The best-selling Dutch author Joost Zwagerman, 51, had issues with depression. But no-one expected him to take his own life, which he had always ruled out, and least of all the day before the launch of a keenly-awaited new novel.

His suicide was discovered on Tuesday evening when he didn’t show up for a radio interview about his new book De stilte van het licht (the silence of light). Much of the music he had chosen for the programme was about death.

Full story here on Dutch News (in English).

It seems extraordinary that the Leipzig Gewandhaus chose to name its next music director through the Boston Globe newspaper, several hours before it broke the news to German and European media.

We cannot recall an instance of a music director being announced in another city, let alone another continent. It makes no sense. If Nelsons is to be a lion in Leipzig, Leipzig ought to be the first to know about it.

What the media manipulation suggests in this case is two things:

– Andris Nelsons’ German-based agents were managing the deal, spinning for all they were worth to protect his Boston position, even at the expense of his new orchestra;

and

– Boston needed to be compensated, palliated, face-saved for giving up a chunk of their music director’s time.

Whichever way you look at it, Boston loses out and Andris has got off on the wrong foot in Leipzig.

A very odd deal, indeed.

The German quartet have released a session video of their forthcoming Brahms recording in memory of their viola player  Friedemann Weigle, who died in July of a depressive condition.

The video is acutely sombre, utterly beautiful. The recording is released next week on Erato.

The Artemis have raised a substantial amount of money to support research into depressive illness.

The press release below has just been issued by Boston. We’re still awaiting the Leipzig announcement.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons will enter into a unique multidimensional partnership with Leipzig’s Gewandhausorchester in connection with Mr. Nelsons’ appointment as that orchestra’s Gewandhauskapellmeister, starting with the 2017-18 season. Mr. Nelsons takes on this new title with the Gewandhausorchester in addition to his long-term commitment as the Boston Symphony Orchestra Music Director through 2022 and beyond; the GWO appointment also plays a role in consolidating Mr. Nelsons’ European activities. The BSO/GWO Alliance will explore the many historic connections between these two world-famous orchestras, inspire new cultural exchanges, and create a wide spectrum of performance and educational programs designed to bring a new dimension of concert experience to each of the orchestra’s respective audiences. As the central figure in bringing the BSO and GWO together, Andris Nelsons will be intricately involved in the planning and implementation of all the programming initiatives between the two orchestras.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra and Gewandhausorchester Alliance will informally begin in May 2016 when the BSO, as part of a European tour to the major musical capitals of Austria, Germany, and Luxembourg, makes its debut performance in Leipzig’s Gewandhaus, one of the great European halls after which Boston’s Symphony Hall was modeled (1884 version). The BSO/GWO Alliance officially takes place over a five-year period beginning with the 2017-18 concert season. Mr. Nelsons’ 5-year contract with the Gewanhausorchester begins in the Fall of 2017; the terms include eight subscription weeks, special concerts, touring, and recording.

DETAILS OF BSO AND GWO ALLIANCE:
Co-commissions and Educational Initiatives
The BSO/GWO Alliance, under the leadership of Andris Nelsons, will feature a series of co-commissions, with new works presented each year of the partnership, starting with a work by German composer Jörg Widmann to be premiered in Boston and Leipzig in the 2017-18 concert season. The commissioning program—featuring an array of international composers representing a diversity of styles and generations—will create new works to be performed by both ensembles during their subscription seasons. The Alliance will also focus on some key educational initiatives including a program that will give Conducting Fellows of the Tanglewood Music Center (BSO’s acclaimed summer music academy in western Massachusetts) an opportunity to assist Andris Nelsons with his work with the Gewandhausorchester. BSO musicians will also take part in the GWO’s chamber music series.

Programming Highlighting Each Orchestra’s Musical Heritage
During the 2017-18 subscription season, the BSO will celebrate “Leipzig Week in Boston” at Symphony Hall and the GWO will celebrate “Boston Week in Leipzig” at the Gewandhaus, giving each orchestra an opportunity to focus on some of the repertory for which their partner organization is best known. Since its founding in 1743, the GWO has been associated with some of the greatest figures of music history.  The orchestra has given the premiere of works by such luminaries of classical music as Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Brahms; this tradition has continued into the 20th and 21st centuries with scores by such significant composers as Henze, Kancheli, and Rihm, among others.  The BSO’s own compositional legacy is, likewise, without parallel, including some of the seminal scores of the last century from composers ranging from Stravinsky, Prokofiev, and Bartók, to Messiaen and Dutilleux, and a myriad of Americans including, Copland, Bernstein, Sessions, Carter, and Harbison, among others. This programming strand—with each orchestra spotlighting the other’s musical tradition—will also be featured in chamber music performances, lectures, panel discussions, and exhibits, with the goal of bringing audiences a new understanding of this great repertoire.

