This is the Israeli pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz performing to a packed house of 2,000 people in Wuhan’s Qintai Grand Theatre on January 9.

He tells us there were already rumours of a deadly virus in the city, but no-one took precautions, kept their distance or wore masks.

A few days later Wuhan went into total lockdown and an information blackout.

The rest is history.

The Irish composer Michael William Balfe (1808-1870) is remembered for his opera The Bohemian Girl, with its hints of forbidden pleasures.

Oh, and maybe this one, too.

Welcome to the 124th work in the Slipped Disc/Idagio Beethoven Edition

String Quartet No. 16 op. 135

Is this his last word? The finale of opus 135 is titled ‘Der schwer gefaßte Entschluss’ – the very difficult decision. Under the opening chords, which are marked slow, Beethoven inserted the words ‘Muss es sein?’ (must it be?) and as the quicker main theme arrives, ‘Es muss sein!’ (It must be!). Interpreters down the ages have assumed that he was anticipating his own death.

But was he? The ‘Muss es sein?’ is played gravely by viola and cello before giving way to an irresistible response by the two violins ‘Es muss sein!’ No sign of resignation by the composer.

Thirty years later the original publisher, Moritz Schlesinger, recalled: Regarding the enigmatic phrase Muss es sein? that arises in the last quartet, I think I can explain its significance better than most people, as I possess the original manuscript with the words written in his own hand, and when he sent them he wrote as follows; ‘You can translate the Muss es sein as showing that I have been unlucky, not only because it has been extremely difficult to write this when I had something much bigger in my mind, and because I have only written this in accordance with my promise to you, and because I am in dire need of money, which is hard to come by; it has also happened that I was anxious to send the work to you in parts, to facilitate engraving, and in all Mödlingen (he was living there then) I could not find a single copyist, and so have had to copy it out myself, and you can imagine what a business it has been!’

In other words, the painstricken composer was getting on with life as usual. His nephew Karl had attempted to commit suicide in an attention-seeking gesture, which could be the ‘bigger things’ he had in mind in the letter, and there was never enough money to pay the bills. One contemporary anecdote has it that an amateur musician, Ignaz Dembscher, had called round to borrow parts for the opus 130 quartet that he wanted to play with his pals. Beethoven demanded a loan fee of fifty florins. ‘Must that be?’ said the wealthy fellow. ‘It must be,’ snapped Beethoven, ‘out with your wallet.’

Take this with as much salt as you need. The facts of the inscription override further speculation. Beethoven, aware of his mortality, found it necessary to share his agony with the manuscript he was composing, just as Gustav Mahler would do 90 years later in a series of heart-rending outcries around the closing pages of his ninth and tenth symphonies. While composing, Mahler cried out in desperation to his errant wife and his distant God. He would have known that Beethoven, while composing his final work, had done much the same.

We have no idea what Beethoven might have written next had he survived the final illness of February and March 1827. There are hints that he saw this 16th quartet not as a continuation of its predecessors but as the first of a brand-new triptych. Certainly the opus 135 has less in common with opp 130, 131 and 135 than these three works do with each other. One might also argue that the level of invention has dropped here appreciably from those heights. The 16th is an important string quartet, albeit less of a masterpiece than its forbears.

Beethoven’s final weeks were shadowed as ever by financial worries. Early in February he wrote to the Philharmonic Society in London, asking if they might perform a benefit concert on his behalf. George Smart and Ignaz Moscheles, sensing his need, called a board meeting and resolved to send him a hundred pounds. Beethoven, overwhelmed by the gift, called a lawyer and remade his will, leaving everything to his errant nephew Karl who, after the composer’s death, turned into a model civil servant, dutiful husband and loving father of four daughters and a son. He died in 1858 at the age of 52.

On March 20, Beethoven told his young composer friend Johann Nepomuk Hummel, ‘I shall soon, no doubt, be going above’. He thanked Hummel’s wife Elisabeth, a well-known oper singer, for freshening his face with her handkerchief. He continued to receive visitors until he lost consciousness on March 24. Two days later, in the thick of a terrifying thunderstorm, he died at three o’clock in the afternoon. Buried at Währing, his remains were transferred in 1888 to a grove of honour in Vienna’s central cemetery.

The 16th string quartet, last word or not, is as widely recorded as the rest. The ‘mus es sein’ conversation in the 1933 Busch Quartet account is irresistibly convincing, like four philosophers contemplating eternity over a few jars of beer. The Alban Berg Quartet (1989) turn the phrase into something more momentous and ominous. If Beethoven really meant Muss es sein? as a joke, they miss the punchline. Much more convincing are the Cuarteto Casals (2017) with a tentative framing of the question and a vigorous rebuttal by way of response. This deeply felt, well thought out reading leaves the listener to decide for him or herself what might have been going through Beethoven’s mind as he worked his way through his final contribution to the treasury of western civilisation. I also find much to cherish in the Brodsky Quartet’s 2017 interpretation, especially the whispering caress of the third movement with another phrase of the Kol Nidrei before the crunch question of Muss es sein? comes in to play.

