The troubled Bergisch Symphony, music director Peter Kuhn, says it will go bust mid-season unless two towns, Remscheid and Solingen, come up with an extra 200,000 Euros. Details here.

Arte have uploaded the Berlin Philharmonic New Year’s concert, attended by the German Chancellor.

Soloist in the Mozart piano concerto K488 is Menahem Pressler, aged 91, making no concessions to his age.

He comes in at 16′ on the video. Watch, and wonder.

Click here.

Ismene Brown relates a fascinating memoir on the Spectator site of a wild gooseberry chase she went on after the late Michael Kennedy dropped hints in her direction that the great composer had a love child with another man’s cook. Ah, but there were two cooks with the same name.

It’s a fabulous, tangled tale of journalistic derring-do and a wonderful read for the weekend. Click here.

What it called to mind was the tip-off I received, some 30 years ago, from a godson of Elgar’s, that led me to track down the missing person in the Enigma Variations to the conservatoire in Leipzig, and later to New Zealand. It made the front page of the Sunday Times.

Name of Helen Weaver. Here she is.

picture (c) LebrechtMusic&Arts

Here’s one we missed from the New Year’s Honours List.

The banker, Jonathan Moulds, chair of the LSO’s development board and donor of its largest ever gift, has been awarded the CBE.

Aside from his work with the orchestra, Moulds, 47, is a violinist and viola player who lends out some of his prized instruments. One is currently in the hands of Nicola Benedetti.

In his day job, Moulds is European President at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Well-deserved gong.

Exclusive report here. Alex Barnes has swiftly produced the a professional video.

Neuro psychologists at Zurich University think they have found the area of the brain that gives us, or withholds, the ability to identify a note on hearing it. Now they are trying to work out why. It seems there are two theories…. Read summary here (in English).

More than 150 musicians turned out last night at a few hours’ notice, alerted by Slipped Disc and other social media, to play Samuel Barber’s Adagio on Trafalgar Square in memory of the innocent victims of the Paris massacre. They came from all over London, some from way beyond London, to voice together their sympathy and their outrage. The performance was led by the violinist, Thomas Gould.

Here is an exclusive report from the organiser, Vanessa Lucas-Smith, cellist of the Allegri Quartet.

photo(c) Thomas Bowles
Having played on the stage of many prestigious concert halls around the world it is hard to remember a performance that meant as much as tonight’s. Perched on a wall, four to a stand and freezing cold, there was only one work on the programme – Barber’s Adagio for Strings. Having fretted for most of the day as to how many would turn up and play at only a few hours notice – 150 did, at a conservative guess. (Lesson learnt – have more faith in humanity).

These are passionate, caring and generous people, never mind the impressive list of accolades between them (a BBC young musician of the year, orchestral leaders, international chamber musicians). It really is not the point. We were united in cause; one of remembrance, of the shock and horror of the brutality of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, of sadness for the victims and their friends and family and of the determination to stand up for democracy and freedom of expression. Living in these times we need as many reminders as are possible that most people act with love, kindness to others and with generosity of spirit.

photos (c) Vanessa Lucas-Smith/Slipped Disc

And now with added video of the performance. Click here.

More pics here.