Vladimir Putin has issued a robust defence of his cellist friend Sergie Roldugin, who is claimed to have stashed away two billion dollars in Panama.
‘Many creative professionals in Russia, probably half of them, are trying to do business and, to my knowledge, Sergei Pavlovich has been trying, too,’ Putin said yesterday at the People’s Front Media Forum in St. Petersburg.
‘What is his business? He is a minority shareholder in one of our companies, and he is making some money but definitely not billions of dollars. Nonsense, there is nothing of the sort,’ he said.
Roldugin spent his money ‘buying musical instruments abroad and has taken them to Russia… We always welcome such deeds, but he does even more. I know that he has been registering these musical instruments as property of governmental agencies for several months; for years, he has been organizing concerts, promoting Russian culture abroad, practically with his own money, without sticking out…. I am proud that I have such friends.’
Newspapers that published the so-called Panama Papers have implicated Roldugin in hiding and laundering money on behalf of President Putin.
Our diarist, the American violinist Anthea Kreston, continues her hectic adjustment to the Artemis Quartet. It looks like this week’s episode was written on a flight to Chicago.
My list of mistakes
I have made so many mistakes since moving to Berlin – it is just a huge and integral part of my new life’s fabric. As if someone would look at my pants and ask – “do you need to wash those – I can clearly see spaghetti sauce, coffee, and a piece of gum stuck to your pants?”, and I cheerfully reply “oh – thanks for noticing! That is just a regular part of this new exciting style of pants, it’s supposed to look like that”, and I skip away, happily waiving as I step into a fresh pile of dog do-do.
On the list are things small and big – none of which (so far!) have been at all serious. For example, at the museum restaurant, ordering lunch for my daughters, I ask for “nudeln ohne sauce”, quietly proud of my ability to order in German, and as the pasta comes, smothered in sauce, the waitress just says in English – “oh – I couldn’t understand what you said, I’ll be back in a moment”.
Or – yesterday, when I was running late to a very important meeting with the University President. There is something here which is reminiscent of the video game “Grand Theft Auto” – you know the way you can just jump in any car you want and drive off? (Yes I have been known to play video games – I always play on the “veteran” level because I want to have the hardest level, and Jason passes by, wondering why I have been replaying the same scene for 3 hours, it is 2 AM and I am swearing softly while eating miniature carrots). Of course, video games are quite in the past for me – but who knows – maybe I will have time again in a couple of years.
Well, here they have something called “Drive Now” (and a couple of other companies too) in which, with your yearly membership, you can jump into any nice BMW or Mini with the logo on the side, and drive it where you need, and leave it wherever you want to. Gas, insurance and parking all included. You pull up the app, and all cars show up on the map by your location, and you can choose which one you want and reserve it. Then follow the map, unlock the car with your phone, plug in your pin, and press the start button. Voilà. The main difference between “Grand Theft Auto” and “Drive Now” is that you don’t steal the car from someone, it is not in motion as you jump in, and if you crash it or drive it into the river you have to explain yourself to someone (story to follow).
So, yesterday – last day before we leave for our 11 day, 10 concert tour of North America. We have had two days together at home after Wigmore, in which time we have registered with the police for our new address, got the last “emergency” spot available for our 6 year old at the public school down the block, and moved to our new apartment. I am running late for the quartet meeting with the president – this is a critical meeting for us, where we discuss my transition into the University and all of the complications and delicate balance needed to make this possible. I have already packed all of my things, which are at the new apartment, and so I unfortunately only have my jeans (I tried to dress this up with a vintage crushed velvet jacket and brocade scarf).
I am running to my “Drive Now” car, which is farther away than I anticipated. At certain times of the day, all the cars migrate as people commute to work, and sometimes it is a 15 minute jog to the nearest car. I find the car, and it is my first electric car. The display is totally different and it takes me forever to start it – I feel like I am in a one-man moon shuttle with no training video.
Then – traffic – a bunch of police cars with different colored mini triangle flags hanging off – reminds me of Oregon on a Ducks/Beavers day. I can see my maps program as the estimated time of arrival continues to get later. Finally – I make it to the university, now 3 minutes past the meeting time. I circle the block and no parking is available. I have to get creative – there is one spot with about a salami’s-width of space on each side. Not a full salami – I mean a slice. With all warnings of imminent danger of collision beeping at me from the dashboard, I gently but very quickly back up into the spot. And stop the rental.