There was never a composer like Beethoven and there will never be another. But each time I come to the end of his works I want to start again from the beginning. There is just so much to learn from this prodigous, attractive, ever-expanding creative mind.

The organist John J. Binsfeld, resident at Christ Church Philadelphia for 45 years, has died at 76 of leukaemia.

He was picked for the post while still studying at Curtis and stayed until retirement.

Obituary here.

From the Lebrecht Album of the Week:

The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra has issued an oblong boxed set of its inaugural concerts with music director Kirill Petrenko. The new chief’s performances of Tchaikovsky’s 5th and 6th symphonies cannot be praised too highly; they set the benchmark for these works in the coming decade as Herbert von Karajan’s recordings did for the 1970s. I find Petrenko’s Beethoven 7th memorable and the 9th appropriately resplendent.

But, what grabbed my attention was his inclusion of …

Read on here.

And here.

In Spanish here.

In French here.

In Czech here

Other languages follow.

The day’s second agency restructuring has just hit the fan.

Sean Michael Gross, a board member of AskonasHolt and its Global Head of Strategy & Innovation, has resigned from the London agency as part of its urgent need for deep cuts. He is one of 20 staff who are leaving (as we previously reported) and his departure is compounded by the decision of another director, Gaetan Le Divelec, to walk away.

AskonasHolt assure us that they will, unlike Cami, survive the crisis and are now in a leaner position to do so, although further economies cannot be ruled out. Nobody wants to see another Cami crash.

Here’s Sean’s resignation letter, which goes out tonight.

Dear colleagues,

It is with great sadness that I report that I have made the difficult decision to leave Askonas Holt at the end of January 2021.

Due to the impact of Covid-19, we’ve had to undertake a restructuring of the company, including making reductions to our workforce through a program of voluntary redundancies, career breaks, flexible working, and early retirements.

Following open and honest discussions with my fellow Board colleagues, we have agreed there is unfortunately no longer the scope to realize many of the ambitious initiatives we envisaged together nearly two years ago when I joined the company’s leadership, and therefore I have offered my resignation through voluntary redundancy as part of our pact to make cuts at every level of the firm.

I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such generous and esteemed colleagues and artists, and am proud of what we have accomplished in our time together: notably, the launch of a new five-year strategic plan that champions both DEI (diversity/equity/inclusion) and environmental sustainability as integral to the company’s future, the forging of touring partnerships with genre-defying artists Rufus Wainwright and Audra McDonald, the launch of a Creative Services offer to improve our clients’ visibility, and the redeployment of our young artists initiative as the Lies Askonas Fellowship program, which now nurtures 10 extremely talented and diverse musicians.

I will always look back fondly on my experience at Askonas Holt, and will miss my colleagues and our wonderful artists and touring partners greatly. As for what the future holds, it’s hard for many of us to say at this point. However, I remain optimistic that this crisis will instigate some positive changes in our lives and world.

Best,

Sean

Sean with RBG

Cecilia Bartoli has pulled out of a Barcelona date later this month in alarm at rising Covid numbers. It’s the last stop on her Farinelli tour which starts this weekend in Vienna.

Hélène Grimaud has called off two concerts next week with Camerata Salzburg, where seven musicians have tested positive.

Leonard Slatkin has withdrawn from the Detroit Symphony.

Anyone else?

As Covid bites deep, two agencies are slimming down to face the future.

Solea, in Paris, has laid off one senior agent (out of four) and cut back on 11 artists and ensembles.

They have also added the young Bulgarian violinist Liya Petrova to the list.

Founder Romain Blondel says:

These past 6 months have been exceptionally trying for our industry, but they have also been the opportunity to observe the evolution of the industry and consider the current and future role of Solea Management.

To maintain the high standards set from the start of Solea Management, it is essential to focus on what has distinguished the company since 2005 : scouting outstanding talents, establishing career-development strategies and offering tailored management for high-level international careers. Therefore we are restructuring our roster to represent the following select list  primarily made up of international soloists. All artists are represented in general management unless otherwise specified.

Piano : Eric Le Sage, Roger Muraro, Menahem Pressler (various territories), Beatrice Rana
Violin : Simone Lamsma, Liya Petrova* 
Viola: Lise Berthaud 
Cello: Antonio Meneses, Jean-Guilhen Queyras (France, Switzerland),
Flute : Emmanuel Pahud (France, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and South America)
Recorder: Lucie Horsch 
Organ: Olivier Latry 
Organ and harpsichord: Benjamin Alard 
Ensemble : Accademia Bizantina-Ottavio Dantone (France, Switzerland)

*

A second announcement from a major agency is awaited later today. UPDATE: It’s here.