The increasingly Islamist and authoritarian regime has ordered the replacement of Chopin’s funeral march with one by an Ottoman composer which has lyrics from the Qur’an.
More here.
We hear that the prodigious Michael Winfield, who played oboe on Strawberry Fields Forever, has died.
Mike played oboe and cor anglais in the Halle and London orchestras for almost half a century. He taught oboe at the Royal College of Music, in London, and was hugely influential on three generations of players.
The funeral will be at 12.30 on Friday September 22 at St.Mary’s church. Causeway, Horsham RH12 1HE.
After 18 years as music director of the Vancouver Symphony, the British conductor Bramwell Tovey is to be Director of Orchestral Activities at Boston University School of Music, starting this month.
He succeeds succeeds David Hoose, who ran the program from 1987 to 2015.
Announcement here.
Brian Schembri has been dumped as artistic director and principal conductor of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. He was replaced in the last concert of the season after allegedly failing to show up for rehearsal.
Schembri has reacted on social media: ‘This decision is an absurd contradiction with the general consensus that the unquestionable and notable artistic development that the orchestra has gone through these last few years was the direct result of my contribution’.
And the tenor Joseph Calleja has offered his support: ‘Whereas I am not privy to the other side of this sad story, I can definitely vouch for the fact that we don’t have artists like Brian Schembri growing on trees in Malta. Brian is an accomplished musician and consummate artist with still a lot to give in our ever growing and dynamic musical scene. There is no denying the great work he has already achieved with the now excellent maltaphilarmonic and it would be a great big pity if a compromise to retain the Maestro’s services is not reached. In the hope that good sense will prevail.’
Jakob Hrusa and Tomas Netopil are local favourites to succeed the late Jiri Belohlavek as music director of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.
They met last night in Prague for the first time in years.
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, 73, has told the BBC Today programme she will never sing in public again.
She said she stopped performing a year ago, but had not announced her retirement until today.
The Revopera site has come up with a table of the biggest spenders in Europe.
The top five are:
1 Salzburg – 62.5 million Euros
2 Verona – 44.3m
3 Glyndebourne – 31.1m
4 Bayreuth – 23m
5 Aix-en-Provence – 22.5 million
Then there’s a huge drop to the next batch, spending nine million Euros or less.
These figures look somewhat partial. They do not include Lucerne (!), the BBC Proms, Verbier or Edinburgh, let alone any of the big-city festivals in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich.
On a more entrepreneurial note, the site lists the festivals that are best at self-financing. Glyndebourne comes top at 94%, Orange is second on 85%, Savolinna third at 82%. Lucerne, once more, is a notable omission.
Lots more statistics right here. Fascinating stuff, not just for nerds like us, but bare in mind the ones they have overlooked.
A tragic tale from Duluth, Minnesota.
Tina Thielen Gaffey, former associate music professor and choral director at the University of Minnesota Duluth, died of what her family believe was an ‘accidental overdose’ of prescription drugs.
Tina, 50, ‘struggled at times with depression after an acrimonious end to her 16-year career at UMD in 2015. She was overusing sleep medications and muscle relaxants,’ her husband said
A spokeswoman for the University called the loss of Thielen-Gaffey ’emotional’ for her former colleagues. ‘On behalf of the university, we send our deepest condolences,’ she said.
There will be two funeral services: The first will be at Concordia Lutheran in Duluth Minnesota Thursday September 14th. Visitation at 1 PM with a funeral service to follow at 2pm.
The second service will be held at Emanuel Lutheran in New London Wisconsin on Saturday September 16th.
Visitation at 1 PM and funeral service at 2 PM.
The University that fired Matthew Halls as artistic director of the Oregon Bach Festival has finally come out from its nuclear bunker to make a public statement.
Unfortunately, the statement is less than truthful. Halls says he was fired and doesn’t know why. The UO says it is ‘disappointed and saddened’ that his relationship with the festival has ended.
Jayanth Banavar, the provost who has signed this bizarre and meaningless statement, is a recent arrival from the computer, mathematical and natural sciences college of the University of Maryland. He is paid $475,000 a year – a $100,000 salary hike, plus a $1,000-per-month car allowance – to come up with this self-deceptive piffle. He ought to try telling the truth.
Here’s the UO statement in full:
The University is disappointed and saddened that Matthew Halls’ relationship with the Oregon Bach Festival (OBF) has drawn to a close. We are thrilled with the successful series of performances orchestrated by Mr. Halls and by his creative conducting. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon for there to be differences among the parties involved in such festivals. We appreciate Mr. Hall’s many positive contributions to the Festival, which include creating the Organ Institute and Vocal Fellows Program, facilitating the participation of the University of Oregon Chamber Choir in the Festival, annual residency at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance each Fall, and developing the Berwick Academy–an elite orchestral academy that has drawn students from around the world. Everyone at the University and OBF sincerely wish nothing but continued success for Mr. Halls.
The University looks forward to working collaboratively and in consultation with the Bach Festival Board to refine the framework through which OBF blends excellence in musical performance with innovative educational opportunities to create an inspired community of musicians and music lovers. As the Festival approaches its 50th year in 2020, everyone involved in the Festival is eager to move forward with programing and activities that are consistent with the legacy established by Helmuth Rilling and Royce Saltzman. The OBF will continue to bring music and education to the local and worldwide community that is built around the monumental contributions to music of J.S. Bach.
Jayanth Banavar
Provost and Senior Vice President
The University of Oregon
Two weeks into the season, Anna Netrebko is taking a 10-day break… and with a new look.
The cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, BBC Young Musician of the Year, has given £3,000 to his former school to ensure the cello is taught there for the next three years.
Sheku saved the money from his concert fees after hearing that the music department was under threat of closure at Trinity Catholic School in Aspley, Notts.
His mother said: ‘Sheku was heartbroken when he heard that cello teaching was to be taken away at Trinity School.’
Full story here.
