The Swedish pop group are back, a little older but you’d never guess.
Press statement:
The decision to go ahead with the exciting Abba avatar tour project had an unexpected consequence. We all felt that, after some 35 years, it could be fun to join forces again and go into the recording studio. So we did. And it was like time had stood still and we had only been away on a short holiday. An extremely joyful experience!
Editor’s note: If you remember Abba, you’re probably too old to enjoy this.
Here’s the new season from Graz – eight or nine new productions, under the guidance of music director Oksana Lyniv.
It includes Szymanowski’s King Roger, Flotow’s Martha and Joseph Beer’s Polnische Hochzeit.
And the Met? Just four new shows.
Answer here.
Why did no-one think of that before?
From our diarist Anthea Kreston:
I have been home for four days, back from our Quartet USA tour. I still feel utterly wiped out – not only am I struggling to find my place again with my family (so far, the girls have refused to eat the oatmeal I have cooked every day – it isn’t made the way that Dada makes it), but emotionally I am weary, and my arms are still trying to find their way back from two weeks of overuse. Playing 11 concerts in 13 days, in the way my Quartet plays, is equally taxing on my body and mind. Last night my arms woke me up, with painful tingles running up and down both forearms. But, they are finding their way back. And I am finding my way back.
We are in meetings all week – individual meetings in all of our homes, and group meetings with our manager. So – without further ado, here’s a silly story from an airplane ride last week.
Getting on our flight from Houston to Oakland, I was filled with trepidation. We were flying Southwest, an airline with first-come-first-serve seating, and my boarding number was really high. It would be tough to find space for both my violin and backpack, and the jockeying for seats would be tough – I would probably get a middle seat in front of the bathrooms.
I made it about two-thirds down the aisle, when I spotted a coveted window. Middle seat empty! How is this possible? I quickly knew the answer – in the aisle seat sat an elderly woman, baseball cap on, hunched over her iPhone, punching letters slowly, one at a time, with her index finger, and swaying a-rhythmically in a kind-of figure 8 pattern. I took a breath and asked her if the seat was taken. She didn’t show any signs that she had heard me, and after a couple of more attempts, I tapped her on the shoulder and asked her.
She glanced quickly up, screwed her eyes at me, and mumbled something about seat assignments or something. I squeezed past her, and as I settled in, she looked over at me from under her brim, eyes sparkling and said – “if we play this right, we can have an empty middle seat!”. Ha! She told me to look strange, and I pulled my scarf over my head in a weird way and looked intently out the window. As the plane filled up, people had no choice but to ask about our middle seat. For the first person, I said in an awkwardly loud voice “I just ate an entire bag of apricots!”, and the person moved on. Thumbs up from my row-mate. The next person, after they passed my seat-partner’s test and had the nerve to move on to me, got “I am so sorry – I am going to have to pee like every 2 minutes. I just drank an iced-tea this big!” That seemed to work, but eventually the announcement came that the flight was sold out, every seat would be taken. We looked at each other, and Nan (we were now on first name basis, and it turned out that not only was she a classical music lover, but a fan of the Artemis Quartet) said – ok – now we have to be smart and pick a good middle-seater. She smiled warmly at a slender, cleanly cut middle aged man and said – our seat is open! He sat down, and I fell asleep to the two of them chatting away – waking several hours later to discover they had made fast friends.
So – Nan and I exchanged emails, and to my utter joy, she came to greet me after our concert in San Francisco. My sister grilled her on the details (sometimes people, for some reason, think I just make up these stories straight out of my head), and after the apricot comment was confirmed, we had a nice chat and selfie.
Have a great week!
Opera Plus, a useful source for music in the Czech Republic, is shutting down after the Government slashed its grant.
Imagine, there are classical music sites that apply for and receive state aid.
His latest comments on Venezuela today in an interview with the London Times:
On El Sistema: ‘It is a symbol of our country — beautiful. It’s a symbol of our continent. It’s a symbol of the world… If I have a commitment, if I have something that I will care for in my life, it is this, art for the people. You can see, I’m a result of this.’
