From the Lebrecht Album of the Week:

… I’m inclined to think that Mendelssohn, in common with today’s air-miles musicians, loses much of himself on the road, never settling long enough to form meaningful relationships outside of his immediate family. But his best works are the travel pieces — the Hebrides Overture, and Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage — short, sharp, Sunday-magazine length …

Read on here. 

We hear that Shanghai Symphony Orchestra has cancelled a planned concert this Sunday in Hong Kong.

Musicians were informed today of the cancellation.

Angry public reponses to the casting of Matthew Stump as Leporello have prompted Michigan Opera Theater to drop him within 24 hours.

MOT says: Michigan Opera Theatre has announced it will be making a casting change for the role of Leporello in the company’s fall 2019 production of Don Giovanni. Casting details will be forthcoming.

Stump was accused by a colleague, Julie O’Dell of sexual assault after she allowed him to sleep over at her place. Ms O’Dell said today: Michigan Opera Theatre – Detroit Opera House thank you for believing and protecting women. Our industry needs more institutions to take steps like this.

She added:

It was worth it. Sleeplessness, nightmares, seeing myself maligned, losing jobs, losing friends, losing face, being known for what some guy did to my body and not for my own work, turning my world upside down yet again a year later to rehash all that trauma. It was worth it, because MOT decided to believe women. In an industry where victims are terrified to go through what I’ve been through in the past year, we need more individuals and institutions to believe women.

Brazilian musicians are mourning the passing of André Midani, the Syrian-born executive behind the bossa nova boom.

Starting out with Decca in France, he revitalised Phonogram/Philips with the likes of Tom Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Belchior, João Gilberto and more.

He wound up head of Universal Music in Brazil.

The entrepreneurial Dutch violinist read in his morning paper that a thief had stolen the truck containing the instruments of an orchestra of musicians with mental disability. The musicians had put their savings of 20,000 Euros into buying the truck and they had nothing to play on at tonight’s concert.

Rieu, we hear, responded with instant cash for new instruments.

He said: ‘My heart broke when I read on the Telegraaf website that this group of musicians had been robbed of all their instruments. I want them to be able to perform again very soon. That’s why I am helping, so that they will be as soon as possible 100% “Happy with Music” again. I would like to give them back the joy which was taken away from them.’

Good man.

The Moscow-based Armenian tenor Arsen Soghomonyan has ‘withdrawn from singing the role of Don José in Carmen on 16 and 20 July for personal reasons’.

His replacement will be the Polish tenor Arnold Rutkowski, making his Royal Opera debut.

In what appears to be a significant evolutionary advance for the struggling orchestral sector, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has joined with Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust to start a new school, which will have specialist music teaching.

This morning, the Department for Education approved funding for the Shireland CBSO School, a non-selective and non-fee paying specialist music school in Sandwell.

You can read the press release below. The implications for orchestral survival are immense. This could be a visionary breakthrough.

The Department for Education has today [Friday 14 June] approved funding for the Shireland CBSO School – a new non-selective and non-fee paying specialist music school in Sandwell to be run by the Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust in partnership with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).

The school will draw students of all backgrounds from across Sandwell – one of the most deprived local authority areas in England – providing equality of access to a rounded academic secondary education with a strong musical focus. It will open for Year 7 and Year 12 pupils in 2021, growing to a maximum capacity of 870 students aged 11-18 by 2025.

The school will be the first in Britain to be established in partnership with an orchestra and marks a radical new approach to music education, innovatively addressing the much-publicised decline in the position of the creative arts in many schools.

As the CBSO looks towards its centenary year in 2020, this landmark project reflects the orchestra’s deep and ongoing commitment to enriching young people’s lives with music and to developing the musicians of the future. Music will be central to the school’s ethos and woven throughout the curriculum. The school will look for students of all backgrounds who have a genuine musical interest and aptitude, and will present the chance to explore classical music alongside jazz, pop and world music.