My door opens about one inch, and I reach for the passenger side – same story. Time to vault over to the back seat where I manage to barely squeeze out of the back door, one limb at a time. I sprint to the front of the university, where a member of the quartet is on look-out for me and we run upstairs. Just in time! I noticed after the meeting that no-one has rented that car (go figure) and so I re-rent it to get back home.
I have one more car story before I put my head back to rest. I am on the flight to Chicago from Berlin now. Our taxi picked us up today at 4:45 AM – Jason and the girls head directly to Oregon to be with grandma and grandpa, Jason has a concert in Texas in a couple of days, and then I meet them all in Oregon after Montreal – before we head back to Berlin together.
I picked up the girls from the Pergamon Museum last week in my “Drive Now” car – Jason stayed with his brother and nephew. I was following the directions home on my maps app, and all of a sudden I realize I am not on a regular road anymore – I mis-read my map and am clearly now on a tram track. There is a yellow tram directly in front of me, and the sides of my “street” are now knee-high and hugging both sides of the car in a warm, but ominous embrace. Pedestrians outside are frantically waving at me as I calmly think “well, after this curve, I am sure the tramway will reconnect with a regular road!”. The tram stops and I see that in 5 feet, the asphalt gives way to a more traditional gravel with raised track-type road, and the tracks are too wide for my little car to balance on. I unroll the windows to hear a barrage of languages – all frantically waving and pointing. I just put my hands up and say “I know, I know! What should I do?”.
A person runs over and says – quickly – the trams come every minute – you have to back all the way up! I throw it in reverse as the girls ask – “mom – is everything ok?” And I answer “sure – luckily I am a fantastic driver and going backwards is really fun! Hold on!”. I jam my foot on the gas and back up, as I see the next tram coming my way in the rearview window. There is a small triangular island behind me – I aim for it and just make it (it is roughly the exact dimension of my Mini) as the tram speeds by me. I catch my breath as I notice the same woman as before running down the street. She says “now again – quickly – that way before the next tram comes!”. And I do a quick 3-point turn and race up the road, as I see the next tram coming towards me – this time facing me. I am able to veer off onto the regular road just in time, as the girls exclaim from the back seat “mom – can you teach us to drive like this when we are older?”. Absolutely.
I knew we were not in any danger – the trams would have stopped – but the kerfuffle of having to back up a tram and disrupt the schedule would have been gargantuan. Now – on to my next mistakes! I am sure there will be plenty.
I have a friend who gave me some great advice before leaving Oregon. She said, “pretend that you are on a camping trip for the next year, that way, if anything goes right you will be pleasantly surprised”. This is certainly the case, and something that came to mind as I was sitting on the floor of our new kitchen last night at midnight (here, an unfurnished apartment means an absolutely empty kitchen – just hookups and a perfectly empty square room), plastic knife digging into the peanut butter as I am making emergency PBJ’s for Jason and the girls for their plane trip today.
This sure is a deluxe camping trip so far!!
The celebrated opera arena has been put into administrative measures after failing to reach agreement on cost cutting with its staff. The news has just broken in Italy. Read here.
Strings magazine has a lovely interview with Stuart Canin, who was concertmaster for Seiji Ozawa at the San Francisco Symphony and Kent Nagano at Los Angeles Opera, while also leading orchestras for John Williams soundtracks in Jurassic Park and Forrest Gump.
Do you still play every day?
Oh yeah, I do. I play an hour and a half every day. I just gave a concert at Old First Church [on Sacramento Street in San Francisco] a couple of weeks ago and I have this documentary thing at Lincoln Center, so I have to play.
Read on here.
Further to the latest crumblings at IMG, we hear all is not well at the other mega-agency.
Jean-Jacques Cesbron, who runs the profitable CAMI Music part of the business – Lang Lang, Cameron Carpenter, Einaudi and some film composers – is planning to move out of the CAMI offices in Columbus Circle and down to the Flat Iron district.
CAMI will need to find another tenant fast, or move to smaller quarters.
Lang Lang between brand man and Cesbron (r)
Before rehearsal today, the veteran conductor was named an honorary member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
pictured: Seiji Ozawa, Knut Weber (Berliner Philharmoniker chairman), pianist Peter Serkin (c) Martin Walz
An avowed lover of English National Opera (and a former singer, it appears) has posted a long, thoughtful and anonymous reflection on all that has passed at the company over the past 40 years, bringing it to the present crisis.
