A Claudio Abbado reading room is to be opened in 2019 at the Unter den Linden Library.

It will contain 1,700 annotated scores, 1,500 CDs and more than 300 LPs and DVDs made by the late Italian conductor and will be open to scholars and students.

There’s a huge weekend feature on the legacy in the NZZ.

 

photo (c) Suzie Maeder/Lebrecht

 

The Opéra de Toulon has named Jurjan Hempel to take over as music director a year from now.

He will succeed Giuliano Carella, who has been in the job since 2003.

Hempel, a former Gergiev assistant, presently heads an orchestra in Finland.

 

Basically, the advice is buy a new one.

From Steinway & Sons:

 

 

Due to the unfortunate events and widespread flooding caused recently by Hurricane Harvey, we are posting our information regarding pianos that may have been damaged by flood waters. This information is relevant not just to pianos that were potentially damaged in this storm, but also to any flood situation involving your piano. Our heartfelt wishes for recovery go out to everyone who was affected by this terrible disaster.

REGISTRY OF DAMAGED AND DESTROYED PIANOS

We strongly recommend that you receive a letter from STEINWAY that provides the replacement value of your existing STEINWAY, Boston, or Essex piano. We offer this service to provide you with official documentation that may be useful in filing insurance claims or updating your current inventory documentation. If your piano has been destroyed, we would also like for you to contact us so that we can include this in our historical records for STEINWAY, Boston, and Essex pianos.

To obtain this letter or to contact us concerning your piano, please complete the form below. Please include the serial number (and model, if known). This information is necessary to determine the replacement value of your piano. Be sure to include your address for our return mail to you.

WATER DAMAGED PIANO FORM

USEFUL INFORMATION CONCERNING FLOOD DAMAGED PIANOS

Piano Exposure to Water/Moisture

Exposure to or immersion in water can indeed be very damaging to a piano. Even the exposure only to extreme changes in temperature and humidity for a few days in unoccupied homes and buildings can create extended instability in an instrument that will require numerous tunings and regulation of the action to ensure proper performance.

Immersion of the Piano above the Case

Pianos that have been sitting in water that has risen to the level of the case or higher will in all likelihood be damaged too badly to be restored and must be replaced. Direct exposure of the case, soundboard, strings, and action assembly to water can commonly cause major glue failure of integral structural components.

The rim and keybed of the piano are perhaps the most critical elements in determining the severity of present and future damage. The glued laminations of the rim can be weakened by exposure to water and cannot effectively be repaired. Damage by water also will not necessarily manifest itself immediately. It may take six to nine months for the effects of glue failure and wood deterioration to become fully evident.

Even the solidity of a STEINWAY rim cannot overcome the natural forces that occur when wood is exposed directly to water. The strings in a piano can have a combined tension of over twenty tons. Failure of the glue in the rim laminations severely compromises the ability of the rim to sustain these forces.

Shallow Water Exposure

Pianos that have been sitting in a few inches of water, but where the water has not reached the level of the case, are not necessarily ruined beyond repair. However, the effects of moisture still take their toll on all of the piano components and even these pianos would best be replaced rather than repaired. Constant exposure to excessive humidity can cause rust to form on the many metal parts in a piano including strings, tuning pins, hardware, action parts, and the cast iron plate that supports the tons of tension exerted by the strings. The soundboard will also be exposed to harsh climatic conditions that will cause severe expansion and contraction of the spruce that comprises the soundboard. The glue joints and wood grain of the soundboard can be permanently damaged by this movement and thus require replacement of the soundboard. The only way to ensure proper long-term integrity of the instrument is replacement of these parts.

The finish of the piano can also damaged by excessive moisture. The wood under the finish will move in the same manner as the soundboard described above. Cracking, checking, and other finish defects will likely result from this and thus necessitate refinishing of all furniture components of the instrument.

The Presence of Mold and Other Bacteria

Mold and other bacteria can form in the many areas of the piano that cannot effectively be reached for cleaning and eradication. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states on their website: After natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, excess moisture and standing water contribute to the growth of mold in homes and other buildings. When returning to a home that has been flooded, be aware that mold may be present and may be a health risk for your family. It is recommended that the piano owner consult a specialist in mold and bacteria removal prior to undertaking any repairs or restoration of the piano.

For further information concerning mold and other health concerns, visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/pdf/moldprotection.pdf

The death has been announced of Walter Becker, guitarist and co-founder of the rock group Steely Dan.

Hi co-founder Donald Fagen pays tribute here.

 

The US soprano Nicole Cabell, winner of the 2005 Cardiff Singer of the World contest, has announced her engagement.

The lucky guy is called Christopher Guarneiri. They have been together since May.

We wish the lovely couple every happiness.

