A June chamber concert in Washington featuring Christoph Eschenbach as pianist with members of the National Symphony Orchestra has been cancelled four months in advance.

Eschenbach is suffering from tendonitis, which requires complete rest of the affected limb for a long period.

The condition does not affect his conducting activities, which continue.

The Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, an Oscar nominee whose work was recorded by Deutsche Grammophon, was found dead on Friday in his Berlin apartment. No cause has yet been given.

Jóhannsson won Oscar nominations for his scores to the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory Of Everything(2015) and Sicario (2016). His trademark sound fuses orchestral and electronic music.

DG have tweeted: The team at Deutsche Grammophon are in deep mourning over the loss of our friend, Jóhann Jóhannsson. In the three years of our close collaboration, a true friendship had grown. The power of his music will live on and continue to touch us.

A new film about the phenomenal pianist and his forgotten music is about to hit the screens.

If the link doesn’t work, click here.

From a new autobiographical story by Israela Margalit:

The first round of the competition consisted of ten minutes to woo the jury with brilliance and accuracy. I failed. One day in the New World and I was already booted out.  My head was swimming in a whirlpool of uncertainty. I could find excuses—jetlag, fever… but the dream of an instant career break was gone. I had no contingency plans. My Canadian hostess said that I could stay until the end of the competition. She’d signed up for two weeks of hospitality. Maybe I could help her daughter find motivation in life apart from the desire to look pretty. Instead the girl taught me the secrets of makeup. Might as well learn how to look hot if I keep on messing up international piano competitions.

***

“You messed up all right, but I could hear between the notes. I believe you have a major talent.”

Those miraculous words came from a man so slim and tall, his upper body was concaved like a question mark. His luminous blue eyes stared at me…

Read on here.

Fascinating story on violinist.com about David John Yeh, who won his first degree in violin performance at the University of New Orleans, before retaining as a brain and spinal surgeon.

And, yes: he still plays.

Read here.