The veteran entertainer, 91, received the Gershwin Prize today.
During the election campaign, he sang for Hillary.
And now?
During the election run-up, Bennett performed at fundraisers for Hillary Clinton.
Before the show, Bennett told reporters, “Washington is the greatest city in the greatest country in the world.” And to those who don’t care for the current Administration? “Well that’s their problem,” he answered, noting he knows the current President “very well,” and a performance for Donald Trump is likely. “Sooner or later I’ll probably be doing something for him,” he said.
We hear that Jaap Van Zweden has walked out on his manager, Nick Mathias at IMG Artists.
Nick had won the Dutchman a $5 million dollar package at Dallas, a lucrative contract in Hong Kong and now the high-profile role of music director of the New York Philharmonic.
But that was not good enough for Jaap.
What’s Dutch for gratitude?
And where’s IMG going to replace all that lost income?
The highlight of next summer’s Tanglewood is a Leonard Bernstein gala on the actual night of his centenary and a slew of other works with which Bernstein was associated during his long association with the festival, from 1940 to the last concert of his life in 1990.
Here’s the small print:
Leonard Bernstein Works Being Performed as Part of the 2018 Tanglewood Season
The Bernstein Centennial Summer—Celebrating Lenny at Tanglewood! will feature the following works by Leonard Bernstein throughout the 2018 Tanglewood season: Fancy Free (1944); On the Town (1944); Facsimile, Choreographic Essay for Orchestra (1946); Trouble in Tahiti (1951); Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”), for violin and orchestra (1954); Candide (1956); West Side Story (1957); Chichester Psalms (1965); Songfest (1977); Three Meditations from Mass, for cello and orchestra (1977); Divertimento for Orchestra (1980); Ḥalil, Nocturne for flute and orchestra (1981); A Quiet Place (1983); Opening Prayer (Benediction) (1986); Variations on an Octatonic Scale, for flute and cello (1989); and selected chamber, vocal, and choral works. In addition, there will also be performances of many works central to Bernstein’s life as a conductor and pianist, including Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5, Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, Copland Symphony No. 3, Mahler Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3, Britten’s Four Sea Interludes, Beethoven Symphony No. 9, and music by Mozart, Haydn, and Sibelius.
OVERVIEW OF TANGLEWOOD’S BERNSTEIN CENTENNIAL SUMMER CELEBRATION
The Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood—a Gala Concert on Bernstein’s Birth Date, August 25, Featuring a Kaleidoscopic Array of Artists and Ensembles from the Worlds of Classical Music, Film, and Broadway
Tanglewood’s season-long celebration—one of the most comprehensive looks at Bernstein’s amazing impact on the world of music and theater taking place in the anniversary year—will culminate in a gala concert on Bernstein’s actual 100th birthday, August 25. Reflecting the season-long centennial theme, The Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood will spotlight Bernstein’s wide-ranging talents as a composer, his many gifts as a great interpreter and champion of other composers, and his role as an inspirer of a new generation of musicians and music lovers across the country and around the globe. The Bernstein Centennial Celebration at Tanglewood will feature a kaleidoscopic array of artists and ensembles from the worlds of classical music, film, and Broadway—including Christoph Eschenbach, Thomas Hampson, Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, and Michael Tilson Thomas—all musicians who worked directly with Leonard Bernstein early in their careers—along with conductors Andris Nelsons, Keith Lockhart, and John Williams, concert singers Susan Graham, Isabel Leonard, and Nadine Sierra, Broadway singers Jessica Vosk and Tony Yazbeck, and Austrian-Persian cellist Kian Soltani, recent winner of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival’s Leonard Bernstein Award. Hosted by Audra McDonald, who will also participate as a vocalist, and directed by James Darrah, this special concert will also showcase the Boston Symphony Orchestra, joined by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and musicians from the Israel Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, and Vienna Philharmonic—all ensembles Bernstein worked closely with throughout his life—as well as musicians from the Pacific Music and Schleswig-Holstein festivals, both founded by Mr. Bernstein. The entire first half of the program is dedicated to selections from such brilliant Bernstein works as Candide, West Side Story, Mass, and Serenade. Music from the classical canon very dear to Bernstein’s heart—selections from Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn and music by Copland—plus a new work by John Williams for cello and orchestra, makes up a good portion of the concert’s second half; the finale of Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony brings the program to a dramatic close. This multi-media event will also include video montages about Bernstein’s extraordinary life, and messages from people around the world who have been inspired by his great legacy as a musician and as a dominant cultural figure of his time. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is currently in discussions about a television broadcast opportunity that would bring the August 25 concert to a worldwide audience, with further details to be announced at a later date. In addition, throughout the summer the Boston Symphony Orchestra will share highlights of its Bernstein celebration through special features posted on its social media platforms and at www.tanglewood.org.
