That’s the value placed on Universal Music by its owner, Vivendi, based on advice from investment bankers.

Vivendi, a French water and sewage business, said it had received offers of $15 billion to sell its music offshoot, but these were well below its true value.

By way of comparison, the total value placed on EMI when it was broken up and sold in 2012 was $4.1 billion.

The Decca record label has quietly set up a music publishing wing under ex-Imagem and Boosey exec Natasha Baldwin.

Its first client is the multifarious Max Richter, author of the  8½ hour long SLEEP album, which has sold 100,000 copies.

Richter has also composed for Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island, Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir, Tom Hardy’s BBC drama Taboo and several ballet projects with Wayne McGregor.

He says: ‘I liked the idea of being the first signing to Decca Music Publishing, as we agreed to take a fresh outlook on how we approach music publishing together, at a time when the rules are changing as to how music can engage with the multidimensional creative landscape of today.’

Ink-wet signing pic: L-R: Universal UK CEO David Joseph, Natasha Baldwin, Max Richter, Universal Classical president Dickon Stainer, Steve Abbott © Dominic Nicholls

The Russian baritone came through his first recital in months last night, appearing in Toronto with Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov.

‘Spaseba,’ he posted afterwards. ‘It’s good to be back.’

His first intervention in the worsening Venezuela situation has earned Gustavo Dudamel nothing but hostility.

Opponents of the Maduro regime, which is trying to starve the country into submission, have accused Dudamel of targeting the opposition by failing to name the government as the cause of present miseries.

Supporters of the Government are calling him a turncoat.

Debate is raging across social media.

You can watch his important statement here. It calls on ‘political leaders to find the necessary ways to solve the crisis in Venezuela.’

That means both sides.

By any reasonable measure, it is a brave statement. Dudamel, who lives in the US and works worldwide, had no reason to stick his head above the parapet. He has never spoken before about Venezuelan politics. Had he kept quiet no-one would have been able to fault him for that – at least no more than they have done already. he must have been aware that making the statement was a no-win action.

I know from personal encounters that Gustavo Dudamel loves his country and maintains a naive admiration for its former leader, Hugo Chavez. Dudamel is not a politician, but he has an acute sense of responsibility for musicians in the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, which he directs. To have issued an overt attack on the Maduro government would have exposed his musicians to existential risk. That he could not do.

In present circumstances, this statement is as brave as it gets. I applaud his courage.

Dudamel (centre) with President Chavez and mentor Abreu

Amid mounting conflict between the Maduro government and the country’s citizens, Venezuela’s cultural ambassador has broken his silence to call on the regime to set egos and ideology aside and find a solution.

This is the first time he has spoken out on the collapsing political situation.
Dudamel says: ‘I share with you my concern about the events of my country. I call on political leaders to find the necessary ways to solve the crisis in Venezuela.’

We reported bad blood last year at the Slovene Philharmonic Orchestra where the chief conductor Uroš Lajovic was accused of being verbally abusive towards his musicians, allegedly calling them ‘lazy dogs’.

Lajovic, 72, denied any bad conduct.

Yesterday, after a five-month stand-off, he resigned.

A retired professor of conducting at the University of Performing Arts in Vienna, Lajovic taught Kirill Petrenko, incoming chief of the Berlin Philharmonic.

This is Robin Ticciati this morning, presenting his first season as chief conductor of DSO.

An orchestra, he said, stands for community, not clicks and uncertainty.

Amid concern for Dmitry Hvorostovsky, whom she is supporting in the performance, it has been overlooked hat tonight will mark the Canadian debut of the Russian soprano and her husband, Yusif Eyvazov.

‘Usually we perform in the United States and we never get any further, but now we are and we’re happy!’ says Anna.

The concert, at Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre, is completely sold out.

Dutch press release:

Pentatone is pleased to announce a multiple-release collaboration with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, and their conductor, Gustavo Gimeno. The first two titles of the series, Bruckner (Symphony No. 1 and 4 Orchestral Pieces) and Shostakovich (Symphony No. 1 and other short pieces) will be released in May, with a third release later in 2017. Conceptually tying together the albums in the series is the idea of pairing major works with lesser-known music from the same composer, and at least six further projects are planned for the coming years.

photo: Alfonso Salgueiro

In April 2004, at then-Avery Fisher Hall, the conductor took a bow in the middle of a long, new work by Nathan Currier and led the soloists off stage after a union representative signalled that the orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, were going into overtime.

The incident provoked litigation from the composer, in which he is now claiming victory. A settlement has been reached giving Currier the rights to a recording of his Gaian Variations.

‘I suspect many in my field are bemused as to why I bothered pursuing this so long,’ says Currier. ‘It certainly isn’t from litigiousness, vanity, anger or the like: it’s just what got me to write the piece in the first place, or to put in personal funds when the organizations involved didn’t raise the money, and that is that the material behind the work is beautiful, but also utterly obligatory, if you want your grandchildren to have lives on planet Earth.’

You may read more of his account here.

The outspoken violinist talks about the two most important maestros in his life in a new DG video:

The Hamburg GMD has called in sick for the next fortnight.

Eliahu Inbal will take over the prized opportunity of Mahler’s Symphony of 1,000.