Andrey Krichevskiy, head of the Melodiya record label, has been severely beaten up near his office. His condition is described as serious and he has been transferred to the central clinical hospital.

Andrey has been the subject of threats since he opposed a government reform of authors’ rights which threatens to enrich certain oligarchs and leave composers and performers without revenue.

Andrey said his attackers repeatedly threatened to beat him again if he persisted in opposing the measure.

Just another day’s work in Putin’s Russia.

We’ve been sent by its official transcriber what may be the most candid interview ever given by the heroic tenor.

In it, he discusses seriousness of purpose (which should not be mistaken for lack of humour), the importance of principle and the tolls of mortality.

Bruce Duffie, who conducted the interview in November 1981, clearly formed an intiutive bond with the tenor.

After having seen and admired his performances and recordings for many years, it was in November of 1981 that I made contact with Jon Vickers, and he agreed to meet with me at the Civic Opera House in Chicago.  More of those details are in the introduction below.  A day or so after the chat, he called me to correct and further amplify a detail he had related.  I later sent him a copy of the finished interview and some months afterward, I received another call from him – not from his agent nor a secretary, but from the man himself – just to tell me how very pleased he was with the way it came out and with how well I’d been able to present his thoughts and opinions.

Read the full, absorbing interview here.

His wife, Florence, has informed an unofficial site that the great and much loved baritone has received his last dose of radiation in London for a brain tumour. We wish Dmitry a swift and full recovery.

We’re hearing cries of distress from players in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra who are appearing in an open-air concert in Bodrum, Turkey, today. The temperature at rehearsal this morning is around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37 Celsius.

One guest player tells us: ‘This is, quite possibly, the hottest temperature I’ve ever played in. The sun, however beautiful, is punishing.’

So when is a hot date just too hot? When should musicians put down their tools and say it’s too dangerous to play?

Stile Antico, the early music choral group, have posted:

We’re really sorry that we weren’t able to sing the second half of our concert in Cambridge tonight. We wish a swift recovery to the lady who fell ill during the interval and would like to thank the audience who waited so patiently while she received attention. We look forward very much to returning to Cambridge in 2016.

The group will be appearing in the BBC Proms Sherlock Holmes concert this afternoon.

A Brazilian film that has just won international distribution at the Locarno Film Festival goes to the top of our must-see list. Sergio Machado’s film ‘The Violin Teacher’ tells the story of a player who flunks his audition to the Sao Paolo Symphony Orchestra and cannot find his place in the world until…

First review here.

Grim news from the Montreal Chamber Orchestra. After 41 years of concert-giving, they need $40,000 to start the next season.

Founder Wanda Kaluzny has turned to Kickstarter to raise the cash. That’s desperate. When NY City Opera did the same, it went down in debt and derision.