Every child will be given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, with tuition delivered in partnership with Sandwell Music Service, and to participate in choirs and ensembles as well as regularly attending CBSO concerts at Symphony Hall. The orchestra will also offer pre-concert presentations, ensemble performances, play-along sessions and creative workshops linked to curriculum themes. For aspiring young conductors there will be conducting workshops and masterclasses. There will be visits from international soloists and conductors performing with the CBSO who will provide inspirational talks, workshops, masterclasses. Students will also have the chance to learn about the administrative side of running an orchestra, with careers advice and presentations from CBSO staff.

Stephen Maddock OBE, Chief Executive of CBSO, says: “We are delighted and hugely excited to be able to move ahead with our plans for this new specialist music school, which will offer access to music education, regardless of background, in an area where such opportunities are so desperately needed. The CBSO has a long tradition of innovation in music education and community work – we were the first British symphony orchestra to present concerts for young people and the first to establish a specialist education department and to build a community facility – all of which have allowed us to make a real musical impact on young people and the wider community in the West Midlands. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our 100th anniversary next year than by launching an inclusive and nurturing school which will help create the musicians of the future.”

Sir Mark Grundy, Chief Executive of Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, adds: “As a Trust we are hugely proud to be asked to develop a new type of Free School and feel privileged to be creating a School with a curriculum focussed around Music in partnership with the CBSO. The Arts enrich our young peoples’ lives in so many ways and the opportunity to create a school which nurtures the musical ability of the students in our locality is an honour. The partnership that is emerging between our Trust, the CBSO and Sandwell Local Authority is unique.”

The announcement will be made by Education Secretary Damian Hinds on Friday 14 June 2019. The school will be funded by the Department for Education through the free school funding programme and will be run by Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust, a rapidly-growing Trust in the West Midlands led by the Shireland Collegiate Academy (rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted).

CBSO music director Mirga Grazinte-Tyla

The international pianist Gianfranco Pappalardo Fiumara has been arrested in Catania for attempted extortion against an alleged former lover.

It is reported that he was stopped by plain-clothed policemen outside the church of San Matteo in the small village of Trepunti di Giarre. It is not clear whether he has been formally charged. There has been no comment from either side. Presumptions of innocence apply.

Fiumara was suspended immediately from his position as consultant to the Puccini Festival at Torre del Lago.

Further repercussions are anticipated.

The venerable UK music publisher Boosey & Hawkes is to be merged with the Hamburg-based Russian music specialist Sikorski, home to the modern Russians Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Khachaturian, Schnittke, Weinberg, Gubaidulina (pictured) and Kancheli.

Boosey held the Rachmaninov copyrights until they expired a few years back. The company is now owned by an investment bank.

Press statement follows.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 13, 2019– Concord is pleased to announce the acquisition of the esteemed classical music publisher, Sikorski Music Publishing Group, home to a wide range of major works by legendary composers such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofieff, Aram Khachaturian, Dmitri Kabalevsky and Alfred Schnittke,plus ongoing relationships with important active composers such as Sofia Gubaidulina, Giya Kancheli and Lera Auerbach.

Under this landmark arrangement, the German-based Sikorski business will join the Concord Music Publishing family, sitting alongside Concord’s market leading Boosey & Hawkes classical business unit, which is also the custodian of a blue-chip catalogue of 20th-century masterworks and an eminent list of top contemporary composers.

Sikorski is celebrated as being one of the main custodians of golden Russian and Soviet era copyrights.Both Boosey & Hawkes and Sikorski share a heritage of active engagement with music written by Soviet era composers, promoting their works over decades in complementary territories in the West.

Beyond these historic copyrights, the Sikorski business is active in the furtherance of classical music through its engagement with current composers writing across a spectrum from chamber music, orchestral music, operas and ballets to music for children.

This new phase in the history of Sikorski will see the publisher become a key component in the active growth of Concord’s classical business and European presence, whilst plugging into the company’s major sync and marketing network.

John Minch, the long-term head of Boosey & Hawkes and President of Concord Music Publishing, Europe comments, “The union of Boosey & Hawkes and Sikorski under the Concord family of companies is a real signal to the continued value of classical repertoire. Concord is now at a moment to bring further investment and commitment to not only these evergreen catalogues, but the next generation of composers and the wider classical sector too.” Minch further noted, “I have known Dagmar and Axel Sikorski for almost 20 years and have the greatest amount of respect for their stewardship of these wonderful assets throughout their lives.”

