UPDATE: This may not be an altogether official poster.

 

When an email went out last month with the subect line ‘my resignation’, all who received it thought that Reiko Niiya was steping down as concertmaster of the Southwest Florida Symphony after 37 years.

The orchestra certainly thought so and issued a press release to that effect.

But now Ms Niiya, 67, said she didn’t mean it.

What’s going on?

Read here.

 

With parts of the country, including London, being regraded as Tier 2, the public will be able to attend music again from next Thursday at –

Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall

Saffron Hall, Essex

and others as they inform us…

The Bulgarian tenor Kamen Tchanev has died in his home country, reportedly of Covid-19.

He sang in Vienna, Berlin, Savonlinna, Beijing, Toronto, Burssels and many other venues.

 

Two weeks ago:

The Finnish conductor Leif Segerstam has been named principal guest conductor of the St Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra.

Segerstam, 76, has an untamed beard, expansive concert gestures exotic habits and unfashionable views on women’s equality.

He should go down well with the Russians.

 

The Stauffer Academy in Cremona, specialising in higher music education for strings, will reopen next year in the newly restored Palazzo Stradiotti.

Its Director General will be Paolo Petrocelli, 36, former IMG manager and performing arts consultant.

He says: ‘The objective is clear and well-focused: we want to strengthen and expand all activities of the Academy to make it more and more one of the most advanced international music centers for strings, a point of reference for artistic and cultural excellence. in Italy, in Europe, and in the world. With an ambitious multi-year development plan, we will create an innovative global platform dedicated to offering the finest higher music education programs to the most talented musicians, projecting into the future the great tradition of the Italian strings school and the extraordinary cultural heritage of the city of Cremona, the world lutherie capital.’

 

The Edinburgh International Festival has acquired some 250 instruments for local schools after pupils were told not to share during Covid.

The festival, which was silenced last summer by the pandemic, spent £60,000 on the project.

It said: ‘The council’s Instrumental Music Service currently does not have enough instruments to meet demand, resulting in up to three pupils sharing one between them. This shortage is exacerbated by current Covid-safe guidelines, which prevent the sharing of instruments. The project ensures each individual pupil is provided an instrument for as long as they want it, allowing them to safely continue their lessons and find joy from their music tuition.’

 

Proof of his vocal range:

The best festure on this video is the signage interpreter

 

Best engineered album, classical
Danielpour: The Passion of Yeshua. Bernd Gottinger, engineer (JoAnn Falletta, James K. Bass, Adam Luebke, UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus)

Gershwin: Porgy and Bess. David Frost & John Kerswell, engineers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer (David Robertson, Eric Owens, Angel Blue, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus)

Hynes: Fields. Kyle Pyke, engineer; Jesse Lewis & Kyle Pyke, mastering engineers (Devonté Hynes & Third Coast Percussion)

Ives: Complete Symphonies. Alexander Lipay and Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay and Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (Gustavo Dudamel and Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13, “Babi Yar.” David Frost and Charlie Post, engineers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer (Riccardo Muti and Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

Producer of the year, classical
Blanton Alspaugh; David Frost; Jesse Lewis; Dmitriy Lipay; Elaine Martone

Best orchestral performance

Aspects of America — Pulitzer Edition. Carlos Kalmar, conductor (Oregon Symphony)

Concurrence. Daníel Bjarnason, conductor (Iceland Symphony Orchestra)

Copland: Symphony No. 3. Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)

Ives: Complete Symphonies. Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3. Hannu Lintu, conductor (Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra)

Best opera recording

Dello Joio: The Trial at Rouen. Gil Rose, conductor; Heather Buck and Stephen Powell; Gil Rose, producer

Floyd, C.: Prince of Players. William Boggs, conductor; Keith Phares and Kate Royal; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Florentine Opera Chorus)

Gershwin: Porgy and Bess. David Robertson, conductor; Angel Blue and Eric Owens; David Frost, producer (the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; the Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

Handel: Agrippina. Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor; Joyce DiDonato; Daniel Zalay, producer (Il Pomo D’Oro)

Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg. Donald Runnicles, conductor; David Butt Philip and Elena Tsallagova; Peter Ghirardini and Erwin Stürzer, producers (Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin; Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin)

Best choral performance

Carthage. Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)

Danielpour: The Passion of Yeshua. JoAnn Falletta, conductor; James K. Bass and Adam Luebke, chorus masters (James K. Bass, J’Nai Bridges, Timothy Fallon, Kenneth Overton, Hila Plitmann and Matthew Worth; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus and UCLA Chamber Singers)

