This is Switzerland, 1969.
She’s smoking like a steam engine.
The footage was uploaded a few hours ago by our pal, Max Lima.
It has been confirmed that the Russian bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin will take over as the Met’s Flying Dutchman, replacing Sir Bryn Terfel who has a complicated foot fracture.
Nikitin was expelled from the Bayreuth Festival in 2012 after complaints that he appeared to have a swastika-like tattoo. He denied that it was a swastika and, after a brief ban from the Met, had no problems anywhere else.
The Filarmonica de Gran Canarias has cancelled Charles Dutoit as guest conductor in March.
Dutoit, who has been accused of offences against women, will be replaced by a female conductor.
The orchestra is the first in Spain to act against Dutoit.
Read here.
Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra, on their first international tour in March, have called off three China dates due to the coronavirus outbreak.
They will still visit Japan, becoming the first US orchestra in half a century to play at Hiroshima.
“The National Symphony Orchestra and Gianandrea Noseda deeply regret that they will not be able to travel to China for their performances in Beijing and Shanghai next month,” said NSO Executive Director Gary Ginstling. “The escalating concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus have caused the Center for Disease Control and U.S. Department of State to raise their warnings to the highest levels, and major American airlines have preemptively cancelled flights to and from China through the end of March, including the NSO’s scheduled flights. Between these logistical developments and the fact that our top priority is the health and well-being of our musicians and artists, it became clear to the NSO that its visit to China would not be possible. The NSO very much looks forward to the opportunity to reschedule its visit to China and our thoughts are with all those impacted by this global health crisis.”
Last week, Boston was the first to cancel China.
It’s official: Ariane Matiakh has quit as general music director in Halle, as of last Thursday, in the middle of her first season.
Sehr geehrte Medienvertreter*innen,
die Theater, Oper und Orchester GmbH Halle und Frau Ariane Matiakh sind übereingekommen, den Dienstvertrag der Generalmusikdirektorin der Staatskapelle Halle zum 31.01.2020 auf Wunsch von Frau Matiakh einvernehmlich aufzuheben.
Frau Matiakh wird dennoch dem Hallenser Publikum erhalten bleiben, da sie alle mit ihr als Dirigentin angekündigten und geplanten Sinfoniekonzerte in der laufenden und kommenden Spielzeit dirigieren wird.
Dear Media Representatives,
Theatre, opera and orchestra gmbh Halle and Ms Ariane Matiakh have agreed to cancel the contract of the general music director of the staatskapelle Halle on 31.01.2020 at the request of Ms. Matiakh.
Ms. Matiakh will still be available to the Halle audience as she will conduct all planned symphony concerts in the current season.
Ms Matiakh issued a subsequent statement, attacking media reports:
Theater, Oper und Orchester GmbH Halle and I (Ariane Matiakh) have mutually agreed to terminate the contract of my employment as General Music Director of the Staatskapelle Halle as of 31.01.2020 at my request.
Neither an alleged lack of presence nor my international commitments played any role in this decision. Reports to the contrary in various newspapers are untrue. This is proven by the fact that I will be honouring all of my planned engagements with the Staatskapelle in Halle – I will conduct all previously announced symphonic concerts in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons.
I regret the recent misrepresentations in various media. They do not depict the nature of the situation correctly.
I am looking forward to my contiued work with the Staatskapelle Halle next month, including several concerts and a new recording dedicated to Max Bruch.
She seems to be the only one who does not find it odd that a music director resigns halfway through the first year of her contract without giving any reasonable explanation.
Veteran Oakland Symphony music director Michael Morgan will make a belated debut with the San Francisco Symphony on April 30.
He replaces Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, who is having a baby break from guest conducting, and he completely rips up her planned concert.
Morgan will conduct the first SFSO performance of Florence Price’s 3rd symphony (1940). Also in the lineup: Carlos Simon’s 2019 work “AMEN!”, Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody and Franck’s Le Chasseur Maudit.
A new essay by the US conductor Brandon Keith Brown sheds light on a culture of exclusion:
Stepping out into society as a Black person is going to a party where you know you’re not wanted. Whether at work, school, orchestra concerts or the opera, we’re unwelcome. To survive, we make ourselves small for white comfort leaving our true selves at home. I feel this at classical music concerts, sometimes even my own.
