Washington National Opera (WNO) and its Executive Director Michael L. Mael today announce that Music Director Philippe Auguin will become Music Director Emeritus of the WNO Orchestra at the beginning of the 2018–2019 season. Auguin’s position as Music Director will not be extended after the conclusion of the company’s 2017–2018 season. He will then have completed eight seasons as WNO’s Music Director, having conducted 17 productions—including WNO’s first-ever complete cycles of Wagner’s epic The Ring of the Nibelung—and having filled 10 positions in the orchestra, including three principals, an assistant concertmaster, and an assistant principal.
The German-based Capella Trinitatis has posted a notice of the death today of their harpsichordist and conductor, Ludger Rémy. He was 68.
A student of Kenneth Gilbert, Rémy has been professor of early music at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber in Dresden since 1998.
He recorded several concertos by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.
Against the backdrop of contemptible articles in the Times and Metro newspapers, depicting operagoers as a champagne-swilling mob oblivious to the poor, general director Michael Volpe sets out the facts today about the company’s accessibility policy.
Sample:
Our first accessible ticket scheme at OHP, introduced over ten years ago, was free tickets for those aged seven to 18, including an accompanying parent for those under 16. This was joined soon after by an equivalent scheme for patrons aged 60 and over, aimed at mobile, active retirees who are not flush with cash.
In total 1,000 free tickets are given to young and older audiences per season, and both schemes are fully subscribed every year. Many parents have told us that introducing their children to opera for free has ensured their family enjoys opera before they invest in more expensive tickets.
The image makers reveal the tricks of their trade (12 cameras, 120 frames per second).
Not for the pure of heart. Not even sure it does much for the brand.
An 1855 George Gemunder violin, left by its rushed owner at a train station on Saturday, has been recovered by police together with its $6,000 bow after a stranger walked away with it.
The instrument belongs to Amy Sims, a freelance violinist. ‘I use that violin every day, and I don’t have a backup instrument,’ she said.
Here’s the picture of a suspect who was originally sought by police but has now been cleared.
Alexei Malobrodsky, former head of the Gogol Centre theatre, has been arrested for alleged fraud in an investigation that previously swept up the theatre’s present artistic director, Kirill Serebrennikov.
Serebrennikov has been released, reportedly on Putin’s orders.
Anton Wendler joined the Vienna State Opera in 1972 as a stage assistant, hoping for a singing break.
He went on to perform 41 roles in 36 works on 561 nights.
Dr Wendler died on June 15, aged 82.
With original dwarfs, mermaids and thunder machines?
Press release:
Wagner’s “The Ring of the Nibelung” in historically-informed performance practice – Concerto Köln and Kent Nagano launch an extraordinary project
In their most recent collaboration, Concerto Köln and the internationally-renowned conductor, Kent Nagano, pursue a leading-edge project: in cooperation with scientists at the university and Musichochschule in Cologne, they are taking on Richard Wagner’s tetralogy, “The Ring of the Nibelung”. Their undertaking will provide the international opera scene with new impetus in historically-informed approaches to musical-theatrical works of the 19th century.
Jochen Schäfsmeier (Managing Director, Concerto Köln): “Concerto Köln is as honoured as it is inspirited to approach Wagner’s ‚Ring’ together with Kent Nagano and to be able to make an important contribution to the historical performance practice of 19th century music.”
For the first time, the entire “Ring” is to be viewed from an early music movement perspective: the instrumental and vocal styles as well as the staging at the time of Wagner will be examined over a period of several years and compiled to form a historically-informed performance concept.
Kent Nagano (Artistic Director): “It is due to historical performance practice that nowadays there is a much different understanding of many composers and their works than was standard 30 or 40 years ago. Moreover, thanks to historicized approaches, we have gained knowledge about instruments and playing techniques which opens up to us new, pioneering pathways into the interpretation and performance of our music.
Richard Wagner’s ‚The Ring of the Nibelung’ is probably one of the most researched compositions yet nonetheless, a systematic approach to the tetralogy from a historically-informed perspective has not been attempted thus far. It is therefore all the more important that such an undertaking is tackled and that, in romantic repertoire now as well, normality in terms of sound which seemed irrefutable so far is called into question.
I have collaborated together with Concerto Köln for several projects in the past and am convinced that I have found two most competent partners in the Cologne ensemble and the Kunststiftung NRW who are able to provide the scientific basis for a historically-informed reading of Richard Wagner’s ‚Ring’. Together we will pursue this endeavor and bring the music to the stage!”
The simultaneously scientific as well as artistic undertaking on such a mammoth scale requires tremendous effort with the additional aim of becoming a guide to performance practice of 19th century music and opera. The outcome, interpreted by Concerto Köln and Kent Nagano, will be performed from the 2020/21 onward. All research findings will be published in Open Access.
Prof. Dr. Hans-Joachim Wagner (Kunststiftung NRW): “For the Kunststiftung NRW, the support of the project, ‚WAGNER-READINGS’, is of significance in a number of ways. For several years, supporting artistic research has played a major role within the Kunststiftung’s funding programs – albeit with a primary focus on theater, dance and literature; examples of this being the Christoph-Schlingensief guest professorship for scenic research at the Ruhr University in Bochum, the Pina Bausch fellowship and the Thomas Kling lectureship at the University of Bonn. With ‚WAGNER-READINGS’, the base of support is expanded to the area of music, bringing art and research together in a so to speak ideal-typical way by conducting research into the complex correlations involved in the musical-theatrical production of Wagner and translating the results into artistic practice.”
Initial work already began in May of 2017. The official go-ahead for the project is a symposium in September, 2017. Financial support is provided by the Kunststiftung NRW and the Freunde von Concerto Köln e.V. Additional support is provided by the Strecker-Stiftung and MBL Akustikgeräte GmbH & Co. KG.
She had been due to make her Australian debut next week at the age of 75, but the great pianist has pleaded exhaustion and is sending Yuja Wang instead.
Here’s what she’s telling disappointed Aussies:
Dear Sydney public,
I am terribly sorry to disappoint you and my dearest friend and lifetime musical partner Charles Dutoit who is the father of our daughter Annie. This is a very important event, his anniversary, 40 years after his first visit to your beautiful country. I am unable to travel and play in this moment, feel very weak, exhausted and having physical pains that worry me, please excuse me!
‘In this condition I am afraid to travel such a long way, I ask your forgiveness, to Charles Dutoit, to the orchestra and to you.
Martha Argerich
photo: Rodrigo Carrizo Couto, 2014
Alison Vulgamore’s departure from Philadelphia last night leaves three hot seats vacant and few talents available to fill them.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic was left last week by Deborah Borda in the capable hands of Gail Samuel, the Acting President and Chief Executive Officer who is thought likely to get the job on a permanent basis.
The San Francisco Symphony has Derek Dean as Interim Executive Director. The difference between Acting and Interim speaks volumes.
Philadelphia does not know where to turn after seven years of tough love by a CEO widely referred to as Voldemort. It is an awful act to follow.
We hear complaints from all sides of the lack of leadership talent in orchestras. The problem is that vice-presidents rarely get a chance to prove themselves. Gail Samuel had six months in charge when Deborah Borda went off last year on sabbatical. She knows the ropes. Not many others do.
It’s a tough job, requiring passion, unsocial hours and the courage to take unpleasant decisions. It burns up the faint-hearted. The New York Phil’s immediate past chief lasted just four years in the seat. While well paid, it’s not a job that makes you lifelong friends. Or leads to better things. Many ex-orch prezzies now call themselves consultants.
Unless there’s someone on the Philadelphia board who fancies changing career, this could be a long, hard search that yields yet another set of excuses.
