You have never heard this piece before.

It’s Lament, part 1, by Lars Petter Hagen performed by Hans-Kristian Kjos Sørensen – The Norwegian Soloists’ Choir/Grete Pedersen  on BIS-2431 SACD, not yet released.

We thought it was so apt for present circumstances we got special permission from the label to share.

Contemplate.

 

The singer-songwriter has expanded his greatest hit to take in the present isolation.

And here’s the original.

 

Martinho Lutero Galati de Oliveira, a prominent conductor in Sao Paolo, died today of Covid-19. He was 66.

His colleague Naomi Munakata, 64, also died today. She was head of the Coral Paulistano at the municipal theatre of Sap Paolo.

 

Rest their souls.

The conductor John Neschling writes:

When in 1997 I took over the direction of the OSESP, it was the wish of the secretary of the state to end the state’s choir, which was under the direction of our Naomi, who had been my student in the 1970s… For 12 years, we worked together, with dozens of symphonic choral works, in which Naomi without exception demonstrated her enormous ability to assemble and execute works of all styles. When I came back to the municipal theater and the opportunity arose, I called my Naomi to direct the Coral Paulistano, in addition to coordinating the municipal school of music. Naomi was always serious, reliable, and professional. She came in my office, asking me to dismiss her, overwhelmed with the stress of work. Never dismissed her, never even thought about it. Her presence was indispensable for the good of our work.

Her sophistication was exceptional in every way. Excellent cook of Japanese cuisine, for our wedding Naomi gave us a great dinner at one of the best Japanese (places) in the city. I have no way to express my dismay for the loss of this remarkable musician, dear friend and wonderful human being. the world is more sad and poor. RIP my beloved Naomi You will not be forgotten.

The English soprano Louise Alder is worth a full quartet.

Love this.

 

From my monthly essay in the new issue of The Critic, out today:

My first encounter with music in Canada was so execrable that it was more than 30 years before I went back. The details are still scored on my memory like a vandal’s keys on a parked Ferrari.

It was a Toronto rehearsal of Mahler’s fifth symphony in the then brand-new Roy Thomson Hall…

Read on here.

The German violinist, 56, has just announced it on Facebook:

Despite this, she will appear tonight in a pre-repcrded quartet with members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra here.

Part of her message is this: ‘In my case, I’m 56, I’m not smoking…the smokers out there, my fans, you should really consider to stop now. Stay healthy!’

Bard College has named the Israeli pianist Shai Wosner to replace the late Peter Serkin on its teaching roster.

 

The Kansas City Symphony Orchestra has guaranteed musician salaries and benefits until the end of the season.

‘Due to COVID-19, the Symphony has had to cancel or postpone more than 20 concerts and that loss of revenue is extraordinary,’ said Executive Director Danny Beckley. ‘Other orchestras have had to make difficult decisions regarding compensation. Thanks to many years of fiscal discipline, strong community support and an ongoing culture of collaboration and transparency between our musicians and leadership, we are pleased to announce that salaries and benefits will remain unchanged for the current season for both Kansas City Symphony musicians and staff. We are receiving a tremendous response from our patrons, offering new and increased philanthropic support for the Symphony during this unprecedented time by way of new gifts and donating unused tickets back to the Symphony. With this generous support, we will be able to emerge on the other side of this crisis with inspired strength to perform great music for our community once again.’

 

The festival has just announced ‘with infinite regret and sorrow’ that its 27th edition, planned for July 17 to August 2, has been called off.

 

Press statement:

The Verbier Festival has created a truly global inter-generational gathering place in Verbier for 26 years. Artists, students and music-lovers from all over the world make the trip to be with us each summer, which puts us in a precarious position under present circumstances.

We have always been proud to call our community of artists, students, festivalgoers, Friends of the Festival and community partners our ‘family’. This is a time to protect this family; its health and well-being are our primary concern.”

Martin T:son Engstroem

Founder & Director

The National Recording Registry at the LoC has produced a ‘Stay at Home’ Playlist for virus-locked Americans.

The gentle sounds of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”; Russ Hodges’ thrilling play-by-play of the National League tiebreaker between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951; the Village People’s international dance anthem, “Y.M.C.A.”; “Cheap Trick at Budokan”; and the original 1964 Broadway cast recording of “Fiddler on the Roof” are among the newest recordings inducted into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named these and 20 other recordings as aural treasures worthy of preservation because of their cultural, historical and aesthetic importance to the nation’s recorded sound heritage.

“The National Recording Registry is the evolving playlist of the American soundscape. It reflects moments in history captured through the voices and sounds of the time,” said Hayden. “We received over 800 nominations this year for culturally, historically or aesthetically significant recordings to add to the registry. As genres and formats continue to expand, the Library of Congress is committed to working with our many partners to preserve the sounds that have touched our hearts and shaped our culture.”

Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), is tasked with annually selecting 25 titles that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least 10 years old. More information on the National Recording Registry can be found at loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/about-this-program/.

The new recordings added to the National Recording Registry bring the total number of titles on the registry to 550, a small part of the Library’s vast recorded-sound collection of nearly 3 million items.

The most recent recording added to the registry is Colin Currie’s 2008 “Percussion Concerto” album, composition by Jennifer Higdon, and …  “A Feather on the Breath of God,” an award-winning album of sacred vocal music written in the 12th-century and performed and recorded by Gothic Voices in 1985. “This album of Hildegarde von Bingen’s music brought the art of an amazing woman to an entirely new audience, and I feel most fortunate to have been part of the group that recorded it,” said soprano Dame Emma Kirkby.

 

We hear that members of the Rheingold cast at the Opéra de Paris are being offered just half of one fee for turning up to rehearsal – and nothing towards their accommodation costs.

Have you been personally affected?

 

The renowned organist Jennifer Bate died yesterday at the age of 75.

An authority on the music of Olivier Messiaen, she made premiere recordings of several of his works.

She received state honours in the UK and France and continued performing until recent months. She was married to Sir George Thalben-Ball, president of the Royal College of Organists, from 1968 to 1972.

No cause of death has been given.