Of the many things that were wrong with the Hillary campaign one was its stuck-in-the-90s methods.
Barbra Streisand might have brought out a few votes in that comparatively innocent era.
Nobody lets pop music change their mind nowadays.
Not even Madonna.
And Bruce Springsteen signally failed to chime in blue-collar states.
The diva has designed her own tea-set. In porcelain, for six people.
Made by the Imperial Porcelain Factory of St Petersburg.
It’s called Aida.
Netrebko will sing her first Aida at Salzburg next summer.
Coincidence.
In the set change between the first two acts of Offenbach’s “La Perichole”, the Greek conductor Konstantinos Diminakis turned to the audience and brought out a small box from his inner pocket containing a diamond ring.
He then walked through the orchestra and knelt in front of clarinettist Christiana Thalassinou, asking her to marry him. The audience cheered. Christiana said, yes.
Diminakis then returned to the podium and launched into the prelude of the second act. The opening phrase is written for solo clarinet.
(That’s one way to get them to come in on the beat. )
The proposal took place at Opera de Baugé, in France, on August 3 this year.
The engaged couple live in Vienna, where Diminakis is artistic director of Orpheus Kammerorchester Wien.
The Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, music director Hannu Lintu, achieved 100 percent attendance last season.
There are literally no seats to be had.
So for the upcoming Mahler Third they are selling standing-room tickets for the first time at the Helsinki Music Centre.
An enviable problem.
It’s at Boulder, and it has been won by the Schwarz-Bournaki Duo – US cellist Julian Schwarz with Canadian pianist Marika Bournaki. They came top of 156 contenders.
Leading figures in German opera have sent an open letter to Anne Carine Tanum, Chairman of Norwegian Opera and Ballet. It is published today in Aftenposten, Norway´s principal newspaper.
Dear Madam,
It is with great astonishment and concern that members of the Deutsche Opernkonferenz have heard of the announced resignation of the Norwegian Opera and Ballet CEO Nils Are Karstad Lysø by the end of this season.
The fact that a CEO of the most important artistic institution of Norway abandons his company shortly after having taken decisions with dramatic consequences for its future, not only shows a tremendous lack of responsibility but also leaves the performing and musical arts of Norway – ironically symbolized by Norways maybe most impressive new architectural landmarks – in a desperate situation.
We do hope that the Board of the Norwegian Opera and Ballet will be able to find a successor who can repair the actual damages in a sustainable way. However, having followed discussions over the last year, we believe that the reasons for the actual crisis of the NOB lie in an organization structure that has turned out to be unable to guarantee the necessary freedom any artistic production requires.
As we all are seriously concerned about the current situation, we would like to offer the NOB any advice and support that may help to improve its organization structure in order to allow sustainable artistic production for the future.
Thank you very much for considering our suggestion and all our sincerest regards,
Yours,
Bernd Loebe, Vorsitzender der Deutschen Opernkonferenz und Intendant/Geschäftsführer der Oper Frankfurt
Andreas Homoki, Stellvertretender Vorsitzender der Deutschen Opernkonferenz und Intendant des Opernhaus Zürich
Dietmar Schwarz, Stellvertretender Vorsitzender der Deutschen Opernkonferenz und Intendant der Deutschen Oper Berlin
Jürgen Flimm, Intendant der Staatsoper Berlin
Barrie Kosky, Intendant der Komischen Oper Berlin
Georges Delnon, Intendant der Staatsoper Hamburg
Jossi Wieler, Intendant der Staatsoper Stuttgart
Klaus Bachler, Intendant der Bayerischen Staatsoper München
Birgit Meyer, Intendantin der Oper Köln
Christoph Meyer, Intendant der Oper am Rhein
Wolfgang Rothe, Intendant der Semperoper Dresden
Ulf Schirmer, Intendant der Oper Leipzig
Dominique Meyer, Intendant der Wiener Staatsoper
Unfortunately, many of the same signatories signed a petition to retain John Berry at English National Opera. They were ignored by the Board.
