10 music predictions for 2016
main1 The New York Philharmonic will pick the wrong music director.
2 No turf will be broken on Simon Rattle’s vanity hall.
3 Munich will complain about Valery Gergiev’s lack of rehearsal or Putinist statements.
4 The resurrection of NY City Opera will be postponed.
5 Eighteen critics will call on Placido Domingo to retire the voice.
6 A British orch will appoint youngest woman music director.
7 A woman in Buffalo, NY, will call for more Dutilleux. She will be outvoted.
8 Arts Council England will continue its vendetta against English National Opera
9 The Dallas Symphony will find no-one overseas is taking its calls
10 China will be confirmed as the world’s largest consumer of western classical music.
Yes yes no yes no no no yes yes yes.
I also say no to 6.
Happy New Year, Norman Lebrecht style.
After a concerted effort by Norm, the Slipped Disc constituency will finally make their true mark on the history of Western Classical Music…
The Vienna Boys Choir will hire their first mixed race, left handed Lesbian member. (Who just so happens to be nearsighted and has ADHD)
Happy (secular) new year!!!!!!
“9 The Dallas Symphony will find no-one overseas is taking its calls”
And what calls will the DSO be making since they’ve have no intention of going overseas any time soon anyway?
This tour cancellation is going to turn out to be a non-thing. An orchestra going on “tour” is basically an orchestra renting halls in various cities at its own cost and risk.
The venues surely have some cancellation fee they will collect and then will book the hall to someone else. They’ve got six months to do it.
When the DSO does tour again in Europe, no one will blame the conductor or musicians since they had no part in the decision, apparently.
Erm, no, an orchestra going on tour in Europe is usually booked for an agreed fee (or profit-share) by an overseas promoter/venue at the promoter/venue’s risk. The orchestra gets its fee even if not a single ticket is sold. Although in this case the orchestra clearly won’t be getting those fees, the cost in cash, time and goodwill of dealing with any advance ticket purchasers over the cancellation will most likely be borne by the promoter/venues.
This far out, the number of tickets sold and needing to be refunded has got to be minimal.
Cancelling six months in advance is far more convenient than the rock-star thing of cancelling with no notice.
Europe will have them back when they get in the mind to go.
Robert, chances are many of their concerts were part of 2015-2016 subscription series, so no, many tickets were probably sold already by the promoters/venues. And their tour was supposed to be in April, so it was cancelled 4 months in advance, not 6. Everything Halldor said is correct.
No prizes for “1”, they’ve been getting wrong ever since Bernstein left.
11. Snark will be more important than substance.