Gustavo Dudamel has announced that his orchestra will present 50 commissioned works, most of them world premieres, in its 2018-19 season, marking the orchestra’s 100th birthday.
Among the composers involved are John Adams, Julia Adolphe, Billy Childs, Unsuk Chin, Natacha Diels, Ashley Fure, Philip Glass, Adolphus Hailstork, Vijay Iyer, Andrew Norman and Steve Reich.
The LA Phil has also commissioned Frank Gehry to design a permanent YOLA Center in Inglewood, for us by its outreach program among diverse communities in the city.
The London-based Hungarian pianist is giving up his teaching post at Yale after 30 years.
It’s proving to be a fond farewell:
“I was 52 years old,” he explained. “I had the impression that the young generation of pianists were more interested in reaching technical perfection than in involving themselves in the emotional and spiritual meaning of what each composer wanted to express in their works.
“Somehow I started feeling responsible towards the future of music-making,” he continued. “Instead of grumbling about this, I wanted to do something positive.”
… “The time that followed was one of my happiest,” Frankl recalled. “For many years, Boris Berman, the unforgettable Claude Frank, and I were a very special and enviable team of the piano faculty. All three of us were active in pursuing our performing careers. We helped each other with our teaching responsibilities without any problems. We were greatly assisted by Dean Ezra Laderman and subsequently Dean Robert Blocker to make this work. I’m extremely grateful to all the friends and colleagues who accommodated me…”
If the name Laurence Crane does not spring instantly to mind, do not feel too bad about it.
Crane, 56, has been composing minimalist music for much of his life without ever making it onto the nightly news.
Tonight, he received a Paul Hamlyn Foundation award worth £60,000.
Recent and forthcoming work includes:
In February 2018, Crane will premiere in London, a new work for contrabass clarinet and ensemble, commissioned by Rolf Borch with funding from Norwegian Arts Council and composed for Rolf Borch and Cikada Ensemble.
In March 2018 Crane is composing a score for a new 12 minute film by Beatrice Gibson based on a script from Gertrude Stein. Written for clarinet, cello, electric guitar and electric organ, as commission for Borealis Festival, Bergen, Norway, it will be recorded by asamisimasa
May 2018 will see the release of a CD including first recording of Come back to the old specimen cabinet John Vigani, John Vigani part 3 by Jennifer Bewerse and Southland Ensemble on the label ‘A Wave Press’
Westminster is America’s foremost choir school. Rider University wants to get shot of it.
The death is reported of Paul Buckmaster, who made the orchestral arrangements for Bowie’s Space Oddity and played on several of his albums. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, he also worked with the Rolling Stones and conducted for Elton John.
Long before American singers were staples of the European circuit, Louis Roney was singing major roles at Italian and German opera houses. He prided himself on being the first Yank to sing at the Maggio Musicale in Florence*.
Before that, he served five years as a gunnery officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
Back home he made his debut at 27 as Cavaradossi in Tosca with Dmitri Mitropoulos and the New York Philharmonic. He also sang at the Met.
UPDATE: The first US singer at Maggio Musicale was, apparently, David Poleri.
The Orquesta de Euskadi (Basque National Orchestra) has called a strike for November 18.
The players are aggrieved at numerous unfilled vacancies – and that the bosses are filling them with unpaid conservatory students.
The next independence referendum?
A Boston Globe investigation finds that three professors at Berklee College of Music have been allowed to leave quietly after being accused by several students of sexual aggression.
One of them went on to teach at the New England Conservatory, unhampered by the allegations.
Berklee is regularly ranked among the top ten US conservatories of music.
The Globe alleges ‘a culture of blatant sexual harassment’ at Berklee. Here’s how it starts:
She woke up naked and unnerved. Her professor, her mentor at Berklee College of Music, was groping her as she tried to push him away while fighting off waves of nausea. Jeff Galindo, a popular jazz musician and instructor at the school, had walked her home from a party the night before to make sure she arrived safely because she was so drunk.
All she wanted was to banish memories of that nightmarish experience in the spring of 2012. But weeks later Galindo, who had been on tour much of the time since that night, begged forgiveness from his student in a series of bizarre texts.
