The Telegraph has cobbled together a story from comments by disparate critics (though not its own) that rape scenes have become too prevalent in ballet.
Since the traditional ballet audience is made up largely of grannies and their little charges on a birthday treat, this might be a bit close to the bone.
But there has been no upsurge in audience complaints. All the Telegraph could find were three tweets.
The barrel is being rather noisily scraped.
The Venezuela-born composer Reynaldo Hahn was close to Marcel Proust from 1894 to his death in 1922.
He was widely esteemed as a composer of upmarket chansons for the bourgeois salon.
This unexpected find shows he had a sweet singing voice, though no lower register.
After the Second World War, Hahn was briefly director of the Opéra de Paris until his death from a brain tumour.
We have information that a well-known instrument professor was fired by the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music last October after allegations of misconduct with female students and applicants. One auditioner was aged 16 at the time.
The teacher was also suspended from a New York institution, while continuing to teach elsewhere.
We have withheld his name because no criminal charges were brought.
However, it seems that the Berkelee College’s practise of sacking predatory teachers without a stain on their record may be more prevalent in US conservatories than previously suspected.
Please do not name names in your comments. They will be deleted.
UPDATE: The professor is named.
The dancer and choreographer Stanislav Vlasov, a former artistic director of the Bolshoi, has died in Moscow after suffering a heart attack in Cyprus.
He was flown home at the expense of the Chechen dictator, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Vlasov died in a Moscow hospital. He was 84.
The great French organist Michel Chapuis died today.
He officiated at many of the important churches in Paris: at St. Germain l’Auxerrois 1951 to 54, St. Nicolas des Champs 1954 to 72, Notre Dame 1955 to 64, and St. Séverin from 1964. From 1996 to 2010, he was organist at the Versailles Royal Chapel.
From a Billboard interview with Toby and Itzhak Perlman:
Toby Perlman: There were surprises in that time. We didn’t know that we’d be having tea with the prime minister of Israel [Benjamin Netanyahu]. That was also problematic because [of his politics]…
How do you negotiate a time like that?
Toby Perlman: Be polite — and he has a dog; that changes everything.
Itzhak Perlman: You have to look at it as a respecting the office of the person.
Alison Chernick: It’s great to meet the head of state — of any state.
Toby Perlman: But with Trump, you just don’t go. You say, “No, I’m sorry, I’m busy.”
Alison Chernick: “I’m sick that day.” He had just won this amazing award. It was an honor so we tried to get it in the film, but not in any way that necessarily showed support with his politics.
And the case would be different if Donald Trump extended an invitation?
Itzhak Perlman: My argument about respecting the office? In this case I would definitely make an exception.
Read on here.
The Salzburg Mozarteum has, for reasons you will have read about in Slipped Disc, got through three rectors in as many years.
It re-advertised the post at a salary of 140,000 Euros – respectable for a campus of its size.
The successful candidate was Elisabeth Gutjahr, 57, conservatory chief in Trossingen (look for it on the map of Germany with a magnifying glass).
She is already on a salary of 190,000 so Salzburg agreed to match that.
Then she demanded an extra 60k for relocation and whatever.
She got that, too.
It’s turning into a good year for Dr Gutjahr.
Concerns are being raised about the forthcoming Bonn Beethoven Telekom International Competition, where the chairman is, as ever, the distinguished pedagogue Pavel Gililov. The competition was founded by Gililov in 2005.
The rules state clearly that ‘pupils of a jury member at the time of application, or those who have been pupils of a jury member for at least one year during the four years preceding the competition, are not eligible to enter.’
However, Professor Gililov’s students somehow always manage to enter, and usually to win.
Gililov has been professor at Cologne University and at the ever-troubled Mozarteum in Salzburg.
Here is his recent record as a jury chairman:
2016 Internationaler MozartWettbewerb Salzburg
Prizewinners
2011 Internationaler MozartWettbewerb Salzburg
Prizewinners
2017 J.N. Hummel International Piano Competition, Bratislava
Prizewinners
2014 J.N. Hummel International Piano Competition, Bratislava
Prizewinners
As for the Bonn Beethoven Telekom Competition, here is a selection of winners:
2005
1st Prize Henri Sigfridsson (Class Prof. Gililov at the time of the competition)
2011
1st Prize Jingge Yan (Class Prof. Gililov, soon after the competition)
2013
1st Prize Soojung Ann (Class Prof. Gililov at the time of the competition)
2015
1st Prize Filippo Gorini (Class Prof. Gililov, at the time of the competition)
And its all entirely against the rules…
Gililov, born in Donetsk, Ukraine, in 1950, left the Soviet Union in 1978 and settled in Cologne where, according to the official biography, ‘he re-ignited his passion for musical instruction’. And tightly controlled competitions, apparently.