 

The death is reported of Asya Kushner, professor of violin at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow and an internationally known teacher and jury member. She was formerly concertmaster of the Moscow State Philharmonic.

 

UPDATE: We also have reports of the death of the Moscow and Tokyo piano professor Elena Ashkenazy.

 

This is the trailer for a documentary film on Smetana’s Ma Vlast that will premiere in Prague this week with Daniel Barenboim’s participation.

The maestro was so relaxed during filming that he kept an ashtray on the keyboard and a cigar in one hand as he demonstrated the ideal tempi for the Czech national symphonic poem.

 

Watch.

The Munich agent Heidi Steinhaus has sent out the following message about her defecting star client Anja Kampe, saying she will see her in court:

 

Dear Friends, dear Colleagues,

As you know possibly from Anja Kampe, she does not want to work with me anymore because of her personal situation.

As you all know, I have had her worldwide management since 2002 and developed her to an awesome international career. Since 2002 a contract exists between Anja Kampe and my agency. My offer for a compromise settlement Anja Kampe has rejected.

Between Anja Kampe and my agency (there) is currently a disagreement about the effectiveness of the contract after 15 years of cooperation. I’ll just let the court clarify. Until a judicial decision, I may ask you to provide me with all information. I am sorry, to ask for your help in this case.
As always warm regards

Yours Heidi Steinhaus

 

 

Liebe Freunde, liebe Kollegen,

 

wie einige von Ihnen inzwischen von Anja Kampe erfahren haben, möchte sie aufgrund ihrer persönlichen Situation nicht mehr mit mir zusammenarbeiten. Wie Sie alle wissen, habe ich ihr weltweites Management seit 2002 und habe die Künstlerin zu einer großartigen internationalen Karriere geführt. Seit 2002 gibt es einen Vertrag zwischen Anja Kampe und meiner Agentur. Ein Angebot zur gütlichen Einigung hat Anja Kampe abgelehnt. Zwischen Anja Kampe und mir besteht derzeit – nach über 15 Jahren Zusammenarbeit – Uneinigkeit über die Wirksamkeit des Vertrages. Dieses lasse ich gerade gerichtlich klären. Bis zu einer gerichtlichen Entscheidung, darf ich Sie bitten, mir alle Informationen und Angebote mitzuteilen.

Es tut mir leid, dass ich Sie in dieser Sache um Ihre Mithilfe bitten muss, und bin wie immer

mit herzlichen Grüßen,

 

Heidi Steinhaus

Message received:

This Monday, Labor Day, from 12-2pm, the Baltimore Symphony Musicians will visit the American Red Cross Timonium Blood Donation Center and provide live chamber music for donors. The Red Cross center is located at 2405 York Road, Suite 300. The Baltimore Symphony Musicians are extremely concerned and saddened by the tragedy that unfolded this past week. Following disasters, blood donations in affected areas drastically decline and the Musicians call on our friends and fans to support the Red Cross and help with this urgent need for blood and platelets.

On Monday, donors at the Timonium Red Cross center will have the opportunity to help save lives during this critical time with the unique addition of live classical chamber music. The Baltimore Symphony Musicians want to bring awareness to this need for donations. We also share concern for our fellow colleagues in the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, and other Houston cultural organizations whose members and buildings have been severely impacted by this store.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact me at any time. You may also visit www.redcrossblood.org for details.

Thank you.

Michael Lisicky
Baltimore Symphony Musicians

 

The prestigious Busoni Piano Competition was won last night in Bolzano, Italy, by Ivan Krpan from Croatia.

Krpan, 20, will graduate next year from the Zagreb Academy of Music. His father is a prominent violinist, his mother a musicologist. The prize is being hailed in Croatia as the country’s greatest musical triumph for a generation.

Second prize went to Korea’s Jaeyeon Won and third to Russia’s Ana Geniušene.

Past winners of the Busoni include Jörg Demus (1956), Martha Argerich (1957) and Louis Lortie (1984).

In the last five Busoni contests, the first prize was only twice awarded, a token of its high standards.

America’s oldest conservatory of music is getting a reboot.

Dean Fred Bronstein has announced an unprecedented new intake of teachers.

He says: ‘I’m reasonably sure that there has never been another academic year with so many new faces, perhaps since Peabody’s beginnings. You’ll hear about these individuals as the year unfolds.’

So no new names for the moment, and no names of the teachers who are being replaced.

At least one Baltimore Symphony player has been dropped, we hear.

We hear that Tom Nelson, head of Audience Labs at the Royal Opera House, has gone to work in an unspecified role at the Royal Opera House of Muscat, in Oman.

Tom’s role at Covent Garden opera was free-ranging. He was tasked ‘to experiment and innovate with new technologies to build new audiences.’

In Oman, he’ll first have to get out and find an audience.

At least he won’t need to wear black tie.