Glen Barros, Chief Operating Officer at Concord comments, “This acquisition is important to us on many levels. In addition to adding an amazing collection of compatible works to the publishing side of our company, it is a big step toward the fulfilment of key strategic goals. Namely, we very much believe in the market for classical music and plan to further expand our presence in this genre. Further, we are looking for opportunities to expand our presence in Europe and other international markets. As a result, the acquisition of the Sikorski business really is a perfect fit.”

Dagmar Sikorski, the Managing Partner for the group and its majority shareholder, states, “We could not have found a better home for our family’s legacy classical assets. Our decades-long, deep relationships with our composers is something of which we are highly protective, and we are confident that these composers will be well looked after by the Concord and Boosey teams. We also want to acknowledge the significant efforts of Lisbeth Barron, who brought our two companies together and worked over many months to get the transaction across the finish line.”

Lisbeth R. Barron, Chairman & CEO and her team at Barron International Group, LLC acted as the exclusive financial advisor to The Sikorski Music Publishing Group for this transaction.

ABOUT CONCORD

Concord is the independent, worldwide leader in the development, management and acquisition of sound recordings, music publishing and theatrical performance rights. Concord has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, London, Berlin and Miami and operates via three primary operating divisions:

Concord Recorded Music is comprised of five active labels across many musical genres: Concord Records, Fantasy Records, Fearless Records, Loma Vista Recordingsand Rounder Records. Concord is also home to the #1 kids’ music brand, KIDZ BOP.

The company’s historical labels are managed by its Craft Recordingsteam, and include such storied imprints as Fania, Fantasy, Independiente, Milestone, Musart, Nitro, Pablo, Prestige, Riverside, Savoy, Specialty, Stax, Telarc, Varèse Sarabande, Vee-Jay and Wind-up. Concord’s master recording portfolio contains more than 12,000 active albums and includes no less than 273 GRAMMY® winners (representing approximately 6.3% of all the GRAMMYs®ever awarded) and over 400 gold, platinum, multi-platinum and diamond RIAA certifications across 215 titles.

Concord Music Publishing represents more than 390,000 copyrighted works spanning all musical genres and including many of the world’s most celebrated compositions by its most legendary creators. Concord Music Publishing is also home to a diverse group of contemporary songwriters and composers creating important and commercially-successful new songs and musical works. Boosey & Hawkes, the world’s leading classical music publisher, and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organizationare also business units of Concord Music Publishing.

Concord Theatricals is the world’s most significant theatrical agency, comprised of R&H Theatricals, The Musical Company, Tams-Witmarkand Samuel French. Concord Theatricals is the only firm that provides truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals under a single banner, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first-class production.

Concord is a private company funded by long-term institutional capital and members of Concord’s management team. At the forefront of intellectual property valuation, acquisition and utilization, the Concord investment underscores the partners’ belief in the lasting and appreciating global value of superior original creative content.

ABOUT BOOSEY & HAWKES

Boosey & Hawkes is the world’s leading publisher of contemporary classical music, with a blue chip catalogue of 20th-century masters including Bartók, Bernstein, Britten, Copland, Prokofieff, Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Strauss and Stravinsky alongside an eminent front list of composers that includes John Adams, Louis Andriessen, Harrison Birtwistle, Unsuk Chin, Anna Clyne, Brett Dean, Detlev Glanert, Osvaldo Golijov, HK Gruber, Karl Jenkins, Elena Kats-Chernin, Magnus Lindberg, James MacMillan, Steve Reich, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and Eric Whitacre.