On the regime cancelling his Simon Bolivar tours: The cancellations were “a big surprise and very sad”, he says, but he tries “not to think about it”. He “never intended to get into a fight with the regime”, he says now, implying that he can’t afford to. El Sistema is only “alive because it’s supported by the state”. That is why he “didn’t say anything political”. “I only said you people that lead the country, please do something because the situation is not sustainable. I was not ‘this party’ or ‘this party’. And whatever I say now, people will take and interpret to their side or to the other. They will say, ‘Oh, he’s so weak, saying this.’ ” But, says Dudamel: “I always have to speak through the music, I think that is what El Sistema is about.”
Read on here.
Zubin Mehta’s prolonged recovery from surgery is creating uncertainty at the Israel Phil.
The orchestra has lost a China tour in June after the organisers rejected the incoming music director Lahav Shani as replacement.
Yoel Levi is taking over Mehta’s next subscription concerts, switching Bruckner 9 to 4 for some reason.
Wild rumours are raging in Asia over Mehta’s condition, but the conductor has told the orchestra he expected to return for Der Rosenkavalier in Tel Aviv before the present season ends.
Yasuhisa Toyota will be responsible for the sound concept of the Munich’s termporary 1,800-seat hall, designed by Hamburg architects Gerkan, Marg and Partner.
The interim hall, in use while the Gasteig gets a makeover, will cost 30 million Euros.
Toyota (r.) has been responsible for the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Deutsche Grammophon today launched what it called a ‘game-changing classical service’ on French TV channel Canal+.
To set the thing off they called in Julie Fuchs who has just been sacked by Hamburg State Opera for being four months’ pregnant and is very newsworthy indeed at the moment.
Julie posted her aria.
Here’s the press release:
Paris, Thursday, April 26 — Canal+ Group and Universal Music Group launch Deutsche Grammophon+, an innovative channel featuring exclusive and specially curated content showcasing Deutsche Grammophon’s prestigious catalogue.
An audio and audio-visual feast, the channel provides an extensive range of curated music hosting over 400 programmes and classical works at launch; including short documentaries, interviews, portraits, key artist and composer anniversaries, catalogue repertoire, albums, new releases and the openings of all operas in France. Content will be expanded upon regularly and Deutsche Grammophon’s iconic artists will recommend their favourite works in personally curated playlists.
Content featured on Deutsche Grammophon+ includes previously-unreleased filmed concerts, most notably a concert shot in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, the audio will be released for the first time by a classical record company in Dolby ATMOS surround sound audio technology. Deutsche Gramophon has embarked on a program of 10 re-masterings of audio recordings into ATMOS to be released by the end of 2018 with a similar rollout planned for 2019. These feature highlight recordings from the analogue era, including artists such as Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan and Carlos Kleiber.
Deutsche Grammophon+ is a beautifully curated channel for Canal subscribers, classical music enthusiasts and new fans alike. A stylish, intuitive and entertaining gateway into the rich universe of classical music, its history and its leading lights, Deutsche Grammophon+ is available for streaming via myCANAL. Featuring cutting edge high-resolution recording technology, and for the first time ever, Dolby ATMOS. Deutsche Grammophon+ is currently available for all subscribers with the latest-generation Canal set-top boxes and will be offered via third-party set-top boxes at a later stage. The channel is available within the CANAL Family package, as well as the Panorama and Intégrale offers.
Gerald-Brice Viret, EVP Canal+ TV Channels: “We are very proud to offer the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon catalogue to our classical music loving subscribers. This new video on demand and streaming channel came to life thanks to the Universal Music, Deutsche Grammophon and CANAL+ teams’ expertise. All part of the Vivendi group, these teams have united their efforts in order to offer a particularly rich and innovative service. An unprecedented service in the media landscape.”
In partnership with Canal+, the channel will grow to encompass repertoire from other classical labels within Universal Music Group.
The channel’s overarching goal is to encourage a passion for classical music and to showcase the full wealth of Deutsche Grammophon’s classical repertoire and its extraordinary artists, from the most revered legends to the avantgarde, including new composers and young developing artists.
Clemens Trautmann, President, Deutsche Grammophon comments: “We are delighted to launch our game-changing classical service in partnership with the inspired team at Canal+. Our outstanding artists, composers and the incredible catalogues we are custodians of deserve a platform of equally high quality and ambition. Investing in artists and culture is part of our strategic vision, we will continue to innovate with our partners as we foster a deeper understanding of, and love for, classical music and develop new audiences and ways of enjoyment.”