Kastalsky: Requiem. Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Charles Bruffy, Steven Fox and Benedict Sheehan, chorus masters (Joseph Charles Beutel and Anna Dennis; Orchestra of St. Luke’s; Cathedral Choral Society, the Clarion Choir, Kansas City Chorale and the Saint Tikhon Choir)

Moravec: Sanctuary Road. Kent Tritle, conductor (Joshua Blue, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Dashon Burton, Malcolm J. Merriweather and Laquita Mitchell; Oratorio Society of New York Orchestra; Oratorio Society of New York Chorus)

Once Upon a Time. Matthew Guard, conductor (Sarah Walker; Skylark Vocal Ensemble)

Best chamber music/small ensemble performance

Contemporary Voices. Pacifica Quartet

Healing Modes. Brooklyn Rider

Hearne, T.: Place. Ted Hearne, Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods and Place Orchestra

Hynes: Fields. Devonté Hynes & Third Coast Percussion

The Schumann Quartets. Dover Quartet

Best classical instrumental solo
Ades: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Kirill Gerstein; Thomas Adès, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas. Igor Levit

Bohemian Tales. Augustin Hadelich; Jakub Hrůša, conductor (Charles Owen; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks)

Destination Rachmaninov — Arrival. Daniil Trifonov; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (the Philadelphia Orchestra)

Theofanidis: Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra. Richard O’Neill; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony)

Best classical solo vocal album
American Composers at Play — William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, John Musto. Stephen Powell (Attacca Quartet, William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, John Musto, Charles Neidich and Jason Vieaux)

Clairieres — Songs by Lili & Nadia Boulanger. Nicholas Phan; Myra Huang, accompanist

Farinelli. Cecilia Bartoli; Giovanni Antonini, conductor (Il Giardino Armonico)

A Lad’s Love. Brian Giebler; Steven McGhee, accompanist (Katie Hyun, Michael Katz, Jessica Meyer, Reginald Mobley and Ben Russell)

Smyth: The Prison. Sarah Brailey and Dashon Burton; James Blachly, conductor (Experiential Chorus; Experiential Orchestra)

Best classical compendium
Ades Conducts Ades. Mark Stone and Christianne Stotijn; Thomas Adès, conductor; Nick Squire, producer

Saariaho: Graal Theatre; Circle Map; Neiges; Vers Toi Qui es si Loin. Clément Mao-Takacs, conductor; Hans Kipfer, producer

Serebrier: Symphonic Bach Variations; Laments and Hallelujahs; Flute Concerto. José Serebrier, conductor; Jens Braun, producer

Thomas, M.T.: From the Diary of Anne Frank & Meditations on Rilke. Isabel Leonard; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Jack Vad, producer

Woolf, L.P.: Fire and Flood. Matt Haimovitz; Julian Wachner, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer

Best contemporary classical composition
Ades: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. Thomas Adès, composer (Kirill Gerstein, Thomas Adès and Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Danielpour: The Passion of Yeshua. Richard Danielpour, composer (JoAnn Falletta, James K. Bass, Adam Luebke, UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus)

Floyd, C.: Prince of Players. Carlisle Floyd, composer (William Boggs, Kate Royal, Keith Phares, Florentine Opera Chorus and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)

Hearne, T.: Place. Ted Hearne, composer (Ted Hearne, Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods and Place Orchestra)

Rouse: Symphony No. 5. Christopher Rouse, composer (Giancarlo Guerrero and Nashville Symphony)

 

Angela Merkel has extended the closure order after the country’s highest daily death rate from Covid.

She said: This will continue afterward in January unless we reach the infection target.’

Concert halls, theatres, museums and cinemas must remain closed.

 

When the British cellist fell ill with multiple sclerosis in the early 1970s and fell into a profound depression, her friend James Wolfensohn applied to her for private lessons.

Wolfensohn, who died yesterday in New York aged 86, was an Australian financier who went on to become president of the World Bank until 2005. He also served on the board of Carnegie Hall and played concerts there with Yo Yo Ma and Bono, among other musician friends.

When I called him once at the World Bank to talk about Jackie, he remembered flying Concorde back and forth in a day in order not to miss a lesson. ‘It wasn’t charity or kindness on my part,’ he insisted. ‘I really wanted to learn from her.’