The title is claimed by the annual Klassik Open Air series in Nuremberg, which plays to 160,000 spectators.

It also claims to be Europe’s greenest concert hall.

Beat that, anyone?

 

If you’re anywhere near Nuremberg, it starts this weekend.

The largest hall in Halle St Peters, the new adjunct to Manchester’s older orchestra, will be named Victoria Wood Hall following a substantial gift from the late comedian’s foundation.

Victoria, a versatile pianist who died in April 2016, was passionate about her music. Her daughter is a young opera singer.

Nigel Lilley, Trustee of The Victoria Wood Foundation, said: ‘The Victoria Wood Foundation are delighted to be supporting Hallé St Peter’s. Victoria first collaborated with the Hallé Children’s Choir and Youth Orchestra on ‘That Day We Sang’ for the Manchester International Festival, and later with the choir and main orchestra for the subsequent BBC adaptation. Victoria particularly enjoyed working with the youth choirs, brilliantly led by Shirley Court, and rehearsing with them was undoubtedly one of the highlights of a project that was very close to Victoria’s heart. We are proud to be able to continue Victoria’s association with the Hallé and look forward to hearing the children rehearsing in their new home.

The Garden State Philharmonic has named Diane Wittry as music director for the next season.

Diane is also music director of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra in Allentown, PA.

Prior to that, she was the Artistic Director of the Ridgewood Symphony (Ridgewood, NJ); Music Director and Conductor of the Norwalk Symphony (Norwalk, CT); Music Director and Conductor of The Symphony of Southeast Texas (Beaumont, TX) where her artistic leadership garnered national attention, and Artistic Director of the International Cultural Exchange Program with the Sarajevo Philharmonic, Bosnia-Herzegovina.  

In tonight’s Marriage of Figaro, Markus Eiche steps in for Christian Gerhaher in the role of Count Almaviva.


Foto: Baisja Chanowsk

This topical commentary is going through the roof.

Florian Krumpöck, principal conductor of the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra since September 2017, has apparently been given the bum’s rush, together with the pianist Jean Muller, who has worked as the ensemble’s artistic director.

Details are scanty (and in Luxembourgish dialect) but it appears the musicians voted them out at the end of the season. Krumpöck, 40, has four years left on his contract.

Among the complaints against the pair, chaotic media relations and failures to communicate artistic plans are cited in reports. No official statement has been issued.

The orchestra intends to work with guest conductors next season.

 

Madame Tussauds in Vienna have just put up this waxwork of the old rogue on the 29th anniversary of his death.

HvK neither looked nor conducted like this.


© Katharina Schiffl, Madame Tussauds Wien

No salient detail of his features or posture in this figure conforms to the memory of those of us who had dealings with him.

The face lacks character, the eyes are set wrong, the hands bear no resemblance to the real thing.

It’s a mockery.


The real deal