Et voici le promo:
The Italian conductor has resigned after 11 years as music director following the Mayor’s decision to appoint William Graziosi as sovrintendente of the Teatro Regio Torino.
Graziosi has a chequered past history at Baltimore Opera.
Noseda has issued an unhappy personal statement:
From the desk of Gianandrea Noseda
The recent actions taken by the board of the Teatro Regio Torino are disappointing and disheartening. The fact that the quality which has propelled the theatre on the international scene has not been taken in due consideration provides a clear indication to me that there is no interest to share a common vision for the future of the Teatro Regio Torino.
Furthermore, I understand that the board of the Teatro Regio Torino has decided to cancel a long-planned return to America in May 2019, which would have included performances at the Harris Theater in Chicago, Carnegie Hall in New York and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., announced earlier this year by each institution in their 2018/19 season announcements.
Under these circumstances, I will not be available to continue my relationship with the Teatro Regio Torino. It is with deep regret that I will have to withdraw from all plans for the season 2018/19 and beyond. I will respect and intend to conduct engagements planned for this summer with the Montreux Festival, the Stresa Festival and the MITO Festival.
Once again, I thank the incredible artists of the orchestra and the chorus, the stage technicians, all the workshops workers and the staff members who shared a common vision for the Teatro Regio Torino. We have produced so much great art together and this will remain forever in the history of the house, as well as in our personal histories.
The Berlin conductor will make his debut in Britten country this August.
Roger Wright, former head of BBC Proms and now chief exec at Aldeburgh, will be presenting Barenboim with his WEDO orchestra at the Snape Proms – ahead of their appearance at the Royal Albert Hall.
Snape programme, just released:
Snape Maltings is one of the world’s leading centres of music, hosting outstanding concerts and festivals throughout the year. This year’s Snape Proms returns 1-31 August for a month of music, featuring some of the best artists from the worlds of classical music, jazz, blues, folk and pop.
Leading Orchestras and Ensembles
Daniel Barenboim and his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, comprised of young musicians from both Arab and Israeli backgrounds, make their Snape Maltings debut on 13 August with the UK premiere of Looking for Palestine by David Robert Coleman, Scriabin’s exhilarating tone poem The Poem of Ecstasy, and Brahms’ Violin Concerto with soloist Lisa Batiashvili. Fresh from their performances at the Aldeburgh Festival, on 14 August the John Wilson Orchestra pays tribute to the songs of the female stars of Hollywood’s golden age, performing original film orchestrations painstakingly restored by conductor John Wilson, with Kim Criswell giving voice to songs sung by Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Alice Faye, and Jeanette MacDonald to Julia Andrews, Shirley Jones and Barbra Streisand. On 18 August, the Aurora Orchestra conducted by Nicholas Collon perform Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 from memory and are joined by pianist Imogen Cooper in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.25. Meanwhile on 8 August, straight from recording the pieces, violinist Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque perform Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.
Chamber Music and Leading Artists
On 10 August the outstanding young Trio Isimsiz, whose talents have been nurtured by Snape Maltings, play piano trios by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Brahms. On 16 August pianist Christian Blackshaw, renowned for his performances of Schubert and Mozart, brings a new collaboration with principal players of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Together they play Schubert’s ‘Trout’ Quintet and piano quartets by Mozart. The Takács String Quartet performs music by Mozart, Dvořák and Mendelssohn on 17 August, while on 21 August Angela Hewitt gives a recital of the first book of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Guitarist Miloš Karadaglić’s programme on 24 August with The Balanas Strings is a typically wide ranging one, performing everything from Bach to Spanish and Latin American music, plus his own arrangement of music by The Beatles.
