The Polish trumpeter, composer and free jazz pioneer Tomasz Stańko died today in Warsaw.

Working across many genres from Kryzstof Penderecki to Indian mysticism, his releases on ECM Records were always fresh and surprising, underpinned by tremendous melodic invention.

Paul Hogle, president of the Cleveland Institute of Music, has circulated an internal message announcing the departure of William Preucil, following #MeToo allegations in the Washington Post. Hogle writes:

Bill Preucil informed me today that he is tendering his resignation from the faculty of CIM, effective immediately…. Dean Bundra and I realise that this creates a period of uncertainty for Bill’s students and the Dean’s office is already working with each student to discuss the options available to them (sic).

The CIM website continues to feature Preucil from its faculty page.

He has already been suspended from his post as concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra.

A poll of 1,000 UK children has found that just one per cent name the oboe, French horn, cor anglais, bassoon or contrabassoon as instruments they would like to play.

The Royal Albert Hall, which commissioned the study, blames the declines on Youtube-watching passivity, earning itself a Telegraph headline.

Are we bothered?

Why did Piotr Beczala ever agree to wear these wretched overalls at Bayreuth?

Lohengrin is meant to be a hero, not a construction site worker.

We think she is the first British prime minister to attend the Salzburg Festival since Margaret Thatcher, albeit strictly in the line of Brexit duty.

May’s arch-enemies George Osborne and Michael Gove, devout Wagnerians both, were at Bayreuth.

 

Reports from Bayreuth say that Katharina Wagner’s Friday-night revival of Tristan und Isolde was greeted with the heaviest booing she has yet received.

There was loud applause for the protagonists,Stephen Gould and Petra Lang, and for the conductor Christian Thielemann.