The voice teacher Claudia Friedlander attended a 2011 New York masterclass by the German bass, who died yesterday. Here’s what she learned:
At 72, the veteran bass has the most perfectly coordinated, expressive, and economically produced voice I have ever heard at close range. In fact, I’ve never even heard anyone come close to comparing with his ability to project even the softest of utterances so that they fill the hall and make every listener feel as though he were speaking directly to them.
Listening to him expanded my awareness of what it is possible for the human voice to do…
The death has been announced of Kurt Moll, one of the finest German singers of the late 20th century.
He joined Cologne Opera in 1958 and made the city his home. Soon he was appearing in the major international houses. His US debut was in San Francisco in 1974, followed fours years later by the Met.
He sang Baron Ochs in seven commercial recordings of Der Rosenkavalier, practically owning the role.
He gave his final stage performance at Bayreuth on July 31, 2006 and died in Cologne yesterday, March 6.
8.58am from Finchley Rd driver was so incredibly rude that other passengers on this already late service supported me.
We like the sound of the first string quartet biennale in Amsterdam, taking place next January.
Here are the participants:
• Brentano String Quartet (USA)
• Cuarteto Casals (ESP)
• Quartetto di Cremona (IT)
• Quatuor Danel (BE)
• DoelenKwartet (NL)
• Doric String Quartet (UK)
• Dudok Kwartet (NL)
• Emerson String Quartet (USA)
• Hagen Quartett (AT)
• O/Modernt String Quartet (SWE)
• Cuarteto Quiroga (ESP)
• Ragazze Quartet (NL)
• Ruysdael Kwartet (NL)
• Signum Quartett (DE)
The Deutsche Bühnenverein has just announced a pay rise for all employees at state theatres and opera houses, including chorus and orchestra musicians.
The increase, backdated to January 1, 2017, will be two percent – or a minimum of 75 Euros a month for those on the lowest wages.
The organisers of the Eurovision Song Contest have announced a new talent show for amateur choirs, to be known as Eurovision Choir of the Year.
The show will be compered on July 22 by the US composer Eric Whitacre and a Latvian TV presenter Eva Ikstena.
However, only seven Eurovision countries have agreed to take part – Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Germany and Slovenia.
Where’s Noway with its nul points?
Richard K. Smucker succeeds Dennis W. LaBarre today as Board President of the Cleveland Orchestra.
Smucker is Executive Chairman of The J.M. Smucker Company, an $8 billion food and beverage manufacturer and marketer of iconic North American brands including Smucker’s®, Jif®, Folgers®, Pillsbury®, Crisco®, and in pet food and pet snacks, Meow Mix®, Milk Bone®, Kibbles ’n Bits®, 9Lives®, and many more.
As the orchestra redefines itself after its founder’s death, Tim Miller – a banker – has been named Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Alan Watt – an Australian arts consultant, formerly with the Budapest Festival Orchestra – becomes chief executive.
We’re not sure why this press release, a year old, has just dropped into the Slipped Disc inbox. But its content may be of interest to those of you who still play records at home.
The survey claims to show that two people who listen to music together in a private place are more likely to end up in bed together than those who don’t.
The survey, with 30,000 respondents, asserts that people who say they listen to music out loud together have 67 percent more sex, and almost a quarter of people would rather give up sex than music.
The Danish culture minister Mette Bock, 100 days in office, is proposing to disband the DR orchestras and choruses, sell the concert hall and redefine the state broadcaster as a pure media company.
She said the musicians could be reallocated to the Royal Theatre.
Denmark often comes top on the world’s happiest country index.
Not for musicians. Every year they confront some new political anxiety.
UPDATE:
This is more complicated than it looks. Ms Bock wants to remove the orchestra from DR and place them under the management of the Royal Theatre (which is always short of funds).
In addition, she is proposing to redistribute funds and musicians from the Copenhagen Philharmonic to other orchestras around the country – Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg and Sønderborg.
Lawyers for the distinguished Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki have issued a statement in response to a website report that the musician had been ‘used operationally’ on ‘frequent trips abroad’ by the Communist state intelligence services. The website claimed to have obtained secret files to this effect.
Penderecki, in a statement to the Polish news agency, PAP, said he had no knowledge of any such documents.
‘I have never been a collaborator of the Security Services,’ he stated categorically.
