Congratulations to countertenor Andreas Scholl and pianist Tamar Halperin, recipients today of the Hessischen Kulturpreis 2016 in Frankfurt.

The prize is worth 45,000 Euros.

The couple were cited by the Hessian prime minister as ‘extraordinary artists of international esteem.’

tamar halperin andreas scholl

We’ve been asked to post this notice on behalf of David Blackadder, principal trumpet of the Academy of Ancient Music.

 

STOLEN INSTRUMENT ALERT 

AAM PRINCIPAL TRUMPET DAVID BLACKADDER’S (NATURAL) TRUMPETS WERE TAKEN FROM A TRAIN THIS MORNING AS HE TRAVELLED IN TO LONDON FOR A PERFORMANCE THIS EVENING. IT’S BELIEVED SOME YOUTHS RAN ON TO THE TRAIN AT LUTON, TAKING THE BLACK SOFT CASE. A MEMBER OF THE PUBLIC CHALLENGED THEM AND SOME ITEMS HAVE BEEN RECOVERED BUT THE TRUMPETS ARE STILL MISSING. PLEASE SHARE WITH ANY CONTACTS IN THE AREA AND FURTHER AFIELD IN CASE THEY HEAR OF INSTRUMENTS BEING OFFERED FOR SALE.

david-blackadder-playing-haydn-trumpet-concerto

Contact a.brice@aam.co.uk

The busy international conductor Paul Goodwin has left bustling AskonasHolt for the more boutiquey Cambridge agency, Hazard Chase.

And IMG, pumping up the air miles, have signed the Russian principal conductor of the Teatro Municipal de Santiago de Chile, Konstantin Chudovsky.

konstantin-chudovsky

Even in these Trumpian times it comes as a shock to see where US music is heading.

The top-selling classical album last week on Nielsen Soundscan – the most accurate industry measure – sold just over 4,000 copies, which is more than any other new release all year.

That’s the good news.

The release is a tribute album to the Three Tenors.

The singers are Il Volo, an Italian pop trio – Gianluca Ginoble, Piero Barone and Ignazio Boschetto – which competes at San Remo and the Eurovision Song Contest.

They are as classical as Trump.

But Sony have persuaded Placido Domingo to conduct them, so that makes them classical, right?

And Domingo clearly has no idea what damage he’s doing to the exhilarating memory of the original Three Tenors.

il-volo-la-nostra-notte-magica-con-placido-domingo-rw5co

Here’s a clip:

This is their usual stuff.

This new French TV doc is the most revealing coverage yet of the Buniatishvili phenomenon, with her mother-manager very much in evidence. It’s a fascinating anatomy of self-reinvention with an insight into her involvement in Georgian politics.

She’s 29, older than her years.

And this is Khatia last night at the Echp awards:
khatia buniatishvili

Barbara Kisseler, Hamburg’s senator for culture and the political driver behind the new Elbephilharmonie concert hall, has died of a prolonged illness at 67.

Political factions are united in mourning.

barbara-kisseler

James Judd has been named artistic director of the Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra.

He conducted his first concert two hours after signing the contract.

james judd

Judd also holds music directorships in Slovakia and Israel.

Herb Light played his final session with the Philadelphia Orchestra last week.

He has been with them since 1960, at once point serving as assistant concertmaster. He was previously with the Baltimore Symphony.

Herb is married to Yocheved Kaplinsky, the Julliard piano department chair.

herb-light1

He is among the top 20 longest serving players with any single orchestra.

The French conductor Georges Pretre had to cancel all engagements in his 91st year after breaking a leg.

But that was last year.

He’s back this morning rehearsing the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, with whom he holds the title of honorary conductor.

So great they called in TV news cameras.

georges-pretre

The Cleveland music director is asked what makes his orchestra unique.

Watch his answer here.

cleveland-welser-most

After Sony snatched Jonas Kaufmann from Decca last year, he was outraged when his former label pushed out his old Puccini tracks to play against Sony’s Nessun Dorma release.

kaufmann sony

There was even talk of legal action.

Now, weeks after DG captured Murray Perahia from Sony with a set of Bach suites, his former label has issued a spoiler compilation.

Small boys in playgrounds?

perahia-bach-sonyperahia-bach-dg

The German music industry reports a huge rise in classical streaming – 88% – and a 16% fall in classical downloads during the first half of this year.

It’s not clear from the data released is this is just paid-for streaming or all sorts. Read here.

joyce stream