Deutsche Grammophon is celebrating its 120th anniversary tomorrow at the Berlin Philharmonic Hall with a concert featuring violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianist Lang Lang, with Staatskapelle Berlin under the baton of Manfred Honeck.
The program includes works by Beethoven, Mozart and John Williams. Start time 2000 CET (1500 NY).
You can watch it on youtube right here.
(Except in France and Germany, where you have to watch it here.)
For the centenary of the end of the First World War, Andrew Manze conducts the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the NDR Philharmonic Orchestra in Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem.
pictured: A performance of Verdi’s Requiem, 1916
David Pountney is nailing his colours to the mast at Welsh National Opera.
From the press release:
At the heart of Freedom are five operas, four semi-staged and one fully staged production. Semi-staged productions include The Consul by Gian Carlo Menotti, Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie, The Prisoner by Luigi Dallapiccola and the second act of Beethoven’s Fidelio with a fully staged production of Brundibár by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása. All operas will be performed at Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre.
‘This Freedom season brings together a group of works all of which touch on this intensely political subject, but as works of art, not political manifestos. It establishes that an art form often wrongly thought of as an establishment playground nonetheless has a lot to say about political and social suffering,’ says David Pountney, WNO Artistic Director.
From Emmanuel A. Borowsky:
I arrived at Manchester-Boston regional airport at 5:45am for a 7am flight to Baltimore (Southwest #1034). My agenda today was to include presenting a guest visit of a luthier at my Alma matter UMD College Park, followed by an afternoon of teaching at Towson University.
Due to a lack of space in the overhead bins, I was asked to check my violin and bows valued at $80,000. As all professional musician know, that rarely ends well.
There were multiple available seats on the flight, including two in a row that I intended to sit. The flight attendants were unsympathetic in my request/suggestion to use one of the multiple free seats to transport my violin (restrained similar to a cello). Although I remained calm and respectful, I was given the option of checking in the violin or being promptly booted from the flight. I selected the latter due to necessity but am severely disappointed in the treatment received and the consequences for my professional schedule.
It’s Southwest Airlines. They have history.
A message from Ari Mahler, RN:
I am The Jewish Nurse.
Yes, that Jewish Nurse. The same one that people are talking about in the Pittsburgh shooting that left 11 dead. The trauma nurse in the ER that cared for Robert Bowers who yelled, “Death to all Jews,” as he was wheeled into the hospital. The Jewish nurse who ran into a room to save his life.
To be honest, I’m nervous about sharing this. I just know I feel alone right now, and the irony of the world talking about me doesn’t seem fair without the chance to speak for myself.
When I was a kid, being labeled “The Jewish (anything)”, undoubtedly had derogatory connotations attached to it. That’s why it feels so awkward to me that people suddenly look at it as an endearing term. As an adult, deflecting my religion by saying “I’m not that religious,” makes it easier for people to accept I’m Jewish – especially when I tell them my father is a rabbi. “I’m not that religious,” is like saying, “Don’t worry, I’m not that Jewish, therefore, I’m not so different than you,” and like clockwork, people don’t look at me as awkwardly as they did a few seconds beforehand.
I experienced anti-Semitism a lot as a kid. It’s hard for me to say if it was always a product of genuine hatred, or if kids with their own problems found a reason to single me out from others. Sure, there were a few Jewish kids at my school, but no one else had a father who was a Rabbi. I found drawings on desks of my family being marched into gas chambers, swastikas drawn on my locker, and notes shoved inside of it saying, “Die Jew. Love, Hitler.” It was a different time back then, where bullying was not monitored like it is now. I was weak, too. Rather than tell anyone, I hid behind fear. Telling on the people who did this would only lead to consequences far worse.
Regardless, the fact that this shooting took place doesn’t shock me. To be honest, it’s only a matter of time before the next one happens. History refutes hope that things will change. My heart yearns for change, but today’s climate doesn’t foster nurturing, tolerance, or civility. Even before this shooting took place, there’s no real evidence supporting otherwise. The FBI and the Southern Poverty Law Center note that Jews only account for two percent of the U.S. population, yet 60% of all religious hate crimes are committed against them. I don’t know why people hate us so much, but the underbelly of anti-Semitism seems to be thriving.