“I’m truly sorry for hurting you. I promise I will never again,” Galindo said in texts shared with the Globe by the woman, then a junior and one of the few female students in her department. “By the way, just to let you know, we never [had intercourse],” said another text in the mea culpa. “I never got it up. I was too drunk. It doesn’t excuse anything, but I thought I’d let you know what a loser I am.”
The head of wigs and makeup at the Metropolitan Opera, Tom Watson, has gone in Peter Gelb’s latest cull, along with most members of his department, some of whom quit in disgust at the way Tom was treated.
There are rumours of more staff cuts ahead.
The season opened with exceptionally poor sales for Tales of Hoffman, and the best hyping efforts of the New York Times cannot make a hit of The Exterminating Angel.
Cash flow is starting to be a problem again.
After yesterday’s upheavals at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, now it’s the Scottish Chamber Orchestra that has to rustle up a substitute baton out of the blue:
We regret to announce that Emmanuel Krivine is very sadly unable to join us for this week’s concerts, due to ill health.
We are delighted that young American conductor Case Scaglione is able to step in, keeping the programme as advertised.
We look forward to seeing you at the concerts – please join us in wishing Emmanuel a speedy recovery.
Scaglione, an Alan Gilbert protégé at the New York Phil, is chief conductor of the Württemberg chamber orchestra in Heilbronn. This is his UK debut. He has a British agent, Linda Marks at HP.
The board president of the orchestra has come up with a centenary offering:
CLEVELAND, Ohio ― Richard and Emily Smucker have pledged $15 million to The Cleveland Orchestra in celebration of the Orchestra’s 100th season and launch of its Second Century. Their gift will be used to fund artistic and education programs, with an emphasis on programs for young people. A significant portion of their gift will also support funds for the Orchestra’s future, including the endowment.
Richard and Emily are designating $3 million of their total pledge as challenge grants, which will be used to inspire the Northeast Ohio community to support the Orchestra as the ensemble enters its Second Century of musical excellence and community engagement.
“Emily and I love The Cleveland Orchestra. The work these musicians do inspires audiences and young people throughout our community, across the nation, and around the world,” stated Richard K. Smucker, Board President of The Cleveland Orchestra. “From my own life experience, I know that music has the power to change lives. It has transformed how I think about the world, and I revel in the experience of sharing a performance with family and friends, all of us together. I find myself renewed through music.”
“This Orchestra has inspired me throughout my life,” continued Richard. “And I want to share that feeling and understanding. Emily and I want to encourage everyone who loves music, who loves this Orchestra, and who loves this great Cleveland community, to celebrate this 100th anniversary and to be part of the launch of the Orchestra’s Second Century. Music matters. Music makes life better.”
“The Orchestra’s musicians and I are deeply moved by Richard and Emily Smucker’s support. Their generosity and enthusiasm for the music we offer is deeply gratifying,” said Franz Welser-Möst, the Orchestra’s Music Director. “The Cleveland Orchestra is what it is today because of the community that created it. Generations have benefited from the vision and generosity of this community. Music helps us all understand the world and view life in new and positive ways. Richard and Emily are also teachers, leading by example that sharing and working together for good is a noble and empowering act. They are deserving of thanks, not just from us today, but from future generations who will be inspired by The Cleveland Orchestra.”
About Richard K. Smucker
Richard K. Smucker was elected as the thirteenth Board President of The Cleveland Orchestra in March, 2017, and has served on the Board of Trustees since 1989. He stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of The J. M. Smucker Company in 2016, after serving in leadership positions with the family-owned company for more than four decades; he now holds the title of Executive Chairman.
Cristian Măcelaru called in sick for this week’s concert with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Glasgow.
They called in Sergey Neller as replacement.
Then Neller was unable to make it.
Hit the phones for 12 hours. They finally landed the Venezuelan José Luis Gomez, music director in Tucson, who got off the plane this morning with a score of Shostakovich 12 in his pocket.
He’s rehearsing right now.
The concert consists of the World Premiere of UK Composer Daniel Kidane’s Zulu, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No3, Rachmininov Vocalise and Shostakovich 12th symphony.
