I yield to none in my love for Vaughan Williams. And his cat.

Les Arts florissants, Les Talens Lyriques, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Le Concert d’Astrée and other non-state French ensembles calculate that Covid has cost them more than 1,200 performances at a loss of 11 million Euros. Ther situation is becoming desperate.

Full report in Diapason.

A live conversation among four American conductors across generational lines- sharing their unique stories navigating the elusive profession of orchestral conducting, and perspectives on classical music as a unifying art form for the future.

Roderick Cox, recent winner of the Solti award, has asked three colleagues of different generations to reflect on their careers. The participants in this converstions are:
Thomas Wilkins, Music Director of the Omaha Symphony and Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Michael Morgan, Music Director of the Oakland Symphony
Jonathon Heyward, Chief Conductor Designate of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie

 

From John Packer, one of the most reliable and best-liked suppliers of woodwind and brass instruments: 

 

Staff going into work today made the upsetting discovery that we’d been burgled at the weekend, with a significant number of instruments taken.

The theft took place some time between 5pm Friday and 9am on Monday morning. Thieves broke in through the fabric of the building and parts of the warehouse were ransacked. Most instruments were taken without cases and only woodwind instruments were targeted.

Police have been informed about the theft and serial numbers have been passed on. We are listing the instruments and their serial numbers below.

While we are obviously very saddened by this event, it will not prevent us from reopening next Monday June 15th. (See our website for details).

We thank all our customers for their continued support.

STOLEN INSTRUMENTS:
Client Sale Yamaha YTS275 Tenor Sax
Conn-Selmer Premiere PAS380 Eb Alto Saxophone 90812588
JP044 MkII Baritone Saxophone Eb Lacquer Ex Demo A 04400306
JP144 Cadence Baritone Saxophone Eb in Lacquer B167823
JP144 Cadence Baritone Saxophone B16777
JP144 Cadence Baritone Saxophone B16783
JP144 Cadence Baritone Saxophone B16779
JP144 Cadence Baritone Saxophone B16778
Jupiter JAS500Q Alto Saxophone Eb Gold Lacquer YF50226
Schreiber WS5010-2-0GB S10 Bassoon Silver Plated Keys
Selmer Seles Axos Alto Saxophone A06020
Selmer Super 80 Series II GG Alto Saxophone Eb Gold Lacquer 816594
Selmer Super 80 Series II GG Tenor Saxophone Bb Gold Lacquer 814018
Trevor James Alphasax Eb 371A Gold Lacquer
Trevor James SR Evo (Upgrade Case) Eb Alto Sax Lacquer 100352
Uebel ‘Emperior’ Bb Bass Clarinet To Low C 191788
Yamaha YAS-280 Alto Saxophone Eb Gold Lacquer
Yamaha YAS-280S Alto Saxophone Eb Silver Plated N81498
Yamaha YAS-480 Alto Saxophone Eb Gold Lacquer Q08339
Yamaha YAS-480 Alto Saxophone Eb Gold Lacquer Q02003
Yamaha YAS-480 Alto Saxophone Eb Gold Lacquer N96378
Yamaha YAS-480 Alto Saxophone Eb Gold Lacquer N97887
Yamaha YAS-6204 Alto Saxophone Eb Gold Lacquer F11776
Yamaha YAS-6204 Alto Saxophone Eb Gold Lacquer F16000
Yamaha YAS-875EX04 Alto Saxophone Eb Custom E97952
Yamaha YFL-212 UKID Flute
Yamaha YSS-475II Bb Soprano Saxophone 42737
Yamaha YTS-280 Tenor Saxophone Bb Gold Lacquer N70896
Yamaha YTS-280 Tenor Saxophone Bb Gold Lacquer N70305
Yamaha YTS-280 Tenor Saxophone Bb Gold Lacquer N68664
Yamaha YTS-480 Tenor Saxophone Bb Gold Lacquer N76244
Yamaha YTS-6202 Tenor Saxophone Bb Gold Lacquer F13219
Yamaha YTS-82Z02 Bb Tenor Saxophone Gold Lacquer Z14812
Yanagisawa AWO2 Alto Saxophone Eb Bronze 00384611

 

There were union demonstrations outside the theatre today, demanding to know when performances will resume, and how the workers will be paid. The theatre has been shut for three months.

Video report here.

 

Oliver Dowden has given his first newspaper interview. Declaring himself passionate about the arts he says: ‘I am not going to stand by and see our world-leading position in arts and culture destroyed.’

He’s in the middle of a battle with the Treasury — he calls it “intricate discussions” — to come up with a scheme to keep the arts sector from bankruptcy while Covid rules keep it closed. The deal is almost done. “Of course I want to get the money flowing,” he says. “I am not going to let anyone down.”