BSO Performing at Gewandhaus and GWO Performing at Symphony Hall
One of the most exciting components of the Alliance will be a chance for the BSO to perform at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and the GWO to perform at Symphony Hall in Boston, giving each orchestra’s audience a chance to appreciate this new partnership first hand. The BSO/GWO Alliance will also explore musician exchanges between the two orchestras.

Christoph Wolff to Serve as an Artistic Advisor to BSO/GWO Alliance
Christoph Wolff, Adams University Professor at Harvard University, former Director of the Bach Archive in Leipzig (2001-13), and author of numerous acclaimed texts on the history of music from the 15th and 20th centuries, will serve as an artistic advisor to the BSO/GWO Alliance (please see biography below). Further details about the programs of the BSO/GWO Alliance will be announced at a later date.

QUOTE FROM ANDRIS NELSONS, BSO MUSIC DIRECTOR:
“I am thrilled to accept the appointment of Gewandhauskapellmeister alongside my music directorship with the remarkable Boston Symphony Orchestra,” said Andris Nelsons. “It is also an immense privilege to be partnering these two world class institutions—each with their own deeply rich musical heritage—and to be leading them in an innovative and forward-thinking alliance spanning two continents. This wonderful new alliance between the BSO and GWO will give us a unique opportunity to explore each of these orchestra’s great music traditions, as well as create exciting and meaningful new experiences for our audiences at home and around the world. We are very much looking forward to the musical journey that lies ahead.”

QUOTE FROM MARK VOLPE, BSO MANAGING DIRECTOR
“This new alliance between the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, which will celebrate the historical importance of each organization, highlight our shared heritage, and stimulate new artistic synergies, is uniquely collaborative in the orchestra world and will no doubt inspire a new dimension of creative programming for both orchestras,” said Mark Volpe, BSO Managing Director. “This new partnership also emphasizes Andris Nelsons’ role as a visionary leader who thinks creatively about extending the reach of the BSO through unique programming, touring, recordings, new media, and artistic partnerships. Under Andris Nelsons’ guidance and leadership, the BSO/GWO Alliance will create opportunities for important musical and cultural exchanges and bring the extraordinary musical gifts of each orchestra to a greater world-wide audience.”

QUOTE FROM PROF. ANDREAS SCHULZ, GEWANDHAUSDIRECTOR
“I am overjoyed that we have been able to initiate an exceptional artistic cooperation between the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Gewandhausorchester,” said Prof. Andreas Schulz, Gewandhausdirector. “And I am thankful that this cooperation will be lead by Andris Nelsons as our shared music director, employing his wide array of artistic concepts. I am looking forward to working closely with Mark Volpe and his team at the BSO, as well as the eminent music scholar Christoph Wolff, who will act as an artistic advisor. We are founding a new and unique musical family which will set new artistic standards. Our common musical history and our unique individual growth provide us countless opportunities to expand our view of the past and the present as we craft intriguing concerts with special programs that will resonate for our own and for our partner’s audiences.”

UPDATE: Here’s the Leipzig announcement:

Congratulations, Andris Nelsons! The Gewandhausorchester has chosen him as 21st Gewandhauskapellmeister. His appointment has been approved by the city council. He will take up his position in September 2017.

Das Gewandhausorchester und das Boston Symphony Orchestra eint eine langjährige Verbindung. Mit dem Amtsantritt von Andris Nelsons in der Saison 2017/2018 kann diese weiter intensiviert werden.

Die Geschichte der engen künstlerischen Verbindung zwischen Leipzig und Boston begann im Jahr 1881, als Orchestergründer Henry Lee Higginson den am Leipziger Konservatorium ausgebildeten Georg Henschel als ersten Dirigenten des Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) engagierte. In der Folge wurden immer wieder Dirigenten berufen, die in Leipzig ausgebildet worden waren, oder Stellen im Gewandhausorchester (GWO) innehatten. Darunter Wilhelm Gericke, Emil Pauer, Max Fiedler, Karl Muck und – vielleicht der wichtigste – Arthur Nikisch. Mitte des Zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts wurde die Verbindung bekräftigt, als Charles Münch im Jahr 1949 Chefdirigent des BSO wurde (bis 1962). Münch hatte ebenfalls in Leipzig studiert und war von 1923 bis 1933 erster Konzertmeister des Gewandhausorchesters.

Darüber hinaus ist der Neubau der Boston Symphony Hall aus dem Jahre 1900 vom Zweiten Gewandhaus inspiriert.

