Rebecca Allen climbed Ben Nevis for charity, but that’s so last year.
Now she has supponed her team to scale three peaks this weekend – all for the launch of a Decca Bursary, which will give children across the UK the opportunity to experience classical music.
Becky says: ‘As a 90 year old British music label, we have been appalled to learn about the continuous cuts being given to the arts in state schools across the country. Our industry thrives on the continuous flow of exciting new artists. It is deeply upsetting to think that young children, from whatever their background, are not even being given an opportunity to explore music. Supporting the bursary is one small way in which we can help to inspire a new generation of classical music lovers and to provide assistance in their journeys of discovery and development.’
Following surgery in the middle of August to release a trapped nerve in his neck, and under medical advice, Sir Mark Elder has very reluctantly decided to cancel his forthcoming engagements. This will give him time for the fullest possible recuperation. He will return to the podium Sunday 24 November 2019 to conduct a performance of the Bach B minor Mass with the Hallé.
Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette on Saturday 5 October will now be conducted by Ludovic Morlot, and Andrew Manze will conduct the Opus One series 9-13 October at The Bridgewater Hall.
After being paraded among the roll of the recent dead on the Emmys on Sunday, Leonard Slatkin got a call to appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live to prove he’s still with us.
‘Please welcome the newly resurrected Leonard Slatkin,’ said Kimmel.
Fox, reportedly, are still trying to reach Andre Previn.
The orchestra of the theater in Plauen-Zwickau has been renamed the Clara Schumann Philharmonic.
Zwickau was her husband’s birthplace.
Clara was from Leipzig.
The Met has confirmed that its general manager held a clear-the-air session on Saturday with chorus and orchestra members to address concerns about Placido Domingo‘s presence at the Met.
Gelb is reported to have downplayed AP allegations of sexual misconduct since all but two of the complainants were anonymous and the story had not been taken further by reputable media. He also insisted that there had been no reports of Domingo misconduct at the Met.
The Met would not conduct its own investigation, he added, but it would abide by the conclusions of the LA Opera inquiry.
Domingo will appear tomorrow at the Met opposite Anna Netrebko in Verdi’s Macbeth.
The Met has issued the following statement to NPR:
‘On Saturday Sept. 21, after the dress rehearsal of Macbeth, Peter Gelb held an open conversation with members of the Orchestra and Chorus as he has done with other groups within the Met over recent weeks. In the meeting Mr. Gelb reiterated how seriously the Met takes accusations of sexual harassment and abuse of power.
‘He explained that because there was currently no corroborated evidence against Mr. Domingo the Met believed that the fair and correct thing to do was to wait until the investigations by LA Opera and AGMA had taken place. He explained that if corroborated evidence is made public either through the investigations or other means, the Met would take prompt action.’
A late correction has been issued to the one-year peace deal between the Baltimore Symphony and its musicians.
It reads: ‘The original press release had a misleading salary figure. This one-year agreement guarantees a annual base salary of $81,438.50.’
Other than that, nothing has changed. The BSO will continues to push for cutting its contract to a 40-week year. The musicians will go back to the wire next summer. There will be another stand-off.
Not a good way to inspire confidence in an ensemble.
The city of Cologne has named Daniel Barenboim as the next recipient of the Konrad Adenuaer prize for his ‘boundless courage’ in showing that ‘music releases a peacemaking power.’
‘Daniel Barenboim has found a connecting element with music that brings together people from different cultures,’ said the city’s mayor Henriette Reker.
The award, named after the first post-War Chancellor who was pre-War mayor of Cologne, recognises ‘living and working in a big city, innovative and courageous contributions to the development of a liveable city worldwide, to European integration or to the preservation and strengthening of local self-government in a Europe that is growing together.’
The Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo is being investigated by Covent Garden for an incident in which he appeared to have manhandled a female chorus member while on stage in a Tokyo performance of Gounod’s Faust.
The ROH said: ‘Following an alleged incident on September 18 involving Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo, the Royal Opera House opened an immediate investigation and Mr Grigolo was suspended.
‘We are unable to comment further on this matter whilst this investigation is ongoing.’
Grigolo’s people are not saying anything either. Not even ‘whilst’, which is Covent Garden-speak for ‘between gritted teeth’.
He was replaced for the final tour performance by Georgy Vasiliev.
The Italian tenor, 42, has a huge reputation at the Met, but a lower profile at Covent Garden.
More details as they come through.
Thomas Dausgaard, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s Chief Conductor, is sick.
His replacement on Thursday will be the fast-rising Alpesh Chauhan, former assistant at Birmingham, now Principal Conductor of the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Parma.
Watch him on CBS Sunday Morning:
‘I’ve been coming here (to Tanglewood) 39 years this summer,’ he says.