Developing Young Ar
tists
The development of young artists has always been central to Snape Maltings’ vision. Marin Alsop conducts three concerts with the Britten-Pears Orchestra, part of the Britten–Pears Young Artists Programme, which provides opportunities for
exceptional young professionals to work closely with leading conductors, soloists and tutors. The first concert on 3 August is full of memorable melodies and celebrates childhood, with Ravel’sMother Goose, Prokofiev’s ‘Classical’ Symphony and Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, a piece they play again in a family concert on 5 Augustalongside Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf narrated by Tom Redmond. Their third concert together on 11 August picks up where they first left off – with ballet, in the exuberant form of Pr
okofiev’s Romeo and Juliet. The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain conducted by George Benjamin perform a concert on 2 August that revels in the glorious variety of sounds and moods conjured by a huge symphony orchestra. From Debussy’s gorgeous sonic seascape to the fire and fury of Mussorgsky’s Witches Sabbath, George Benjamin’s Dance Figures, surges and sings, juxtaposed with Ligeti’s eerie study in extreme quiet. In the midst of the kaleidoscope of orchestral sounds is Ravel’s thrilling Piano Concerto for the Left Hand played byTamara Stefanovich. The annual Snape Prom is the highlight of Suffolk Youth Orchestra’s year and they return on 5 August with conductor Philip Shawto perform Rimsky Korsakov, Butterworth, Ravel/Mussorgsky and Joaquin Turina. On 25 August, Ben Parry and Aldeburgh Voices lead a family-friendly singalong of Disney songs and Ben Parry returns with the National Youth Choir of Great Britain on 27 August, celebrating through song the abundant creativity of those living with mental health conditions.
Jazz & Blues
Experience a lifetime of music in one evening on 31 August as South Africa’s legendary jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim performs an intimate solo show. He brings together his upbringing of gospel, jive, American jazz & classical music with the music of his jazz heroes such as Ellington and Coltrane. Michael Law’s classic dance band the Piccadilly Dance Orchestra celebrates its 30th birthday by teaming up with Strictly Come Dancing singer Lance Ellington in a special new show on 4 August featuring music from the golden era of British dance bands, plus music made famous byBing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. The Blues Band on 6 August celebrate rhythm and blues in all their forms. With songs introduced with dry asides and plentiful anecdotes, this ensemble gives full voice to the simplicity and heartfelt expression of the blues. On 7 August, pianist Roberto Fonseca and his trio bring Cuba’s trademark rhythms and melodies to Snape, mixed with his own music. Later that week, on 9 August, saxophonist Courtney Pinejo
ins forces with soul star Omar for a collaboration of verve and imagination, backed by a peerless band. On 15 August, jazz musician Georgie Famebrings his unmistakeable velvety smooth voice and blend of jazz and rhythm & blues back to Snape with one of the most versatile jazz orchestras: the BBC Big Band. The jazz celebration continues when rising star Hailey Tuck makes her Snape debut. With a voice that sits somewhere between Billie Holiday, Regina Spektor and Ella Fitzgerald, as a teenager from Texas, Tuck took off to Paris with her college fund and a dream of becoming a jazz singer: she proves why she’s made it on 23 August. On 26 August, The Dime Notes transports us back in time to the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans in the tricentenary year of the great city. Andrew Oliver and his quartet remind us of the unforgettable sound of one of the great eras in jazz history.
Folk
Jeanette Sorrell and her American baroque orchestra Apollo’s Fire arrive in Snape on 12 August for an Appalachian folk gathering. It is a raucous celebration of the soulful music born in the in the mountain range after which it was named. Ambassadors for traditional Irish music Altan perform on 22 August, faithfully keeping to the old Gaelic singing styles and fiddle jigs whilst embracing a truly international outlook. Their live sets, now tinged with bluegrass and American roots music, bristle with instrumental virtuosity and seduce with touching old Irish songs. Jon Boden’s new musical boundaries post-Bellowhead continue to inspire and intrigue: his Remnant Kings is another all-star folk collective who perform on 30 August. It’s a miraculous alchemy of Boden’s irrepressible charisma, prog-rock, pop and folk and a testament to the prodigious imagination of a prolific song-writer clearly at the very top of his game.
The former head of the New York Philharmonic will be president of the jury of the Concours musical international de Montréal.
photo: NY Phil/Chris Lee
press release:
Mr. Zarin Mehta, among the world’s leading performing arts administrators, succeeds the late André Bourbeau as president of the jury for the upcoming CMIM Voice edition taking place from May 29 to June 7, 2018. “The Concours musical international de Montréal is a world-class event that has launched the careers of some extremely talented instrumentalists and singers. When I was approached, I saw this as an opportunity to pursue my lifelong interest in nurturing young talent. I am deeply honored to preside over such an eminent jury for a competition of this caliber,” declares Zarin Mehta.