Auf der Grundlage der historischen Bindung planen Mark Volpe, Managing Director des BSO und Gewandhausdirektor Andreas Schulz eine einzigartige Partnerschaft unter Leitung von Andris Nelsons, um das Erbe und die Stärken beider Orchester zu vereinen und zu erkunden.

Die Kooperation umfasst unterschiedliche Aspekte:

Die Kooperation zwischen dem Boston Symphony Orchestra und dem

Gewandhausorchester, unter der Leitung von Andris Nelsons, wird in jedem Jahr

gemeinsam ein Orchesterwerk in Auftrag geben. Den Beginn macht eine neue

Komposition von Jörg Widmann, die in der Saison 2017/2018 in Boston

uraufgeführt und dann in Leipzig zu hören sein wird. Europäische und

amerikanische Komponisten, die verschiedene Stile repräsentieren und aus

unterschiedlichen Generationen stammen, werden mit Werken beauftragt.

Ausgewählte Mitglieder der Dirigenten-Akademie des Tanglewood Music Centre

(Sommerakademie des Boston Symphony Orchestra in Massachusets) sollen die

Gelegenheit erhalten, Andris Nelsons bei seiner Arbeit zu assistieren, wenn er

beim Gewandhausorchester arbeitet. Musiker des BSO werden außerdem in

Musikvermittlungsprojekten des Gewandhausorchesters partizipieren.

Kernrepertoire des Partnerorchesters interpretieren

Die beiden Orchester werden je eine Konzertwoche gestalten, in der sie Werke aus

dem Kernrepertoire des jeweils anderen Ensembles aufs Programm setzen. Seit

seiner Gründung ist das Gewandhausorchester mit einigen der berühmtesten

Auftragswerke und Musikvermittlung

Vertretern der Musikgeschichte verbunden und hat Weltliteratur des sinfonischen Kanons von

Beethoven, Schumann, Mendelssohn und Brahms uraufgeführt. Diese Tradition reicht bis ins 20.

Jahrhundert mit Partituren von bedeutenden Komponisten wie Kancheli, Henze, Rihm, Mantovani

und vielen anderen.

Das Vermächtnis der fürs BSO komponierten Werke umfasst ebenso wegweisende Kompositionen des

letzten Jahrhunderts zum Beispiel von Strawinsky, Prokofjew, Bartók oder Messiaen sowie von

unzähligen amerikanischen Komponisten wie Copland, Bernstein, Sessions, Carter, Harbison und

anderen.

Die Kooperation bietet dem Publikum die Möglichkeit, das musikalische Erbe des anderen Orchesters

kennen zu lernen. Die Orchesterkonzerte werden flankiert von Kammermusik, Vorträgen,

Diskussionen und Ausstellungen mit dem Ziel, den Blick auf die musikalische Entwicklung des

Partnerorchesters über die Grenzen hinweg zu weiten.

Gastspielkonzerte des BSO im Gewandhaus

sowie des GWO in der Symphony Hall Boston

Die Kooperation umfasst Gastspiele der Orchester im jeweils anderen Land, damit das jeweilige

Publikum die Partnerschaft aus erster Hand erleben kann. Dieser Teil der Kooperation beginnt am 5.

Mai 2016, wenn das Boston Symphony Orchestra erstmals in seiner Geschichte im Gewandhaus

gastiert.

Geplant ist außerdem der Austausch von Musikern zwischen den beiden Orchestern.

Christoph Wolff, Musikalischer Kurator

Musikalischer Kurator des Projekts wird Prof. Christoph Wolff, der von 2001 bis 2013 Direktor des

Leipziger Bach-Archivs war und unter anderem an der Harvard-Universität in Cambridge,

Massachusetts, lehrt. Er ist Autor einer Vielzahl von Artikeln über die Musikgeschichte des 15. und 20.

Jahrhunderts. Weitere Details zu den Programmen der Kooperation werden zu einem späteren

Zeitpunkt verkündet.