Besides the cookout, church Sunday is when we let our hair down. It’s an all-day event — especially in the South, where the livin’ still ain’t so easy. We fill up full of the spirit, getting ready to battle another week of racial trauma.
The concert hall should be as reparative, open for all to obtain spiritual sustenance. Instead, it’s a shored-up sonic refuge of whiteness. Concert halls are space for white classists to be seen, not hear and feel. My darkness breaches its whiteness.
Classical concerts are racially traumatic experiences. It’s why we don’t go. Why pay to sit stone-still, quiet, cooped up with white folks who don’t want us there? Does this sound like a relaxing Saturday night to you?…
Read on here.
Raff Wilson, head of artistic planning for the Hong Kong Philharmonic who hired Jaap van Zweden as chief conductor and cast a full Ring cycle for Naxos, has been named Vice President of Artistic Planning at the Seattle Symphony.
A Sydney man, Wilson previously worked with David Robertson and Vladimir Ashkenazy at the Sydney Symphony.
Coraline Groen, 24, joined the second violins of the Concertgebouw orchestra on Saturday, thrilled to start a new job.
Last night, she won the Netherlands Violin Competition in Utrecht, taking both jury and audience prizes.
No more hiding in the seconds, then.
The Korean tenor jumped in last night for Dmytro Popov in Traviata, making his Met debut.
He’s an ensemble member in Erfurt who has understudied the last two seasons at the Met. Sadly for him. there’s only one more Traviata in the run and Popov says he’ll be fit for it.
The CIF is ‘the membership body that represents, champions and supports the UK’s creative industries.’ That sounds good.
‘Through our unique network of member organisations, our influential policy and advocacy work and our UK-wide events programme we bring together the many sectors that comprise our world-leading creative industries.’
That sounds good, too. But why is it a no-go area for male executives.
Here’s the team sheet:
Chief Executive – FEMALE
Director of Policy and Programmes – FEMALE
Director of Communications and Marketing – FEMALE
Community Membership Manager – FEMALE
Communications and Content Manager – FEMALE
Policy Insights Manager – FEMALE
Strategic Partnerships Manager – FEMALE
Head of Events – FEMALE
Creative Careers Manager – FEMALE
Deputy Head of Education & Skills – FEMALE
Membership Officer – FEMALE
Office Manager – FEMALE
Events Manager – FEMALE
Head of Creative Careers – FEMALE
Policy and Public Affairs Manager – MALE
That’s 1 male out of 15.
Looks pretty equal to us.
Number 3 on the team is former head of media at English National Opera.
It’s been a while since we last assessed the press departments of opera houses, festivals, concert halls and music institutions. The first list was 2014, the second 2017, so we are definitely due one for 2020.
What’s changed in 3 years?
Total turnabout at the NY Phil with proactive new team.
Toronto’s woke.
Scandinavia slumbers.
The Dutch … still Dutch.
Bayreuth…. still worst.
Since all of these institutions are sustained by state funding and private donations, there is a legitimate public concern in encouraging them to improve their public communications. Where should we begin?
Here’s the 2020 list of the world’s worst music PR departments:
1 Bayreuth
The PR chief died, poor chap. He was just doing his job, saying nothing at all to anyone.
2 The Met
The PR chief quit. No change. The Met still only ever talks to the NY Times and selected other eunuchs.
3 Carnegie Hall
They’ve just noticed that the world biggest classical news site is not on their press list.
4 Concertgebouw (concert hall and orchestra)
They actually believe their own press releases.
5 Verbier Festival
No information is good information. Their view, and ours.
6 Sony Classical
No release is good release. The best review copy is the one that doesn’t get sent.
7 Luxembourg Philharmonic
Most expensive brochures, least informative content.
8 Paris Opéra, Philharmonie, Paris orchestras
Collectively en grève all year round
9 London’s South Bank Centre
Classical music? Do we still do that?
10 Every Italian opera house (except La Scala)
L’ufficio è senza pilota. Per favore lascia un messaggio
Just missed the cut: Covent Garden, Halle Orchestra, Semper Oper Dresden.
We won’t even mention English National Opera, which now restricts critics to one ticket, while allocating two to their editors.
Tomorrow: the world’s best PR departments