They promised it last month. Now they’re delivering. Click here for details.
This may be the first time since the death of Oliver Cromwell that British orchestras have received a pre-election bribe.
What it means, in effect, is that tax relief can be claimed on player fees, rehearsal costs and venue hire, just as it can in theatres and film.
Marianne Langner Zeitlin, widow of the late violinist Zvi Zeitlin, got to know Igor and Vera Stravinsky while they were touring Israel for concerts in the summer of 1962. She has some wonderful tales to tell. For instance:
That evening at dinner, the Stravinskys regaled us with stories about their recent visit at the White House. The Kennedys were charming, they were elegant, and the dinner, French haute cuisine, but of course, as Jackie was proud of her newly-acquired French chef. Kissing his thumb and forefinger expressively, Stravinsky said: “Tres delicieux, tres delicieux… But…”
It turned out to be a long, drawn-out and big “but.” “Yes, elegant, charming but they surprised me, these people.” He lifted his eyeglasses to place them on his forehead and raised his voice a notch. “They never hear of my ‘Sacre’ [‘Sacre du Printemps,’ or ‘Rite of Spring’]. Never heard the work, never heard about the premiere.”
“Ah, bubushkin,” Vera said, shaking her head disdainfully. “What did you expect? He doesn’t know the first thing about music. But from Jackie, with her cultural background, I expected better, but no, she didn’t say anything. Maybe she didn’t want to show him up.”
It’s our Slipped Disc long read for the weekend. Click here for the full story.
A letter (reproduced) went out to Juilliard staff last night from the college president, Joseph W. Polisi. Extract:
I am writing to let you know that the School has received a report alleging sexual misconduct by faculty member Choong Mo Kang. His alleged misconduct involved a student. Juilliard reported this matter to law enforcement and has prohibited Mr Kang from returning to School premises. Mr Kang has been suspended pending further action by the School.
Juilliard is cooperating fully with the external law enforcement investigation…
The School does not tolerate inappropriate or illegal conduct, investigates all allegations thereof and takes definitive and corrective actions based on the results of those investigations.
UPDATE: Choong denies the charges. See here.
The Palau de les Arts has a new artistic director.
He is Davide Livermore, who hails originally (according to his Facebook page) from Torino, Illinois. After a short singing career, he has worked internationally as an opera director. Since 2002 he has been head of the Teatro Baretti in Torino, Italy.
His is an internal promotion. Livermore is artistic director of the Centro de Perfeccionamiento Plácido Domingo at the Palau de les Arts.
He replaces Helga Schmidt, who was fired earlier this week after being arrested in a corruption investigation, which she strongly contests.
Malena Ernman has good intentions, but her political opposition to Birgit Nilsson in a Wagner role on a new banknote is plain silly. And the media suggestion that Nilsson was antisemitic is based on a selective misreading of her autobiography.
Read below.
Opera singer Malena Ernman has criticized the Riksbank for choosing a design where Birgit Nilsson has been depicted performing Die Walküre by Richard Wagner. She pointed out that it was very inappropriate to include something by Wagner, whose works were closely associated with Nazi Germany, in a time of increasing problems with antisemitism in Sweden. The Riksbank replied saying that it’s ‘unfortunate that the choice of design is seen as negative’, and stated that it’s not going to be changed.
Dagens Nyheter journalist Björn Wiman went further in his criticism, condemning the Riksbank for selecting Nilsson at all for the 500 kr banknote. He brings up an example from Nilsson’s 1995 autobiography, where she described Mauritz Rosengarten fromDecca using antisemitic jokes about greed.[20]
The death has been announced of James D. Ireland III, president of the Cleveland Orchestra from 2002 to 2008 and a continuing force as fundraiser and adviser. ‘It is exceptionally rare to find someone who has loved The Cleveland Orchestra so deeply and who has served this Orchestra and this community so effectively as Jamie Ireland, said Dennis W. LaBarre, his successor as board president, in a previous tribute. Mr Ireland attended is first Cleveland concert at seven years old and never stopped coming back.
The tenor has given a very revealing interview in English to EuroNews about technique, singing out and never being able to relax.
Watch. This is how it’s done.
Our copains at resmusica report a new music director at the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana (OSI) in Lugano. The German conductor Markus Poschner, 43, will become music director. Vladimir Ashkenazy remains principal guest conductor. Poschner is presently Generalmusikdirektor in Bremen. Ashkenazy will conduct the opening of the town’s new hall in September.
photo (c) Marco Borggreve
Berlin based and busy mostly in Germany, Rebecca Saunders has been awarded the Mauricio Kagel prize for being ‘a persistent seeker in the realms of sound’. She has been composer in residence at the concert halls of Dortmund and Dresden and has achieved one premiere at the BBC Proms (pictured, 2009, by Chris Christodoulou/Lebrecht Music&Arts).