Zitat Andris Nelsons

“Ich freue mich sehr, neben der Leitung des bemerkenswerten Boston Symphony Orchestra, die

Berufung zum Gewandhauskapellmeister anzunehmen“, sagt Andris Nelsons. „Es ist ein großes

Privileg, Partner dieser beiden Weltklasseorchester mit ihrer jeweils eigenen reichen Tradition sein zu

dürfen und darüber hinaus an der Spitze einer innovativen, zukunftsweisenden und Kontinente

übergreifenden Kooperation zu stehen. Diese wunderbare neue Verbindung zwischen BSO und GWO

eröffnet uns die einzigartige Möglichkeit, die großen Musiktraditionen beider Orchester zu erkunden

und aufregende, sinnstiftende Erfahrungen für das Publikum zuhause und in der Welt zu schaffen. Wir

freuen uns alle sehr auf die musikalische Reise, die vor uns liegt.“

Zitat Andreas Schulz, Gewandhausdirektor

„Ich bin überglücklich, dass wir eine außergewöhnliche künstlerische Kooperation zwischen dem BSO

und dem GWO initiieren können“, sagt Gewandhausdirektor Andreas Schulz zu der neuen

Verbindung. „Und ich bin dankbar, dass Andris Nelsons als unser gemeinsamer Chefdirigent diese

Kooperation mit seinen vielfältigen künstlerischen Ideen vorantreiben wird. Ich freue mich auf die

Zusammenarbeit mit Christoph Wolff und ebenso mit meinem Kollegen Mark Volpe sowie seinem

Team beim BSO. Wir gründen eine neue und einzigartige musikalische Familie, die künstlerische

Maßstäbe setzen wird. Unsere musikgeschichtlichen Gemeinsamkeiten und die individuellen

Entwicklungen geben uns zahllose Möglichkeiten, den Blick sowohl für die Geschichte als auch für die

Gegenwart zu weiten und für das eigene und jeweils andere Publikum in reizvollen Konzerten mit

besonderen Programmen zum Klingen zu bringen.“

Zitat Mark Volpe, Managing Director BSO

„Das neue Bündnis zwischen dem Boston Symphony Orchestra und dem Gewandhausorchester, das

die historische Bedeutung der Ensembles unterstreicht, betont unser gemeinsames Erbe und befördert

die künstlerische Kooperation. Die Zusammenarbeit ist einzigartig in der Orchesterwelt und wird

beide Orchester zweifellos zu einer neuen Dimension kreativer Programmgestaltung anregen“, sagt

Mark Volpe. „Die neue Partnerschaft verstärkt auch die Rolle von Andris Nelsons als visionärer

Leiter, der kreativ über die Erweiterung der öffentlichen Wahrnehmung des BSO durch besondere

Programmgestaltung, Gastspiele, CD- und DVD-Aufnahmen, virtuelle Medien und künstlerische

Partnerschaften nachdenkt. Unter der Leitung und Führung von Andris Nelsons werden das BSO und

das GWO Möglichkeiten für einen bedeutenden musikalischen und kulturellen Austausch schaffen

und die außergewöhnlichen musikalischen Gaben jedes Orchesters einer weltweiten Zuhörerschaft

eröffnen.“

———————–

The manuscript of  the tune ‘Here comes the Bride’ from Lohengrin has been put on sale online. The seller wants $3.6 million. No indication of provenance.

He is, as anticipated, Andris Nelsons.

Slipped Disc editorial: This is, whichever way you look at it, bad news for Boston. Nelsons was in line earlier this year to be music director of the Berlin Philharmonic. Had he won that vote, he would have been forced to reduced his Boston Symphony commitment. Much the same now applies to Leipzig.

Face has been saved, and the deal sweetened, by ‘a new cooperative partnership between the two orchestras’ which will mean each taking up residency in the other’s hall for a while. But that attraction will be held together only by the personality of the chief conductor, an element that is not limitless. When it fades, things will come apart.

The fact that the deal was announced in Boston more than an hour before it was confirmed in Leipzig underlines the heavy spin that has been put on the arrangement.

On the plus side, Nelsons is a terrific catch for Leipzig. He’s a brilliant, natural conductor with an insatiable appetite for hard work. He will build on the international kudos that Riccardo Chailly gained for the orchestra and he will probably point it a little more north and eastwards, towards his native Baltic and Russian culture.

Leipzig have done well, Boston much less so.

Further analysis here.

The van B is ready to roll on Friday.

The Los Angeles Philharmonic VAN Beethoven truck will tour Los Angeles, Sept. 11 – Oct. 18, 2015, offering five minutes of Beethoven Fifth in immersive, 360-degrees.

There’s also a free app to download in the Oculus and Gear VR stores.

And a how-it-was-made video.

press release:

Visitors will be welcomed aboard the customized VAN Beethoventruck, complete with carpet and seating from Walt Disney Concert Hall, where they’ll put on the Oculus headset and be transported to the iconic venue. The immersive visual private experience is augmented by a soundtrack that adapts to the viewer’s perspective; whether the viewer is in front of the orchestra, behind or standing amidst the symphony, the music will subtly shift to reflect listener-specific positions and enhance the feeling of being up-close-and-personal with the renowned orchestra.