ABOUT THE SIKORSKI MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP

The Sikorski Music Publishing Group has been family-owned and family-run since its founding by Dr. Hans Sikorski in the 1930s. Having pursued a dual focus on light classics/German popular songs and contemporary classical music, the group today includes imprints encompassing a range of repertoire from songs for children by Rolf Zuckowski to operas, ballets and concert works. Sikorski’s early engagement with Soviet music secured valuable European rights to Shostakovich, Prokofieff, and Khachaturian works (including Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Scandinavia and Spain) and led to an enduring commitment to the promotion of contemporary Soviet music. When leading figures such as Alfred Schnittke and Sofia Gubaidulina emigrated to the West, they gravitated naturally to Sikorski as their worldwide publishing home. Among the most performed works in the Sikorski catalogue are Prokofieff’s beloved ballet, Romeo and Juliet, and iconic children’s piece Peter and the Wolf; Shostakovich’s banned opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and symphonies; Khachaturian’s ballet Spartacus; and Shchedrin’s ever popular Carmen Suite. Lera Auerbach (Soviet-Russian born American composer b. 1973) has continued the line of popular ballets with her score for John Neumeier’s ballet The Little Mermaid.In addition to Auerbach, Sikorski’s front list includes composers from Germany, Austria, Catalonia, Finland, Serbia, Asia and the US.

ABOUT BARRON INTERNATIONAL GROUP, LLC

Barron International Group, LLC is a privately-owned investment banking firm with a globally-focused client base. The firm’s founder, Lisbeth R. Barron, has spearheaded in excess of $65 billion in ground-breaking strategic advisory and capital-raising transactions throughout her 30+-year career in the Media, Entertainment, Leisure, Hospitality, and Branded Consumer Products industries. Within the Entertainment Sector, Barron has advised on numerous high profile transactions in the Music Publishing, Recorded Music, and Theatricals verticals.

The Chicago Symphony violist Max Raimi has allowed us to publish this recollection of a remarkable conversation with the great conductor, whose retirement was announced this week.

Bernard Haitink announced his retirement today; he will conduct his last performance at the end of this summer. I am extremely grateful to have worked quite a bit with him; he was the CSO’s Principal Conductor between the tenures of Barenboim and Muti.

Here are some observations about one of my all time favorite conductors:

Because his technique was so unfussy and drew so little attention to itself, it was almost universally underestimated. With a minimum of motion, he could give you every single particle of information you needed. I always could play with confidence and freedom under his baton. I read once that he admonished student conductors, saying “Don’t distract the musicians–they are very busy!”

No matter how familiar he was with the music he was performing, he never became jaded. There was not a shred of artifice or mannerism in his interpretations. He let the music stand on its own considerable merits, unlike a number of conductors who seem to grow bored even by the greatest masterpieces and need to artificially inseminate them with eccentric interpretive touches. Maazel and Tilson Thomas are excellent examples of this, at least in my view.

I still treasure the memory of a conversation I once had with Maestro Haitink. On a Chicago Symphony European tour roughly a decade ago, he threw a party for the orchestra at a winery just outside of Vienna. It is relevant to the story to mention that one of the programs featured Shostakovich’s last symphony. I arrived a little late, and it turned out the only seat still available was at the “adult table”, right next to Haitink!

I was nervous; I don’t dine with great conductors very often. So I drank a goodly quantity of wine a bit too quickly. Then I heard myself saying to him, “Maestro, I find it so meaningful that we are playing Shostakovich’s final symphony with you. I think of it as the last of its kind, the last traditionally structured symphony–sonata allegro first movement, slow movement, scherzo, finale–in our repertoire. Just as you are the last of your kind, the last conductor we see who has a living memory of the world our repertoire came from, Europe before Hitler blew it all apart.”

Through my wine haze, I realized that I had basically called our revered host a fossil. But before I could regret it, his eyes lit up and told me stories about his life as a boy in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation. His father was an electrical engineer, responsible for Amsterdam’s electrical plant. He was pressured by the Dutch resistance to shut the city down, but if he had, he would have had to answer to the Germans. He was in an impossible double bind, and it broke him; Maestro Haitink told me that his father died shortly after the war ended.

Then he said something absolutely extraordinary; the most amazing part of which is that he seemed to believe what he was saying: “You know, I was nothing special back in my school days. There were so many of my peers that were much more talented than I was. But they were all Jewish boys, and they were murdered. I was all that was left–that is why I enjoyed the career I have had.”

Bernard Haitink 1957