Eli Perencevich, MD, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Iowa’s College of Medicine, has been talking to Forbes magazine. He says:
‘The average healthy person does not need to have a mask, and they shouldn’t be wearing masks,’ Dr. Perencevich said. ‘There’s no evidence that wearing masks on healthy people will protect them. They wear them incorrectly, and they can increase the risk of infection because they’re touching their face more often.
‘The one time you would want a mask is if you’re sick and you have to leave the house…If you have the flu or think you have COVID, that’s when you’d put on a mask to protect others. In your house, if you feel like you’re sick, you should wear a mask to protect your family members.’
The US soprano Christine Goerke has cancelled her Bayreuth debut for ‘personal reasons’.
She has told the festival she cannot manage the long rehearsal periods required for a new production.
Bayreuth says it hopes she will turn up for Tristan und Isolde in 2023.
This summer her replacement will be the Sweidhs soprano Iréne Theorin.
The Washington National Opera has just taken Placido Domingo’s name off the young artist development programme he co-founded.
It’s very little, too late, quite pathetic.
Statement from Washington National Opera
(WASHINGTON)—In 2002, while Placido Domingo was serving as Washington National Opera’s (WNO) artistic director, he created an apprentice artist development program for the company, the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. WNO respects and acknowledges Mr. Domingo’s singular artistic legacy and contribution to the opera field and to WNO. Mr. Domingo stepped down from his post at WNO in 2011 and has not been active with the company or its apprentice artist program in the years since.
In light of recent developments, the company today announces that going forward, WNO’s apprentice program for early-career opera singers and pianists will be called the Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera, retaining in the name The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, which has generously supported the program for nearly two decades. WNO commends the outstanding partnership and continued generosity of all its supporters, including the Cafritz Foundation.
Message received:
HRH The Prince of Wales today conferred honours to leading names in the international music world at a ceremony held in the Royal College of Music’s (RCM) historic Blomfield Building in South Kensington. … Those honoured today include internationally acclaimed conductor and Music Director of the Royal Opera House Sir Antonio Pappano, who received an honorary doctorate from the College for his remarkable contribution to music. Tenor Jonas Kaufmann also received an honorary doctorate from the RCM today.
Among the individuals made Fellows of the RCM today were Music Director of English National Opera Martyn Brabbins, Grammy-nominated composer, Classic FM’s Composer in Residence and RCM Visiting Professor Debbie Wiseman OBE and Academy-Award-winning composer Rachel Portman OBE. Portman was the first female composer to win an Academy Award in the category of Best Musical or Comedy Score (for Emma in 1996). She was also the first woman to receive the Richard Kirk Award at the BMI Film & TV Awards for her contributions to film and television music.
Message just received:
British baritone Simon Neal is indisposed and is unable to sing the role of Don Pizarro in tonight’s performance of Fidelio. The role will now be sung byGerman baritone Michael Kupfer-Radecky,making his Royal Opera debut….
The rest of the cast remains unchanged.
The Italian soprano Katia Ricciarelli has been telling anyone who cares to listen that she was the last of the real divas.
On the death of Mirella Freni: Mirella was a great singer, but not a diva. I am. I think I can say that. A diva is someone who even in slippers and curlers radiates an aura and makes heads turn. When I die, you can write, “She was the last diva.”
In case you have missed her, Katia will come out of retirement this summer to sing in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Arena di Verona.
I suddenly felt the need to sing an opera, but not one I’d already sung, so I could say: I can still do it. I’d always dreamed of singing Cavalleria, though instead of Santuzza I will be Lucia, Turiddu’s mother, who knows that her son will end up badly. It takes art to perform a cameo. You know a great chef by how he makes scrambled eggs.
Thanks to the meticulous Graham Spicer for the translation.
The indelible Czech conductor, 86, has been speaking at his richly deserved award of the Bohuslav Martinů Memorial Medal.
Among other things:
To some extent, I remained an amateur and because of that I had time to be interested in other things as well. I always thought a little disgraceful when it was said about a musician: music is everything to him! I went to AMU just to avoid having to go to military service, only in the second year, when I saw Antonio Pedrotti at a concert in Prague, I became passionate. I went crazy about serious music because of him.
On the advantage of being a conductor? If you hear something perfect, which is rarely, you can appreciate it like no one else.
Joel Rawlins from Chesham in Buckinghamshire was tested positive on his return from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise liner.
Joel, 26, has posted this message from an isolation ward in the Wirral:
It’s almost been a week and most people know by now so I thought I’d announce it publically (sic).
Last weekend I was told I had tested positive for Covid-19/Coronavirus, making me one of only 13 cases (now 20) in the entire country. I was rushed straight to hospital and have been here ever since and will remain here until I eventually test negative.
I just wanted to give a shout out to everyone who has reached out to me and messaged me.
I’ve spent a lot of the last few days on video chat to a lot of people which has made me feel considerably less lonely. Special mention to my mum Claire, best friend Jos and Princess cruises for each sending me out a care package, it’s really helped.
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers, it really means so much to me. I’ll be out real soon and I can’t wait to catch up with everyone.’
Tomáš Hanus has extended his contract as music director of Welsh National Opera to 2026. The effervescent Czech is in demand and they’ve done well to hold onto him.
Hanus said: ‘Following a fantastic four years … I am delighted to be renewing my contract from 2021-2026. Being afforded the opportunity to remain with WNO for another five years allows me to continue to work towards my artistic vision for the Company. I am excited to see the development of the Company in the years to come and continue to perform opera and concerts of the highest standard with my esteemed colleagues.’
He does it better with the baton. The minder (below) is WNO’s General Director Aidan Lang.