VAN Beethoven will visit diverse communities throughout Los Angeles, including parks, cultural festivals, museums, and more, providing access to audiences that otherwise may not be able to attend. The full schedule of tour stops is at LAPhil.com/VANBeethoven.

Here’s how.

press release:

The Guildhall School of Music & Drama in association with The Royal Opera today announces Na’ama Zisser as the second Doctoral Composer-in-Residence, starting in September 2015.

Launched in 2013, the collaboration between the Guildhall School and The Royal Opera is one of the first examples of an opera company and conservatoire joining forces to offer a Composer-in-Residence studentship which leads to a doctoral degree. Fully funded by the Guildhall School and supported by The Royal Opera, the studentship offers one composer every two years the opportunity to be Doctoral Composer-in-Residence over a three-year period. During this time, the composer researches and writes a major work, which will be staged by The Royal Opera at the end of the residency.

The studentship aims to offer an enriching model of opera development that allows a composer substantial creative research experience in the development of operatic practice, within the setting of a unique collaboration between an opera company and conservatoire. It allows for both critical reflection and creative research, in both professional and academic contexts. The principal supervisor is the Guildhall School’s Head of Composition, Professor Julian Philips, partnered by Associate Director of Opera for The Royal Opera, John Fulljames.

Na’ama Zisser said of her appointment: ‘I’m extremely excited about this unusual opportunity to focus on what I’m interested in within opera and modern storytelling, creating a work that is very personal to me. It’s quite rare to have the time to reflect and research, work at my own pace, and have mentorship, support and resources. This will have an enormous impact on my own creative development and the work produced. I’m very much looking forward to starting, and hope to build meaningful collaborations and to explore ideas to their full potential.’

Na’ama Zisser began her compositional studies at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, having completed compulsory military service as a pianist in her native Israel’s Air Force orchestra. From here, she was commissioned by a variety of leading Israeli orchestras such as the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Camerata Orchestra. With this experience, she went on to gain her BMus in Composition from the Guildhall School and recently graduated with Distinction from the Royal College of Music with an MA in Composition. During her time at the Royal College, she studied under Mark-Anthony Turnage (supported by the Polonsky Award) and was awarded the Hurlstone & Cobbet RCM special prize for outstanding achievement.

Now, that’s unexpected.

It appears the maestro had such a good time with the Royal Stockholm Phil at the Nobel prizegiving ceremony that he’s coming back for more. The RSPO’s season announcement contains this confirmation:

Riccardo Muti will perform Verdi’s Macbeth with the RSPO for one of his extremely rare guest engagements. The work will receive two concert performances (15 & 17 May) in company with the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir, with Luca Salsi taking the title-role, Vittoria Yeo as Lady Macbeth, Francesco Meli as Macduff and Ildar Abdrazakov as Banquo. “We loved working with Maestro Muti for the Nobel Prize Concert in 2013, and we are delighted that he will perform with us again and explore Macbeth with the orchestra,” recalls Stefan Forsberg (RSPO executive and artistic director). “We are very excited to receive him in Stockholm again and are convinced that these performances will become some of the greatest moments in the RSPO history.”

And another offbeat piece of casting:

Renée Fleming joins the RSPO and music director Sakari Oramo on 10 February to perform Anders Hillborg’s The Strand Settings, a substantial song-cycle to verse by the Canadian-born American poet Mark Strand.

Birmingham Post critic Christopher Morley was serially dissatisfied with Simon Rattle and the Vienna Philharmonic’s Elgar performance, a warm-up for the BBC Proms. Read his review here.

A somewhat corroborative view from the Guardian, here.

The finalists were announced last night, out of an original field of 69. They are:

Heejae Kim, 28 (Korea)

Tomoki Kitamura, 24 (Japan)

Drew Petersen, 21 (USA)

Vitaly Pisarenko, 28 (Russia)

Anna Tcybuleva, 25 (Russia)

Yun Wei, 21 (China)

posed with founder, Dame Fanny Waterman

The Leipziger Volkszeitung reports this morning across half a page (not yet online) that the Gewandhaus is about to announce Andris Nelsons as its next music director from June 2016, in succession to Riccardo Chailly.

The announcement will be made late this afternoon.

Independently, we can confirm on good authority that the new chief will not be Alan Gilbert, who is well liked in the orchestra, or (on less good authority) Vladimir Jurowski, who has not worked with them all that much.

Apart from Nelsons, we are hearing no big names. But Leipzig may yet pull a rabbit from a hat. Watch this space.

And the new music director is… click here.

If Nelsons accepts the post, he will struggle to balance it with his Boston commitments.