The Bernstein industry has told Variety that ‘A Star Is Born’ star Bradley Cooper will direct and play the lead in a Lenny biopic financed by Paramount Pictures and Amblin Entertainment and scripted by Josh Singer. Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Fred Berner, Amy Durning, and Kristie Macosko Krieger will co-produce.
They willl face competition from another Bernstein film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and called ‘The American.’
Some poor critics will have to watch both.
Friends are reporting the sad death of Vincenzo Manno, a Cleveland tenor who became a member of La Scala’s permanent cast until his retirement nine years ago.
He was in great demand as a teacher.
Many called him ‘Maestro’.
The German conductor Kevin John Edusei has told the Swiss town of Berne that he won’t renew his contract beyond 2019.
Edusei, 41, cites family reasons and the urge to spend more time with his other orchestra, in Munich.
Hard to believe, but no Pole has ever walked the stage of the Wagner festival.
The first, this summer, will be Tomasz Konieczny.
He will sing Teleramund in Yuval Sharon’s new production of Lohengrin, conducted by Christian Thielemann.
Imagine maintaining a Polish boycott all these years…. Well, that’s Bayreuth, still living in blinkers.
Jonathan Sternberg, one of the founders of the Conductors Guild in 1974, died in Philadelphia on May 8, at the age of 98.
A gregarious man who wore his great knowledge lightly, Jonathan conducted in Shanghai while in the US Army in 1946 and went on to perform and record with various ensembles in Vienna, working closely with the Haydn scholar H C Robbins Landon. Among his soloists were Yehudi Menuhin, Henryk Szeryng, Alfred Brendel, Annie Fischer, Maurice Gendron, Lisa Della Casa, Hilde Gueden and George London.
He was associated with the Halifax Symphony Orchestra (1957-1958), the Royal Flemish Opera (1963-1966), the Harkness Ballet of New York (1966-1968), and the Atlanta Opera Company (1968-1969). Later on, he taught at Rochester and Philadelphia.
Boston Lyric Opera is planning to stage The Handmaid’s Tale, Poul Ruders’ opera on Margaret Atwood’s novel of female servitude.
The venue it has chosen is Lavietes Pavilion at Harvard Athletics Complex, the world’s second-oldest college basketball court. “
‘We found a space that reflects the proportions and ambitions of this work and brings it home – in a sense – to some locations dramatized in Ms. Atwood’s original book,’ says BLO boss Esther Nelson.
From a press release:
Jess Gillam, 19, has signed an exclusive recording deal with Decca Classics – becoming the first saxophone player to join the historic label. She will enter the recording studio for Decca for the first time later this year.
Hailing from Ulverston in Cumbria, Jess first caught the public eye during BBC Young Musician 2016 when, at the age of 17, she was the first saxophonist to reach the final of the competition – wowing audiences with her performance of Michael Nyman’s Where the Bee Dances.
photo: Dominic Nichols
The Curtis Institute has hired Eric Owens as joint head of its opera department.
He will share duties with vocal choach Danielle Orlando.
The new team take over from Mikael Eliasen, who has held the post for 30 years.
The Hungarian soloist Máté Szűcs will succeed Nobko Imai in September as professor at the Conservatory of Geneva.
That leaves a vacancy for #1 viola in the Berlin Phil.
The death is reported of Lise Rollan, a Belgian light soprano who made her name in the lighter stuff.
She was 95.
Anyone recognise the harpsichordist?
The German soprano Evelyn Herlitzius issued this statement last night: ‘I regret very much that due to unforeseen health reasons, I am forced to withdraw from my Ring commitment to San Francisco Opera. I wish the company all success on this important presentation next month.’
Her replacement will be the experienced Irene Theorin.
The Florentine Opera of Minnesota has announced the resignation of its general director, William Florescu.
No reason given by either side.
The company manages about three productions a year.
