met, from 1962 to 1997. She also sang with the Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1971 to 1988 and at Bayreuth from 1968 to 1997 in 10 different roles.
janis martin abbado

With Claudio Abbado during 1980 rehearsals for Schoenberg’s Erwartung

They’ve been digging out old Soviet video and recycling it in a new documentary, using the old politicised commentary without a smidgeon of detachment. Who knew, for instance, that in 1966 there was a fashion for ‘intellectual’ violin playing that caused David Oistrakh’s students to miss out on first prize?

Viktor-Tetyakov--448x260

 

 

Watch in wonder.