Operanostalgia reports the death of Julia Kukely after a long illness.
A member of Hungarian State Opera from 1978 to her death, she also sang major roles in Berlin, Vienna, Dresden, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Paris, Wiesbanden and Zurich.
Her signature roles were Donna Anna, Despina, Tosca and Bess (in Gershwin’s opera).
The Baltimore music director has been made an Honorary Fellow of Newnham College, University of Cambridge, to acknowledge the exceptional contribution she has made to music.
At Newnham, an all-women’s college, she took questions from students.
Here’s one answer: ‘I would rather be respected than liked or feared. Some orchestras want you to demonstrate your expertise, others want you to show humility. There is a lot of psychology involved – a conductor can alienate an orchestra in five minutes but you can’t win them over in five minutes. Chemistry is important but ultimately orchestras are looking for someone who can lead them.’
From our diarist, Anthea Kreston, an American violinist in Berlin:
I am lying in bed, savoring a couple of minutes extra rest. This week, back to our normal Quartet schedule of intensive rehearsals (our new program of Schumann 1, Shostakovich 7 and Mendelssohn Op. 44 #1), beginning our teaching (we have over 40 chamber groups to foster at the University of the Arts Berlin), as well as touring with an old program (tomorrow at the glorious Gewandhaus in Leipzig we play Haydn, Bartok and Schumann 3). In a moment, I will pop up to make our traditional weekend pancake breakfast, now on the dregs of our Vermont Maple Syrup (more is on its way, thank you Amazon.de).
In addition to these activities, I am preparing for my final Beethoven Sonata cycle (we play a house concert today at the grand old apartment of my pianist, Frank-Immo Zichner – the gracious entryway opens to his own concert space, facing a large boulevard in the heart of the East Berlin). We have been tucking rehearsals here and there this week, and have really become quite good friends and easy partners. We have decided to continue together, and will be playing the complete Mozart Sonatas later this season.
Two nights ago, I again was invited to the home of the Clemens Trautmann, the young and hip President of Deutsche Grammophon. Despite his seemingly impossible schedule of meetings, concerts and day-to-day operations, he is always so easy to talk to, so able to chit-chat or delve deep into whatever topic is proposed.
The occasion of this house concert was two-fold – an exploration of the theme of Redemption, as well as the birthday party of the effervescent violinist, Franziska Hoelscher. As before, the magnificent apartment filled with people, each grabbing a chair neatly stacked on the landing. The kitchen was abustle with helping hands, the tables of warm fall foods, decadent desserts, and a city of colourful, shapely bottles were beginning to be explored even as musicians arrived, each from their own worlds, some with suitcase in tow (yes, it does seem that some musicians are so busy they don’t even have a home – they go from concert to concert, bringing what they own and buying what they need on the go).
And what a musical feast it was – the rooms overflowed with audience, and every perch was taken. The audience somehow reminded me of an Oscar Wilde book – the languid, floppy but extremely alert audience member – so well- educated and refined, their wealth so secure as to not even be a thought. Sipping from wine glasses, nodding knowingly as a spectacular moment in a piece was approaching, and clapping wildly after each spontaneously chosen piece was complete. The musicians conferred, pulled up music from IMSLP on their assorted gizmos, and off we went, each taking our turns performing or cheering on our friends.
It was warm and inviting, and those musicians not presently playing would simply sit around those playing – we were all snuggled into the stage area together. Jason and I had the particular pleasure of playing the Mendelssohn C Minor with pianist Kit Armstrong – I felt as free as a bird, able to fly and sing with abandon. And to feel again the joy of playing with Jason, with his supportive nods and the familiar shakes of his head as he dug in deep, brought back all of our years as partners in Trio.
A late night indeed, and back home to relieve the babysitter, who had fallen asleep on the reading room couch. The next morning, I woke early – with not nearly enough sleep, but so inspired by what I had heard and been a part of, I couldn’t wait to jump into Quartet and share my joy of music.
Ok – pancake time.
The music director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin has sicked out of this weekend’s concert.
Luckily, the young Brazilian Eduardo Strausser was on hand to make his Berlin debut.
