All members of the Camerata Nordica resigned six weeks ago after their orchestra was suspended.

Now the Camerata Nordica is posting ‘business as usual’ notices and hiring new musicians.

Former members of the ensemble are calling for an international boycott.

Here’s their statement:

BOYCOTT CAMERATA NORDICA
In this age of alternative facts and extreme politics it is often difficult to discern truth from lies, but the case of Camerata Nordica is exceptionally clear. The lack of outrage from Swedish citizens, from politicians and from arts organizations alike is allowing actions not short of criminal to take place in the Kalmar region.
Around 5 million kronor are owed and lying politicians are being allowed to cover it up. I say around 5 million only because the level of incompetent mismanagement and an extreme effort to cover up the truth leave us with no clue what the actual amount is and where this money has gone or where it will come from.
28 musicians have resigned and yet the board of Lansmusiken pretends everything will continue unhindered. When audiences and fans reach out to the media to show their support and voice their outrage, they are shamed into silence by disrespect and lies.
Camerata Nordica is dead. It has been killed by years of mismanagement and a board of politicians too concerned with their own egos and careers to take responsibility for their wrong-doing. We musicians have tried in vain to negotiate a future for Camerata for years, and all such proposals have now been thrown away or ignored.
Concerts are cancelled, recording contracts lost, a network of musicians emptied, and yet chairman Peter Hogberg speaks of “business as usual”. This term in Kalmar these days means nothing short of wasted money, disrespect, and lies. There is no way back as long as this board together with disgraced Lansmusiken chief Kjell Lindstrom are allowed to continue their work in Kalmar. Because of this I must on behalf of my colleagues and with their support call for a complete and total boycott of all activities that involve the name Camerata Nordica as long as these people remain in power.
A fan of ours recently pointed out in the newspaper Barometern that you would not go to see the Rolling Stones if all the band members were suddenly different. The same must be true of Camerata Nordica. For musicians to go and participate in this ruined institution would be a deep offense to our tradition, and for organizers to allow this organization to send them an alternate orchestra using our name would be equally appalling. The money of Swedish tax payers has been wasted. An orchestra with over 40 years of incredible history has been destroyed. There is no transparency and no accountability. This cannot be allowed to happen; this must not be tolerated.
We call on the musical world to stand united and boycott this institution. We call on tax payers to demand that their money be used with care, respect, and accountability, not for lining the pockets of administrators. We call on political Sweden to hold their colleagues accountable and replace this lying board.
Stand with the real musicians of Camerata Nordica.

 

Dallas Opera has put an April 30 deadline on the world’s premier conducting course for women.

Apply here. It only costs $35.

The course will take place over two weeks in November.

It has been 12 days since Lauren Philips, 26, was last seen in North Devon and police are issuing new photographs in the hope of jogging people’s memories.

 

Lauren’s car was found a week ago. There has been no sign of the keen violinist, who plays in the Haffner Orchestra and in other Bristol ensembles.

We have been notified of the death of Robert Barris, who played in the Dallas, Detroit and Chicago symphony orchestras and was an influential teacher at Northwestern University.

Our sympathies to his family.

This is Brett Deubner giving the world premiere of Richard Danielpour’s viola concerto in Long Beach at the aquarium of the Pacific with the Musique Sur la Mer orchestra, conducted by Marcy Sudock.

The Gramophone website has published a list of ‘the 50 greatest conductors of all time’.

It is unsigned and may well have been compiled by computer on the basis of who made the most recordings.

Even so, the inconsistencies are staggering.

Not a single Finn in the 50. Nobody from the major school of modern conducting.

The plodding Jochum, Wand, Munch and Gardiner are included, but there is no heart-racing Klaus Tennstedt, no Erich Kleiber, no Van Beinum, no Horenstein, no Järvi – none of the Järvis – no Kondrashin, no Sanderling….. no sense at all to the selection process.

Most striking of all, the two most important conductors in Germany today – Christian Thielemann and Kirill Petrenko – are conspicuous by their absence.

 

This list appears to have been made by a small-minded, Little England robot.

 

This is the image you will see when going online to purchase Met tickets for Idomeneo.

The red dots are the unsold seats.

At least two-thirds of the orchestra stalls, priced from $85 to $300, are vacant. For Friday night, which ought by rights to be full of weekenders.

Crisis, what crisis?

 

The Queen today knighted a bass-baritone.

photo: PA pool

 

No 21st century US opera has earned as much acclaim as Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves, premiered last September by Opera Philadelphia, which is making the most of its success.

From Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 1 p.m. the world can listen to an audio stream of the opera right here.

Bookmark it.

 

 

September 6, 2017 will mark ten years since the great tenor’s death.

The other two will top a commemoration bill that night at the Arena di Verona.

Other names have yet to be announced. Bare announcement here.

 

The Australian pianist, subject of a 1996 film, has announced his first UK performances since that time.

He will appear at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, and the Barbican in London on May 27 and 29 with the following programme:

Chopin Ballade No 1 in G minor
Liszt
Concert Etude No. 3 Un Sospiro
Liszt Jeux d’eau a la Villa d’Este
Liszt Ballade No. 2 in B minor
David Helfgott piano
interval
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3 (version for two pianos)
David Helfgott piano; Rhodri Clarke piano

The annual theatre awards tilt heavily in favour of the artistic director that the Arts Council got fired from English National Opera. Berry commissioned four of the shortlisted performances. Then he got sacked.

He is unlikely to be invited to the awards dinner.

 

Two of the ENO nominees have since rebelled against his successors. Mar Wigglesworth resigned as music director and Stuart Skelton said the wrong people are now running the Coliseum.

Here’s the shortlist:
Best new opera production

4.48 Psychosis at the Lyric Hammersmith
*Akhnaten at London Coliseum
Così Fan Tutte at Royal Opera House
*Lulu at London Coliseum
Outstanding achievement in opera

Renée Fleming for her performance in Der Rosenkavalier at the Royal Opera House
*Stuart Skelton for his performance in Tristan and Isolde at London Coliseum
*Mark Wigglesworth for his conducting of Don Giovanni and Lulu at London Coliseum