In the Brexit referendum, almost all UK artists and the entire cultural establishment voted fervently to Remain. They got trumped at the ballot-box.
In the US presidential election, the vast majority of cultural votes went to Hillary. She got Trumped on the stump.
In both cases, a clearly defined, positive message outvoted a cause that represented more-of-the-same.
So what now?
We don’t change our ethical view of Brexit or Trump. If we found them abhorrent before, abhorrent they stay.
The situation is as it is.
The psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, a survivor of four Nazi concentrations camps, wrote that when you cannot alter your situation the way to survive is to change your attitude towards it. Preserve an open mind. Find a different angle. Seek holes in the wall and opportunities in the system. Hang on in there.
Hope did not die.
Mary Sauer, principal piano of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 57 years, is playing her last concert tonight.
Mary was hired as Chicago’s first full-time orchestral keyboardist by Fritz Reiner in 1959. She was officially added to the Orchestra’s roster by Jean Martinon in 1967/68 and named principal piano in the 2000/01 season.
She has served with great distinction on piano, celesta, organ and harpsichord ever since. She has also played concertos in her own right with Sir Georg Solti, Jean Martinon, Carlo Maria Giulini, Claudio Abbado, Rafael Kubelik, Zubin Mehta, Charles Dutoit, Walter Hendl, Alan Gilbert and Margaret Hillis.
Not many pianists can boast that pedigree.
We wish Mary a long and happy retirement.
She ranks #15 in the longest serving orchestra players of all time.
Some 11th-hour thoughts from Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic:
As I sat in the audience two years ago and listened to Elie Wiesel’s acceptance speech at the John Jay Justice awards, I took some notes so that I wouldn’t forget what he said. His words are particularly important today. Here is my version of what he said.
‘What does it all mean? What does it all mean? Words matter. Words move men. In the face of evil let us speak let us not remain silent. Silence equalled death for so many. Let us show gratitude. Gratitude everyday for being here. Let us smile. We are responsible to one another and for one another. What does it all mean. It’s ok not to know but it is best to be grateful for what we do know and not be blasé about this existence. Be moved. Live. Ask the tough questions. And speak up for justice.’
Donald Trump’s words do matter and they can change people and move people. In fact, they have. The words of another man took away Wiesel’s entire family and the families of so many others. It did happen, it could happen again. Let us not let ignore the words right in front of us in 2016 and let anyone take away or send away our many beautiful diverse families. Let us not deem political correctness or decency or politeness or kindness to be extinct. Let’s not let them con us into becoming that which we are not. I won’t stay silent. I’m with her.
The company says it broke even last season. Local business reports say it made a big loss. Go figure.
Lyric reported $61.9 million in total revenue for the year, down substantially from $86.8 million the previous year.
Total expenses for the year climbed to $84.1 million, up from $79 million the previous year. Earned income dropped to $25.1 million from $34.7 million the previous year, while unearned income fell to $36.1 million million from $52.7 million the previous year.
Given these results, the math shows Lyric incurred a $22.2 million loss for FY2016, which ended June 30, 2016.
Lyric chief financial officer Lane suggested in a cover letter posted with the financial report that the success of Lyric’s Breaking New Ground campaign “afforded us the ability to present a breakeven 2015/16 season.”
More here.
UPDATE: Response from Roberta Lane, Lyric Opera CFO:
Ever since Slipped Disc first came onto the scene, the Bergische Symphoniker of Remscheid and Solingen has been popping up as an orchestra in deep financial distress, losing 300,000 Euros a year.
Remscheid and Solingen merged their orchestras in 1995.
Now local officials are suggesting a Berger merger with a bigger town, Wuppertal.
Will three towns go into one orchestra?
Rick Steiner, who recreated Mel Brooks’s film The Producers for Broadway in 2001, has died in Cincinnati after open-heart surgery.
He won five Tony awards and was a champion poker player.