So now, here I am, The Jewish Nurse that cared for Robert Bowers. I’ve watched them talk about me on CNN, Fox News, Anderson Cooper, PBS, and the local news stations. I’ve read articles mentioning me in the NY Times and the Washington Post. The fact that I did my job, a job which requires compassion and empathy over everything, is newsworthy to people because I’m Jewish. Even more so because my dad’s a Rabbi.
To be honest, I didn’t see evil when I looked into Robert Bower’s eyes. I saw something else. I can’t go into details of our interactions because of HIPAA. I can tell you that as his nurse, or anyone’s nurse, my care is given through kindness, my actions are measured with empathy, and regardless of the person you may be when you’re not in my care, each breath you take is more beautiful than the last when you’re lying on my stretcher. This was the same Robert Bowers that just committed mass homicide. The Robert Bowers who instilled panic in my heart worrying my parents were two of his 11 victims less than an hour before his arrival.
I’m sure he had no idea I was Jewish. Why thank a Jewish nurse, when 15 minutes beforehand, you’d shoot me in the head with no remorse? I didn’t say a word to him about my religion. I chose not to say anything to him the entire time. I wanted him to feel compassion. I chose to show him empathy. I felt that the best way to honor his victims was for a Jew to prove him wrong. Besides, if he finds out I’m Jewish, does it really matter? The better question is, what does it mean to you?
Love. That’s why I did it. Love as an action is more powerful than words, and love in the face of evil gives others hope. It demonstrates humanity. It reaffirms why we’re all here. The meaning of life is to give meaning to life, and love is the ultimate force that connects all living beings. I could care less what Robert Bowers thinks, but you, the person reading this, love is the only message I wish instill in you. If my actions mean anything, love means everything.
Respectfully,
Ari Mahler, RN.
The Royal Opera House has officially announced the extension to its music director’s contract, adding:
During a sabbatical year in the 2020/21 season, Pappano will make appearances in venues across the world, including New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Teatro Alla Scala in Milan and Staatsoper Berlin.
Antonio Pappano said: ‘I am absolutely delighted to continue as Music Director of the Royal Opera House until at least 2022/23. This place feels like my home and I am so excited to continue my artistic journey here, conducting the repertory that Oliver Mears and I have developed together while continuing my collaboration with the finest Orchestra and Chorus in the world’.
The Czech President Milos Zeman today attended the opening ceremony of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. He then sat at a piano and played to the Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev the song Sentimental Journey. Zeman said: ‘In my youth, I was a piano wunderkind.’
Any recommend a good piano teacher in Prague?
The irrepressible singer is about to play her first non-operatic role at the Chichester Festival Theatre.
Read here.
The play is called The Messiah and she does get to do the odd trill.
The Boston Globe is running a major investigation into the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, where two of the conductors close advisers have been fired after sexual charges came to light and a third employee is ‘under investigation for inappropriate behaviour.’
And questions are being asked about the financing, some of which appears to come from the conductor, Benjamin Zander, and his ex-wife’s partner.
Read on here.
Decca claims he’s the first classical artist in quarter of a century to top the Billboard 200.
Actually, he’s neither classical nor pop. He’s perfect MOR.
Listen.
Hong Kong-based Naxos has just announced it has acquired the Opus Arte video label from the Royal Opera House in London.
No price was mentioned, but this can only have been a disastrous deal for Covent Garden.
Tony Hall, when he was head of ROH, paid £5.7 million to buy into the video market when he swooped for Opus Arte in 2007. This was, I wrote at the time, about four times over what the industry reckoned its value to be, and it came just months ahead of the global economic crash.
It was the first swoop by a UK public arts company for a music label, and it has never been repeated.
Covent Garden had neither the expertise nor the will to exploit its asset. Today’s sale to Naxos is an admission of Hall’s failure. On the other hand, it may give ROH productions wider global exposure through Naxos sales.
‘We are delighted to hand over the reins to Naxos, the world’s leading classical music label,’ said Alex Beard, ROH CEO today. ‘Naxos will take Opus Arte on to its next exciting phase, ensuring the multi-platform production and distribution company remains at the forefront of delivering high-quality opera, theatre and ballet to audiences worldwide.’
The NY Times is acting as shill for Bonham’s coming sale of Glenn Gould’s much-decorated copy of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Tim Page has authenticated the manuscript.
I know a lot of people who will be more impressed by another item at the same auction house a few days earlier – an unknown Schumann draft of Fantasiestücke.
Seriously interesting.