“I’ve always found the Chancellor and his team very engaged and understanding about the value of this sector,” he adds. Maybe. But even if an announcement comes soon there are going to be hard choices to make. “Not everyone is going to be happy with whatever comes up. I’m going to have to ask institutions to take difficult decisions”….

Read on here.

 

The Hong Kong Philharmonic rolled out its next season today, much of it conducted by music director Jaap Van Zweden.

Behind the scenes, trouble brews. Before lockdown we hear that the musicians held a vote on the music director and came down 60-40 against renewing his contract. It is not clear if the vote was advisory or binding.

Despite the vote, we understand Van Zweden has been offered a new contract up to 2024.

We contacted the orchestra management for a comment and were told: ‘We will announce about the music director later this year.’ They blanked the question on the musicians’ vote.

Jaap Van Zweden is also music director of the New York Philharmonic.

 

Unable to perform with the locked-down London Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle was in Munich last week conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and in Prague this weekend with his wife and the Czech Phil.

Final concert from the series Helping with the Czech Philharmonic wants to emphasize the importance of regular blood donation. Czech Philharmonic and Czech Student Philharmonic will be led by conductor Sir Simon Rattle. Slavonic Dances by Dvořák are on, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená will sing songs by Mahler and Berio.

At the close of his Munich interview Rattle said: ‘I look forward to being ever closer in every way….’

 

 

Irina Siegel, a Belarus soprano who studied at Juilliard and Curtis and toured with Merola, has died after a six-year struggle with cancer.

An expert in Russian liturgy, she served as choir conductor and first soloist of the Russian Orthodox Church in New York City.

Her husband Aryeh Siegel writes:

… On May 31st, 1968, Irina Mozyleva was born in Miory, in the Vitebsk Region of Belarus, then part of the Soviet Union. At age 6 she was plucked from grade school by State talent scouts and placed in a dedicated musical boarding school where students worked at their instruments and voices for hours every day. She remained in this rigorous system through college, then jumped at the chance to transfer to the Moscow Conservatory of Music. From there, she sent a cassette of her singing to the Julliard School in NYC, and was invited to America to enroll, all expenses paid. She came and settled in to study, and then, seeking a more intimate style of training, she transferred to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, having won a full scholarship there. After graduation she went on to join the Merola Opera Program, which traveled the country performing fully staged operas. She moved to NY where in 1997, after a magical, musical, and international courtship, she married Aryeh Siegel—twice. She gave birth to their daughter Leah on New Year’s Eve 1999 a few days after they moved to Beacon.

While raising their daughter with her husband, Irina pursued her singing career in Beacon, NYC, and around the country. She stayed committed to her Russian church music, and also produced a number of independent musical projects. She poured herself and her immense talent into every show and lived her diva dream in a variety of venues. Appointed Choir Conductor of the Russian Orthodox Church in NYC, she remained a chief soloist. Each year at Easter she would hush the large crowd of worshipers when she began a hymn that became dearly anticipated each Easter night. Out of sight with the choir, her soaring voice gave the assembled some assurance that angels were among them for the moment, and they knew they were lucky to have her. Irina was also a dedicated music teacher in local schools and gave private lessons in piano and voice. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Solaris Voices Scholarship Fund for Musical Education, to benefit students in her beloved City of Beacon. Checks can be made out to Solaris Voices, with Irina Mozyleva Siegel in the memo section, and mailed to 42 Mason Circle, Beacon, NY 12508….

 

 

From the Melos Opera agency:

We are happy to inform you that our wonderful stage director Vincent Boussard has finished his Korean quarantine and he started today the rehearsals of the revival of his “Manon” production with Korea National Opera, scheduled for June 25, 2020.  This will be the first fully staged opera with normal sets, costumes, normal staging, full orchestra in the pit and full chorus on stage.

In 2013, the June festival staged Peter Grimes on the very Aldeburgh beach where George Crabbe conceived the terrifying poem of an outcast fisherman. I was fortunate in being stricken by flu – remember flu?- so I cancelled at the last moment.

Blankets were provided for those who attended. Some are still trying to get warm.

Instead of a festival this year, Aldeburgh will post on the BBC iPlayer the full video of that frigid opera. You can watch it from your sofa with a cuppa tea and a currant bun.

Also online and on-air:

– Opening Night broadcast of Britten on Camera on BBC Four followed by Struan Leslie’s Illuminations
– a staging including circus performers of Britten’s Les Illuminations – seen for the first time on Britten
Pears Arts’ YouTube Channel
• Peter Grimes on Aldeburgh Beach will be available on BBC iPlayer later this month
• Create your own Aldeburgh Musicircus experience online
• BBC Radio 3 to broadcast six archive performances from Aldeburgh Festival between 19 – 26 June