north korea

Among the bizarre stories of 2016, this one takes the last biscuit in the Pyongyang tin.

The musicians, it seems, were just doing a day’s work. But who were the audience that paid good money to hear a pick-up orchestra conducted by a sworn supporter of the Dear Leader, who lives in Teaneck, New Jersey?

Read the full crackpot story in the Wall Street Journal here.

Sample:

Natalie Rogers, a 65-year-old classical music aficionado from Manhattan, said she was puzzled by the stern, well-dressed Korean men sitting in view of her third-row balcony seat during last week’s performance.

They were Ri Yong Ho, North Korea’s foreign minister, and his associates who were in New York for the United Nations General Assembly. A day later, Mr. Ri delivered a speech at the U.N. that promised to advance North Korea’s nuclear threat.

“I was wondering who they were,” said Ms. Rogers, a performance-anxiety coach, after she learned.

 

 

 

 

 

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Brent Assink, executive director of the San Franciso Symphony for the past 18 years, announced his resignation today. Here’s what he told his staff:

Dear members of the Administrative team,

With great gratitude and appreciation for each of you, I am writing to let you know that I have decided to resign my position at the Symphony, after 18 rewarding years as your Executive Director.

I believe change is beneficial to both individuals and organizations, and have come to the conclusion that now is the right time for this transition to take place, for me personally and for the Symphony. After much consideration, I have decided that there are a number of important career goals that I would like to explore, either in other fields or in other areas of this field. In order to provide for a smooth transition, I will remain in this position until March 31, 2017. There is much exciting work to be accomplished between now and then and many more wonderful concerts to experience.

The San Francisco Symphony is one of very few orchestras with a history of consistent leadership in all three critical functions—board, artistic and administrative. I have every confidence that this great orchestra will continue to thrive and break new ground in the years ahead because of the passion, talents, and commitment that you bring to your work day in and day out. I have considered it a real honor to get to know so many of you. It has been an incomparable joy to lead this amazing orchestra and staff through periods of growth, innovation and challenge. Jan and I look forward with great anticipation to what the future holds for us and for this wonderful organization that we have grown to care for so deeply. With great thanks for all you have done for the Symphony
Brent

It appears the organisers of a Bartok for Europe series failed to sell the concerts.

This is the audience that greeted the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Vladimir Jurowski and soloist  Valery Afanassiev, yesterday (Monday) evening.

Our correspondent in the hall thought the concert was terrific, albeit somewhat private.

The concert management, in a private communication, blamed the October beer festival for the hall being ‘half-empty’.

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UPDATE: The hall was even emptier than we thought.

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This is the celebrated unwritten shower scene from Donizeti’s comic opera. (Do not try this at home without a rubber mat. Slippedisc.com takes no responsibility for slipped discs and other contingent injuries.)

The scene features in Damiano Michieletto’s new Valencia production.

The cast is Ilona Mataradze/Karen Gardeazabal (Adina), William Davenport (Nemorino),Paolo Bordogna (Dulcamara), Mattia Olivieri (Belcore) and Caterina Di Tonno (Giannetta).

photo courtesy codalario.com… to enlarge, please right-click on the image and open in new tab.

A violin made from one of Sir Winston Churchill’s old cigar boxes received its first airing in a US broadcast by Yehudi Menuhin in April 1958.

Made by the English violin maker William Robinson (1880-1960), it is coming up for sale next month.

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We’ve just been notified that the Busch Trio, founded in London four years ago, has been awarded the 50,000-Euro Kersjesprijs, the biggest chamber music award in the Netherlands.

The trio – pianist Omri Epstein, violinist Mathieu van Bellen, cellist Ori Epstein – is named after Adolf Busch, whose  1783 G.B. Guadagnini violin is played by Mathieu. The group is resident at the Queen Elisabeth Chapel in Brussels.

The citation reads: The young piano trio has quickly developed into an ensemble of the highest level. With an impressive concert schedule at home and abroad, they show promise for a great international career, for which this prize hopes to contribute. With their warm, lush sound, perfect balance and immersive playing, they are the ideal interpreters of the rich repertoire for piano trio.

Actea Jimenez, 24, of Holland’s Het Gelders Orkest, has won the Solo Timpani position in the orchestra of Bilbao, defeating 47 contenders.

