Introducing the ROH’s new day-long bars and shops, the oil magnate Ian Taylor told an ES interviewer:

‘I had a real desire to knock out all this elitism … we want to make clear that what we offer is still really top quality, that we are not in any way dumbing down the programme. But I want everybody to feel they can come here and enjoy the ballet and opera as much as they want to, or nor at all.’

Not a particularly controversial remark. But it has provoked fury among regular attenders.

One example from www.balletcoforum:

Dear Mr Taylor:

We’ve never met but you can look me up in your database if you feel the need.  I’ve just done a rough tally and see I’ve spent more than £12,000 on ROH tickets in the past five years.  Your restaurants and bars have had a good innings, too: about £10,000 over the same period.  Now that may be an insignificant little sum to a mam who ‘made his many millions in oil and gas commodities,’ but to me it is a considered choice to forgo other pleasures and put my disposable income into the Arts.  That would be your Arts,Mr. Taylor, ballet and opera at the ROH.

Now many would consider me  a valued customer and I say this not because of the amount I spend but because of the regularity of my spending.with the organisation of which you are Chairman.  But according to tonight’s Evening Standard, I’ve got that all wrong.  It would seem I am part of the despised elite which you are ‘determined to knock out.’ …

It’s about pleasing most of the customers most of the time, Mr T.

First Nina Stemme drops out of Turandot.

Then the conductor Nicola Luisotti decides that Maite Alberola is not up to the role of Liù.

So she has gone, too.

This is turning into Turandisaster in Madrid.

UPDATE: A clarification from Teatro Real:

We would like to clarify that when our artistic director, Joan Matabosch, contracted Ms. Alberola, almost three years ago, to perform Liù, he thought that her voice would evolve in a different way. During the rehearsals of Turandot, Mr. Matabosch and the soprano have agreed that it would be better not to go on with Liù now and to offer her another role in the future.

The controversial Hungarian prime minister was not going to miss the world premiere of the only opera by his country’s senior composer.

Fin de Partie by György Kurtag opened last night to thunderous applause at La Scala.

Sovrintendente Alexander Pereira called it ‘La Scala’s greatest premiere for half a century’.

We’ll check back later with reviews.

Read Fiona Maddocks in the Observer.

And Guy Damann in the TLS.

 

The baritone Mariusz Kwiecien fell ill during Act One of Pearl Fishers and had to be replaced at the break.

It was a Metropolitan Opera debut for his stand in, Alexander Birch Elliot.

The soprano Pretty Yende writes:
Last night was truly special in more ways than one. Alexander Birch Elliott made his last minute debut after our dear Colleague Mariusz Kwiecien fell ill in the first act. I can testify that with all the love from the global audience, the way The Metropolitan Opera House audience welcomes a new artist is unbelievably unique. It brought incredible sweet memories 💞 Congratulations Alexander, you were a force of nature and thank you for an unbelievably wonderful duet. It was truly special to do that scene with you without any rehearsal whatsoever together. Wishing our Mariusz Kwiecien a speedy recovery and looking forward to having him back soon, what a privilege to witness history and the bloom of someone’s journey…

Debutant takes a bow.

 

The rules say three finalists in the Panula Conducting Competition in Vaasa.

They have added a fourth.

He’s a favourite of Panula’s.

Finalists:
Kaapo Ijas (Finland)
Johannes Zahn (Germany)
Angus Webster (Great Britain)
Ross Jamie Collins (Finland / Great Britain).

The smart money’s on Webster.

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music has added mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and soprano Marnie Breckenridge to its faculty.

Good catches.

The Helikon Opera Theatre will commemorate the much-lamented baritone singer with a bust in its lobby, placed on November 21, the first anniversary of his death.

 

The Swiss pianist Oliver Schnyder has resigned as head of Davos before his first festival has come to fruition.

‘Unfortunately Oliver Schnyder has informed us that his artistic-interpretive and pedagogical activities were incompatible with the role of an artistic director,’ said the festival chairman.

In other words, you can’t eat your cake and have it.

Oliver will see out next summer’s festival, leaving at the end of August.

 

It’s Tod Machover’s latest opera, Schoenberg in Hollywood, given its world premiere by Boston Lyric Opera at the Emerson Paramount Center Wednesday night.

Despite its title, Schoenberg in Hollywood tells of the composer’s life before he drove a Rolls Royce, played tennis with George Gershwin, and attended garden parties with Harpo Marx in the Los Angeles suburbs. Part biopic and part psychological study, Simon Robson’s libretto portrays a solitary figure who lives constantly in his head. Schoenberg, driven by talent and ego, longs to transform the world through music. Yet he is also afraid of moving forward.

Read on here in Boston Classical Review.

 

We regret to report the death yesterday of a rapid cancer of Jan Persson, one of the world’s most dedicated music photographers with a special interest in jazz.

Jan was dedicated, respectful, humble, principled, hardworking and honest to the last.

He worked for many years with Lebrecht Music&Arts.

You can see a carousel of his pictures here.

Jan: It was Bob Dylan’s first tour of Europe. I sat with him for several hours in that hotel room. He’d just gotten a trial print of the double album Blonde on Blonde and that’s what he’s listening to on the portable record player. He liked the photos so much that he bought the entire series from me later.