The Göttinger Symphony Orchestra in Lower Saxony has filmed a Heroes symphony, studded with images of local Covid saviours.
The conductor is Nicholas Milton.
From the Lebrecht Album of the Week:
The first soloist I ever heard play Elgar was the French cellist Paul Tortelier at the Royal Festival Hall — elegant, expressive and chastely romantic, half an hour of unblemished beauty. I was a kid and that must have been 60 years ago. Since then, I’ve heard maybe one other French cellist attempt an Elgar concerto, but never, until now, a violinist….
Read on here.
And here.
In The Critic here.
En francais ici.
In Spanish here.
In Czech here.
More languages follow.
How many classical fans know this symphony-friendly hit?
If you want to study music in New York, the best place is CUNY in Staten Island.
Juilliard comes in at 16th.
Surprised?
Read here.
The Metropolitan Opera is streaming an Anna Netrebko recital this weekend from Vienna’s Spanish Riding School.
In two weeks’ time, the Met’s unpaid musicians will run a rival attraction with Angela Georghiu from Bucharest.
This looks like aria war, or something like it. Gheorghiu makes a strong statement in support of the orchestra musicians.
Details below.
On February 21, 2021 at 3pm EST, the MET Orchestra Musicians will present soprano Angela Gheorghiu in concert from Bucharest’s stunning Romanian Athenaeum Concert Hall. This opera star, since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1993, is one of the most beloved sopranos on the planet and was slated to return to the Met in the 2020/21 season. Ms. Gheorghiu will also appear in a live chat session at the conclusion of the event. The MET Orchestra Musicians will collaborate from #NewYorkCity through the wonder of #technology.
Ms. Gheorghiu will sing one of opera’s most beloved arias, Dvořák’s Song to the Moon (Rusalka) in a special arrangement for soprano and bass quintet. Additionally, she will perform the stirring Our Father by Anton Pann – a tribute to the nine musicians from the MET Orchestra who have quietly retired during the pandemic.
Angela Gheorghiu states: “My fellow colleagues and I speak about how happy we are for being part of the “Metropolitan Opera family” – for me, since my Met debut in 1993, these are not just empty words, and I want to show my love, my respect and my real support for all of them through facts, through offering my voice for this cause, in a special appearance during their next virtual concert and joined by MET musicians.
A great opera performance does not mean only great singers, but also a great orchestra, a great chorus and many more great people working for the whole production, every day. Without our colleagues, musicians from the orchestra and chorus, we cannot be real Opera Stars, only by ourselves. Without all of these artists and company members, opera would not exist, it would be impossible… And this is why I invite everybody to help the Met family… my family… our family!”
Tickets for this concert are $15 USD and are available for purchase at spotlight.metorchestramusicians.org.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic somehow gave 41 concerts between October and December 2020.
Their reward landed today in the form of a £750,000 grant from the Weston Culture Fund.
The money will boost musical resumption when the present lockdown ends.
Message received:
It is with considerable regret that the Opernhaus Zürich, in conversation with the Canton of Zurich, announces the cancellation of the opera and ballet performances planned for March, up through and including Easter Monday on April 5, 2021.
Arts Council England has just advertised a vacancy:
Complaints Manager
Salary: £32,615 per annum, plus excellent benefits
Contract: Permanent, working 35 hours per week
Location: Any office outside London
You will be contractually based at one of the Arts Council’s regional offices in Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham, Nottingham, Cambridge, Brighton or Bristol. However, all our offices are closed at the moment for the duration of the emergency pandemic measures and all staff are currently supported to work from home while these continue. You will have the option to work your contracted hours on a flexible basis.
A survey of composer incomes reported by NewMusicBox expose a bleak landscape.
Out of 871 US commissions examing, 37 percent paid the composer precisely nothing.
The media fee was $1,500.
At the top end, an opera was commissioned for $300,000.
Read here.
Deutsche Grammophon has appointed Robert Zimmermann Vice President Consumer Business, starting this week.
He was formerly Managing Director of Berlin Phil Media GmbH, where he co-created the Berliner Philharmoniker’s Digital Concert Hall.
He will be in charge of DG’s expanding live broadcasts.
It has been decided that the Leonard Bernstein Award 2021 will be presented on August 20 at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival to the English pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason. She will celebrate with a performance of the Clara Schumann concerto, a speciality of hers.
‘Isata Kanneh-Mason has inspired us from the first note. Her expressive piano playing is captivating and leaves no doubt that she will soon be one of the great pianists,’ said the sponsor’s citation.