This makes Actea the third woman timpanist in leading Spanish orchestras.

How many in the UK? the US? Vienna?

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OK, our readers are starting to name them:

1 Kate Eyre, English National Ballet

2 Josephine Frieze, Royal Liverpool Phil (dep)

3 Christine Turpin, Melbourne Symphony

4 Kimberly Toscano, Tucson Symphony

5 Angie Zator Nelson, Assistant Principal, Philadelphia

6 Erika Ohman, Assistant Principal, Hallé

7 Bonnie Lynn Adelson was principal timpanist for 30 years at Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and the Zagreb Philharmonic. She caught the eye of Carlos Kleiber ad became his confidante.

8 Joyce Aldous, timpanist with the Hallé

9 Katia Godart, Belgian national orchestra

10 Elayne Jones, ex-San Francisco Opera

11 Nancy Nelson, Houston Grand Opera

12 June Binnie of Jyväskylä Sinfonia, Finland

13 Yoko Kita, Sarasota Orchestra

14 Cynthia Yeh, Chicago Symphony

15 Heather Corbett, BBC Scottish Orchestra

16 Nancy Rowe, Bangor Symphony Orchestra (Maine)

17 Pam Dow – former Principal Percussion, RSNO.

18 Carol Stumpf – Charlotte Symphony 1982-2006

19 Rachel Gledhill, principal percussion ROH (former LPO)

… keep ’em coming

 

You know the problem getting people to attend new music?

The London Sinfonietta think they’ve cracked it by inviting audience members to play a part.

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The deal is people buy a £10 ticket. If they turn up to two rehearsals, the money is refunded and the concert is free.

So who pays? Work that one out later.

Here‘s the blurb:

Two ground-breaking commissions by Christian Mason and Huang Ruo give you the chance to perform world premieres with the London Sinfonietta.

No musical experience is needed: glass bottles, Chinese baoding balls, tin foil, mouth organs and whispers will be your instruments….

Rehearsal the night before: Friday 21 October 2016, 6-9pm
Rehearsal on the day: Saturday 22 October 2016 2.30-5.30pm

Commit to these two rehearsals and attend the concert for free! Book your £10 ticket here on Eventbrite and we’ll refund you the full amount upon attendance. As a thank you, we’ll also offer a discount to London Sinfonietta’s future 2016/17 events.

 

A fire at the Théatre Mogador has deprived the Andrew Lloyd Webber show of its stage. The entire run, due to start October 13, has been called off.

This was meant to be its Paris premiere.

 

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The Labour leader dropped in on the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s In Harmony programme during his party conference in the city.

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Official release: He enjoyed a short performance by Year 6 pupils before having a go at playing in the orchestra, coached by Jess (violin) and Billy (cello).

The British baritone will sing Don Giovanni at the Met tomorrow.

He has been out for almost two years after suffering vocal problems in the middle of a Vienna Rigoletto, forcing him to leave the stage. He has confronted the issue throughout with a candour rare in the music profession and now feels ready to return to the biggest of stages.

He talks to Michael Cooper in the New York Times today. The whole music world will be rooting for his success at the Met tomorrow.

 

keenlyside

Seattle Opera’s upcoming As One, follows a person in gender transition.

From the press release:

Award winning filmmaker and librettist Kimberly Reed (Prodigal Sons), and award winning librettist Mark Campbell(Silent Night) created the powerful story for As One. Laura Kaminsky, a former chair of the music department at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts, composed the piece, which premiered in 2014 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In this 90-minute opera, the single protagonist, Hannah, is portrayed by two singers—a baritone and a mezzo-soprano. Hannah before is sung by Jorell Williams, praised by The New York Times as “magnificent” and “rich toned.” Hannah after will be sung by Taylor Raven, a rising star currently in residency with Pittsburgh Opera.

Throughout the course of 15 songs, the audience will experience Hannah’s challenges growing up in a small town on the West coast, her quest for knowledge and understanding, and her discovery of the trans community. The opera embraces humor and heartbreaking realities within this personal narrative. While Hannah before is faced with violence, Hannah after names those who did not survive similar attacks. At the end of the opera, the protagonist finds peace, as well as her own self-acceptance and love, in rural Norway. 

(Looks like we missed the world premiere at BAM, below.)

 

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