We have been informed of the death of Nicolae Licaret, long-serving music director of the Georges Enesco Philharmonic Orchestra of Bucharest and a vital figure in post-Ceaucescu reconstruction.
He was 73.
We hear that the German violinist Elia Kaden was denied boarding on his Norwegian flight DY1104 from Oslo to Berlin two days before Christmas.
He was forced to buy a new ticket for both himself and his violin, even though regulations clearly state that violins can be carried on board.
This callous budget airline goes from bad to worse.
One of the world’s longest musical partnerships is about to end.
Zubin Mehta first conducted the Israel Philharmonic in 1961.
He was named music director for life in 1981.
Today, he announced that he will step down in October 2019.
Zubin Mehta turned 80 earlier this year.
Our friend Amir Mandel has the full story at Haaretz.
Now, at last, with English subtitles.
The unique 1948 radio interview begins at 1:50.
The voice, steeped in liquor and cigars, is unforgettable, hypnotic.
A sombre German selection of major cultural and intellectual losses of 2016.
Click here to read.
Teachers at the celebrated Gnessin School have lost a husband and a son in the Tupolev crash that wiped out the Alexandrov Ensemble, formerly the Red Army Ensemble.
Irina Gegele lost her son, Ivan, a horn player.
Another teacher is married to Vladimir Brodsky, a pianist who died.
The information has been sent to us by friends and family.
Eternal rest to their souls.
UPDATE: Also killed:
– Anton Gubankov, head of the cultural department at the Russian Ministry of Defence
– Dancer Ralina Gilmanova, 22
– Humanitarian physician Dr. Elizaveta Glinka, bearing relief aid to Latakia hospital
A full list of victims can be seen here.
There are six current vacancies at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. Fancy your chances?
Tom Greenleaves, the orchestra’s solo timpanist, talks us though the hoops and falls in a fascinating post on Rob Knopper’s blog.
Sample:
After the closing date for applications, the members of the section (we timpanists count as such for percussion auditions and vice versa; lower brass are also considered to be one section for these purposes) survey all the applicants’ résumés and each member decides individually on whom they would like to invite, and whether he/she should play at the preliminary audition or be invited directly to the main audition. Applicants who already hold prominent positions elsewhere are likely to be invited directly to the main audition.
Normal practice is to invite those receiving the votes of 50% of the section to audition. When the results of this process are collated, the section decides whether it’s actually logistically feasible to invite the resulting number of candidates (bearing in mind that, invariably, not all those invited actually turn up).
Full guide here.