Just when everybody seemed to think that Deborah Borda’s deputy, Gail Samuel, was going to get her job, the board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic has seduced Simon Woods away from Seattle to be their new CEO.
An EMI record producer who became head of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Woods had a rocky time with the New Jersey Symphony before Seattle came beckoning with a less sleepless job.
He has big shoes to fill in LA and a delicate relationship to manage with Gustavo Dudamel.
He does not inherit Borda’s title as president.
The Schulich School of Music at McGill University, Montreal, has announced the death of Winston Purdy, professor of voice:
“Winston Purdy’s association with McGill is one of the longest relationships to be found among our faculty” says Stéphane Lemelin, Chair of Performance at the Schulich School of Music. “He entered McGill University as a student in 1959 studying clarinet and composition and graduating with a Bachelor of Music in 1964, before developing an active singing career with a specialization in oratorio and art song. As a member of the voice faculty at McGill since 1973, he has inspired several generations of young singers. His devotion to his students, the depth of his musicianship and his passion for teaching were recognized by a Faculty Teaching Award in 2005. His warm and thoughtful presence will be greatly missed by all members of this community.”
The Korean pianist Seong-Jin-Cho will deputise for the tendonitis-afflicted Chinese star in Canada next February.
We have been notified of the death yesterday, aged 84, ofLuis Enríquez Bacalov, composer of innumerable spaghetti westerns and several small masterpieces.
He won an Oscar for Il Postino in 1996 and worked with both Fellini (City of Women) and Pasolini.
His Misa Tango was recorded by Placido Domingo for Deutsche Grammophon.
Of Bulgarian-Jewish parentage, Bacalov was born in Buenos Aires, moving to Italy as a young musician.
The Bregenz Festival pulled a rabbit out of its hat today.
Next summer, it will show the Austrian premiere of Beatrice Cenci by Berthold Goldschmidt, an opera that won an Arts Council of Great Britain competition in 1951 and has never been seen in the UK.
It’s a powerful work with strong contemporary themes of child abuse and a rich, colourful score.
Can’t wait.
Word is out that the Philadelphia Enquirer has halved its music staff.
David Patrick Stearns is leaving after 17 years. He has taken a buyout.
He writes: ‘I’ve seen this day coming for years – that’s one reason why I moved back to my old, 1990s home in Brooklyn two years ago and have been commuting to Philadelphia ever since. Losing a job of 17 years is tough, and on when it happened I wanted to be among my home community.’
Peter Dobrin remains.
Out of 2,200 nominated professors at more than 250 music colleges (Hochschulen), the 2017 title goes to…
Martin Schmeding, professor of organ studies in Leipzig.
Only in America…
Press release:
Georgia Symphony Orchestra awarded significant grant from Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
[Marietta, Georgia] The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, Inc. has approved a grant to the Georgia Symphony Orchestra in the amount of $84,000 from the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund.
The highly competitive General Operating Support grants are provided to organizations in the Metropolitan Atlanta area that demonstrate a culture of fiscal responsibility, commitment to community, high quality programs, and best practices in organizational structure and governance…
The Georgia Symphony Orchestra plans to strategically reinvest the significant funding within the organization as a means to strengthen and grow the programming, impact, and musical opportunities in the community…
It’s 2017, for heaven’s sake, but the Gaudeamus Music Awards still contrive to ignore half the human race,
The nominations for the Gaudeamus Award 2018 are announced. Over 336 scores from 43 different countries have been thoroughly studied by an international jury. This year, six young music pioneers are selected for the prestigious composition award: William Kuo (1990, CAN), Sebastian Hilli (1990, FIN), Lawrence Dunn (1991, GBR), Raphaël Languillat (1989, FRA), Matthias Krüger (1987, DEU) and William Dougherty (1988, USA). The Gaudeamus Award is a talent award for young composers under the age of 30. Since the prize was first awarded in 1957, it has established itself internationally as a highly sought after and renowned award for young music pioneers.