The author has allowed Slipped Disc to republish it under his name, Jonathan Peel. He makes a lot of cogent points and we will not cherry-pick them for rapid reading.
Just sample the opening paragraph and you will judge his serious intent.
So, why do we bother? Why are so many people incensed at the actions of ACE in devising a rescue plan for ENO that involves reducing the number of performances and performers, rather than seeking other ways to cut costs? It isn’t that this apparently elitist art form has to pay an inordinate wages bill to the chorus after all even with a 4 singer reduction in numbers from 44 to 40. The introduction of a forced layoff for 3 months a year is hardly going to replace the £5 million pound cut in subsidy, nor is it going to achieve any part of restoring this once great company to a level of fiscal security and prosperity.
Now read on here.
Benevenuto Cellini at ENO
The slightly overheated website of the BBC Symphony Orchestra has posted a panegyric to the instrument by former Berlin Philharmonic player, Brett Dean.
The BBC are about to perform Brett’s new concerto next week.
Being economically minded, they have asked Brett to play in the viola section in Elgar’s first symphony after the interval, thereby sparing one of the other violists from paying childcare costs.
See here.
Over the coming weeks, the following American-themed operas will receive world premieres:
This weekend, Opera Ithaca presents the world premiere production of Billy Blythe, an American folk opera about the childhood of President Bill Clinton.
On April 23 Fort Worth Opera presents JFK.
Minnesota Opera’s The Shining, based on Stephen King thriller, opens on May 7.
Opera Colorado presenting the world premiere of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, also on May 7.
Some kind of trend?
It was bound to happen somewhere.
Two boys were taken to hospital after receiving neck wounds during an opening night performance of Sweeney Todd at a school in Auckland, New Zealand.
More here.
Amazing the surprises that spring from announcing a new music director.
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has just announced a half-million pound ($700,00) gift, one of the largest in its history.
press release:
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has received one of the largest single gifts in its history from the Rachel Baker Memorial Charity.
The funding of up to £500,000 over five years will enable the CBSO to build on its tradition of world-class excellence in the run-up to its centenary in 2020. It will enable the Orchestra to present major concerts which would not otherwise be possible, and will also support initiatives to build the next generation of audiences for classical music.
Simon Fairclough, CBSO Director of Development, said: “We are extremely grateful to have received this important gift from the Rachel Baker Memorial Charity. It will help us to continue to present the best possible concerts for our audience members, and to ensure that more people experience the thrill of live classical music in the Midlands.
“Having recently appointed Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla as our Music Director we are at an exciting moment in our history. But we receive 51% less funding from Birmingham City Council in real terms than we did six years ago, and to achieve our ambitious plans with Mirga we will have to raise well over £1 million per year from the private sector. Now more than ever, private funders like the Rachel Baker Memorial Charity play a vital role in maintaining the international excellence of the CBSO’s work on the concert platform, in our local community and around the world.”
Robin Daniels, trustee of the Rachel Baker Memorial Charity, said: “My fellow trustees and I are delighted to be able to support the CBSO in this way. The Rachel Baker Memorial Charity seeks to support organisations with a reputation for excellence in classical music and a commitment to broadening audiences and nurturing talent. Few organisations achieve these objectives as fully as the CBSO. We look forward to seeing the Orchestra thrive in the period leading up to its centenary in 2020”.
That’s the claim from Opera North. Has Wagner’s epic never been sung on the South Bank?
Opera North presents its eagerly awaited performances of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in five UK cities, alongside a programme of celebratory events designed to bring the Ring to as many people as possible:
Power of Power festival at London’s Southbank Centre takes inspiration from Opera North’s
Ring cycle.
Special events for children and families, including over 1000 schoolchildren taking part in the Opera North Big Sing
A deeper insight for audiences into Wagner’s work with talks and debates in every city
Live big-screen relay of sold-out performances of the Ring at Southbank Centre (28 June – 3 July) – the first complete Ring cycle to be performed at the Royal Festival Hall
This monumental work will be performed in its entirety by a leading cast of top British and international Wagnerian performers and conducted by Richard Farnes, giving audiences a rare opportunity to experience the breath-taking scope and dramatic power of Wagner’s masterpiece over the course of a few days or weeks:
Leeds Town Hall (23 April – 21 May; 24 – 29 May)
Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham (6 – 11 June)
The Lowry, Salford (13 – 18 June)
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre (28 June – 3 July)
Sage Gateshead (5 – 10 July)
