Johnny Keating, who composed the high-fluting theme tune (from an original folk song) for the BBC Merseyside cop series, has died in London, aged 87. Edinburgh born, he lived in London and Los Angeles but was always drawn back to Scotland.

We regret to share news of the death of Nico Castel, a Lisbon-born comprimario tenor who sang 700 times at the Metropolitan Opera and was, besides, a prodigious language coach and opera translator. Nico died on Sunday, aged 83.

The US bass-baritone Alan Held remembers a warm and supportive friend:

Many of my colleagues today have posted of our sadness concerning the loss of an phenomenal genius and friend.

Nico Castel was, simply, one of the greatest gifts to opera. His talents were obvious on stage. Over 700 performances at The Met showed us his great creative abilities. His support off of the stage, especially to young singers, was incredible. His scholarship, which will remain in the training of young singers, will last forever.

Nico first heard me in a master class that he gave at Wolf Trap in the summer of 1987. He was so complimentary and supportive when I sang Wagner for him. From then, he became a good friend and mentor in so many ways. A few months after that master class, I showed up, for the first time, at the Met’s door, for coaching on Alban Berg’s “Lulu”, an opera that is fiendishly difficult and one that I had been given a contract for to cover. This was a tall order for someone who was as green as I (and only 27 years old). He was so patient but yet demanding.

He pushed me to get the diction right. He did that on every role I did with him–and there were many. He returned to Wolf Trap, the following summer, and coached our production of “Don Giovanni”. Every time I sang the opera after that (and Leporello is one of my most performed roles), I thought of his lessons. And, how proud I was, in the spring of 1989, to have Nico onstage with me during my Met debut in “Billy Budd”.

Many of you have seen the video of Nico performing the many interpretations of the Haushofmeister in “Ariadne auf Naxos”. He used so many accurate and incredible accents. But, imagine sitting at a table in the Met cafeteria, with him and other colleagues, and have him do that routine for you—LIVE. Oh, my!!! He was an absolute GENIUS (he spoke fluently, with many different dialects within, at least 7 languages).

But, I have a memory of Nico that I cherish perhaps even more than any of these. In 1988, Nico, his daughter Sasha, and a few others of us from Wolf Trap, went to Baltimore to see the Orioles play (in the old Memorial Stadium). It was absolutely hilarious to hear Nico call for a hot dog or peanuts or whatever else using whichever NY accent or foreign accent he wished. The entertainment at the game came far more from our friend in the stands than from the game on the field. I am saddened to hear of this great man’s passing. He gave us all so much. I have students who look at Nico’s books for diction advice and help with translations. Thankfully, they will continue to learn from this absolute master, as will I. His work is not finished…it will live on.

Johannes Moser has signed with Askonas Holt and Benedict Kloeckner with CLB.

It’s getting crowded out there for cellists.

The rape trial has opened at Manchester Crown Court of Malcolm Layfield, former violin teacher at Chethams School and head of strings at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM).

Layfield is an internationally known teacher and performer. Founder of the Goldberg Ensemble, he has appeared at New York’s  international Bang on a Can festival and has claimed to have played as concertmaster at the Carmel Bach Festival in California*. He was also leader of the London Bach Orchestra.

According to prosecution statements tweeted from the court by the Guardian’s Helen Pidd: 
– In the summer of 1982 Malcolm Layfield raped an 18-year-old pupil he taught the violin, Manchester crown court hears.

– Malcolm Layfield admits “inappropriate sexual relationships” with a number of pupils, including the complainant, but denies 1 count of rape.

– One of Malcolm Layfield’s pupils claims he plied her with drink and drove her to “the middle of nowhere” and raped her when she was 18.

– A police video interview given by Layfield’s alleged victim is shown to the jury. Supervision “woefully inadequate” at Chetham’s in 1982.

The BBC’s Dave Guest adds:

– In video interview Mr Layfield’s accuser says: “He was going to have sex with me and there was nothing I could do about it.”

For updates on the trial follow @helenpidd and @mrdaveguest.

This is the third of five likely trials exposing allegations of decades of sexual abuse at Chetham’s and RNCM.

