From the Lebrecht Album of the Week:
Your challenge for the weekend: name all six of Les Six.
Poulenc and Milhaud? That’s average.
Arthur Honegger? Good (unless you’re Swiss)….
Read on here.
Et en francais ici.
The theatre has published support for its beleaguered Norwegian artistic director from those who recommended him in the first place:
‘I am pleased by Per Boy Hansen’s engagement at the National Theatre in Prague, as he is an accomplished, seasoned opera manager. He has also been recommended to me by our permanent conductors, including Manfred Honeck, who closely collaborated with him for a number of years, and the chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic, Semyon Bychkov, who too worked with Hansen in the past. I hope Hansen will undertake the post in Prague,’ said David Mareček, the General Director of the Czech Philharmonic.
‘Since the very beginning, I have regarded Per Boy Hansen’s engagement at the National Theatre in Prague as a great opportunity to make significant changes, not only at the National Theatre Opera company, but also in the Czech opera milieu in general, which has been excessively interlinked. Only a person of such great erudition, a person possessing ample practical experience and not being entangled in personal connections in the Czech environment can advance the organisation of operatic life towards true European standards, whose absence has markedly obstructed the development in this domain. I understand the apprehension on the part of the artists at the National Theatre, yet unless Per Boy Hansen is afforded the opportunity to implement fundamental systemic changes, the Czech opera world will undoubtedly remain unduly stagnant for many more years to come,’ said Martin Glaser, Director of the National Theatre in Brno,
‘I have willingly participated in the search for people who may combine knowledge of the Czech musical and theatre scene with an international experience and outlook, and have been encouraged that several well-qualified candidates have emerged with a strong
interest in the task. I was sorry to hear that some members of Prague National Opera had reacted against the appointment of Per Boye Hansen as Artistic Director of the Opera from the start of next season. While I understand that opposition can be a natural reaction to change, and sympathise with those who may believe their positions to be threatened, I also know that the process of recruitment last year was thorough and wide- ranging and was approved by the Guarantee Board. It is my hope and belief that valued members of staff may be reconciled, and the sometimes difficult process of change may strengthen this great theatre as it builds its future development as one of Europe’s great opera companies,’ writes Nicholas Payne, former Director of the Royal Opera Covent Garden in London.
The dissidents have responded with a counter-blast:
Petr Kofroň, Artistic Director of Opera: ‘He must be the first designated opera director in the world, who – having been assuming his office for a year – claims not to be responsible for his first season.’
Eva Urbanová, soloist: ‘The overall atmosphere in the National Theatre is that of great nervousness because no one knows, what comes next. That is why this open letter was written. No one knows, what will happen with the Opera of the National Theatre and the State Opera as a whole.’
Helena Havlíková, critic: ‘At a press conference held in the last week of February, all the elements of the National Theatre presented their dramaturgical plans for the 2019/2020 season. Designated artistic director, Per Boye Hansen, spoke on behalf of the Opera. Hansen will not assume the management of both the National Theatre and the State Opera until the start of the season, however, he has been closely collaborating with the current management when preparing the plan for the upcoming season. He joined the team last September and he has had plenty of time to find his bearings. In public, Hansen is all pompous promises and boasts about introducing the theatre to the European “Champions League”. However, at the press conference he proved to be hardly capable of coaching a small-town football club.’
Luiz Fernando Malheiro has resigned as chief conductor of the Teatro Municipal symphony orchestra in Rio de Janeiro.
The orchestra’s budget has been slashed by 46.37 percent. More here.
Most who knew him agree that the late Alejandro Planchart was a gentle man and a courteous colleague.
Kendra Preston Leonard begs to differ.
Ms Leonard is, by her own description, ‘ a musicologist and music theorist whose work focuses on women and music in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; and music and screen history, particularly music and adaptations of Shakespeare.’
On the topic ‘Alejandro Planchart, 1935-2019’ at the official discussion site for the American Musicological Society, here is what Ms Leonard writes: ‘Given the numerous cases of his harassment and other inappropriate behavior towards women (and the fact that he was fired because of it), I hope the AMS’s obit is an honest one and not another life-review that erases the harm he did.’
No evidence is offered.
IMG Artists and Jennifer Spencer Consultancy have signed Angus Webster, 19, for general management.
Angus came joint first and won the orchestral prize at the 2018 Jorma Panula International Conducting Competition in Finland.
He is about to study at Colburn in LA with Esa-Pekka Salonen.
The Gewandhaus is about to spend 5.3 million euros on replacing a podium that is less than 4o years old.
Apparently, they can no longer get spare parts now that DDR engineering has been overtaken by western technology.
The new podium will be movable, accessible, gender-neutral and all those things.
Press release:
The American director Peter Sellars will deliver the keynote address during the opening ceremony of the 2019 Salzburg Festival at the Felsenreitschule on 27 July 2019. The title of his speech is “Listening to the Ocean: Planetary Change and Cultural Action – The meaning and urgency of ‘ecological civilization’ in the next generation”.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Song Company, Australia’s premier vocal ensemble, has been put into administration.
‘The directors have considered the financial affairs of the company and it is in their opinion that the company faces the possibility of becoming insolvent at some future time, if it were to continue to trade,’ says a website statement.
A British musician, Antony Pitts, has led the group since 2016.
It has come back to bite them in the butt…. RBC reports:
Russia’s state-owned Channel One has canceled the results of this season’s The Voice Kids final, RBC reported. The cybersecurity company Group-IB, which was hired to investigate anomalies in the final vote, reported that bots had submitted over 8,000 SMS votes in favor of a single candidate. That candidate was 10-year-old Mikella Abramova, the daughter of the popular singer Alsou and the banker Yan Abramov, who had been declared this season’s winner. Group-IB representatives did not specify whether any other competitors had benefited from dishonest voting methods.
They jury, who swear they have never taught any of the contestants, have come up with a very old-fashioned set of finalists. Two are from Juilliard. One is the grandson of the formidable Soviet pianist, Tatiana Nikolaev. None is a Chinese national.
Leonardo Colafelice, Italy, 23, Gnessin Moscow Special School of Music
Alexander Malofeev, Russia, 17 Bari Conservatory of Music
MacKenzie Melemed, USA, 24, Juilliard School
Sandro Nebieridze, Georgia, 18, Tbilisi State Conservatory
Arseny Tarasevich-Nikolaev Russia, 25, Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (pictured)
Tony Yun, Canada, 17, Juilliard School, Pre-College Division
The first prize is a record $150,000, about half a footballer’s weekly wage.
The CIMC jury is headed by Li-guang Wang, president of the China Conservatory of Music, and Yoheved Kaplinsky, chair of the piano department and artistic director of the Pre-College Division, The Juilliard School.
Whenever an artist tells me that an agency wants to sign him or her but expects to be paid for their services, I have given the best advice available in these circumstances: don’t go near them.
An agent who demands money up-front from artist is an agent who has failed to make money by legitimate means.
VAN magazine today publishes an important exposé about a lone agent who makes promises to artists and takes their money.
Without talking to others, a musician might think she was the only person who didn’t get a single concert in a year. “On a very basic level, you have to ask how ‘desperate’ some of the musicians were to sign a contract that requires a deposit of trust, belief, and money,” said a performer. “It’s a sign that young musicians, who are highly specialized and educated, often find themselves in uncertain economic straits, and fall for things.”
This is a higely prevalent problem of which VAN has bravely uncovered just the visible tip.