Michael Brewer, Chetham’s former Director of Music, was jailed for six years for assaults on a 14 year-old girl; his accuser, Frances Andrade, killed herself during the course of the trial.

Nicholas Smith, a conducting teacher, was jailed last year for eight months.

After Layfield, trials are expected of Wen Zhou Li and Chris Ling, both ex-Chet’s teachers.

The present head of Chet’s, Claire Moreland, who was not there at the time of the alleged offences, has announced her early retirement.

Here’s a PA report on the trial’s first day.

* Update: we are informed by the Carmel Bach Festival that he participated once, in 1994, as second chair in the first violins, not as concertmaster.

Roger Lunn, described by the BBC as a former member of the London Symphony Orchestra during a previous trial, has been jailed for four years in Mid Sussex for offences against two boys in the 1980s, while working as a teacher.

Lunn, who is 76, pleaded guilty to ten counts of indecent assault and was put on the sex offenders’ register for life.

UPDATE: Subsequent research indicates that he was a member of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, not the LSO.

An article published in South Korea by one of the auditors scrutinising the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s books over the past ten years says that there is no grounds for suspicion against the music director, Myung Whun Chung. Rather than fiddling expenses, writes the experienced music administrator Byungkwon Oh, the SPO actually owes its maestro more than $100,000 in unclaimed expenses.

The allegations against Chung originated with the former chief executive of the orchestra, Park Hyun-jung, who has been trying to discredit the organisation since she was forced out at the end of last year.

The audit has not yet been published officially, but Mr Oh said he decided to go public this week in the Daejonilbo newspaper out of concern that South Korea might lose the only conductor of international stature it has ever produced.

A group of 16 opera personalities have sent an open letter to Norway’s minister of culture, appealing for her to reinstate Norway Opera’s artistic director Per Boye Hansen, whose contract has been terminated after a single term.

The appellants include the country’s most successful opera director, Stefan Herheim, and the Italian baroque conductor, Rinaldo Alessandrini. Text follows.

picture: performance in the Oslo Opera elevator

A bitter spat has erupted between London’s premier chamber music venue and a German string quartet, after the hall’s cancellation of a June performance.

In fractious exchanges on Slipped Disc, someone called Billy Boyd using the Wigmore Hall’s email and claiming to speak on behalf of its staff, accused the Leipzig Quartet of being ‘dishonest, underhanded and badly … behaved.’

Matthias Moosdorf, the quartet’s cellist, replied: ‘Of course we did not lie. Why should we do this? WH got the full picture and followed the Leipzig Quartet social media on twitter.’

Behind the dispute is the absence of the quartet’s leader, Stefan Arzberger, who is facing a charge of attempted murder in New York. The Wigmore Hall claims that his absence, and a change of programme, invalidates their contract.

Read the full story here.

Tucson Symphony musicians have issued the following alert:

Steven Brubaker is missing. He was last seen on May 28 near his condo near Alvernon and Grant. If you have seen him or have any idea about where he might be, please message his sister Catherine Brubaker athttps://www.facebook.com/cbrubaker4. You can also contact Sgt. Arnold of the TPD. Please share!

Steven missed a rehearsal and a performance over the weekend. His cello and car were found at his home.

Blood donations are being canvassed for Rim Rakhimov, a soloist in the Bashkir State Opera and Ballet Theatre, who suffered a near-fatal attack at five in the morning on Saturday in Ufa.

Rakhimov is 27. He’s in a medically induced coma. We pray for his recovery.

UPDATE: 24 hours later doctors reported a successful operation on the lung and predicted that Rim will be able to sing again.

UPDATE: Happy ending here.

Some joker put Anne-Sophie Mutter where she shouldn’t be.

h/t: Fabio Zanon/Olga Watts Fb page

The violinist Peter Cropper, founder of the Lindsay Quartet and creator of Sheffield’s Music on the Round concert series, died on Saturday, aged 69.

Lancashire born, he formed the quartet in 1965 with Ronald Birks (violin), Roger Bigley (viola; later Robin Ireland) and Bernard Gregor-Smith (cello), while they were students at the Royal Academy of Music. They played together for 40 years and made numerous recordings, including a complete set of the Beethoven quartets and many of Haydn’s.

Affable, innovative, always enterprising, Peter will be widely missed.