The Chicago Symphony has appointed Yevgeny Faniuk as assistant principal flute, starting tonight. He takes the seat of Richard Graef, who retired three years ago.
Faniuk has been a busy New York freelancer, appearing regularly with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and performing as principal flute with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Reading Symphony and Glimmerglass Festival Orchestra.
From a reflection by our correspondent Alexandra Ivanoff:
ince I moved to Budapest in 2015, the constant question from Hungarians is: “Why on earth would you move here?” My answer is “the music life is like no other city in the world” — an answer that usually elicits confused stares from the questioner. My response to them is: “How many professional symphony orchestras does Budapest have?”
Here is the list of 12 professional orchestras (in no particular order):
MÁV Symphony Orchestra
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
Concerto Budapest
Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra
Zugló Symphony Orchestra
Óbuda Symphony Orchestra
Liszt Chamber Orchestra
Pannon Philharmonic
Orfeo Orchestra/Purcell Choir
Hungarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Hungarian National Opera Orchestra
I then pose the question to the questioner(s): How many orchestras do you think New York City has? The answer is: one! That answer is the same for Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Boston. And none of them are supported by state or federal governments…
Read on here.
We have been notified of the death of the American-Estonian cellist Jüri Täht.
He played in a trio with with the jazz pianist and composer Don Shirley, inspiration of the film ‘Green Book, which received three Oscars in 2019.
In the film, his character was turned into a Russian, which greatly hurt Jüri.
Having spent his formative years in Germany from the mid-1930s, he migrated with his family to the US in 1951 to take up a music schlarship in Nebraska.
Here’s a rare recording.
In a breach with the Trump cultural boycott, the full presidential team will turn out next week for DC’s big night of the arts.
Biden knows what he likes (pic).
Press release:
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced today that President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will attend the 45th Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, December 4. Seated in the presidential box in the Opera House adjacent to the Honorees, they will join an audience of over 2,000 to pay tribute to George Clooney, Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, Tania León, and members of U2 (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.). This is the second consecutive year of the Biden-Harris Administration in which the President, First Lady, Vice President, Second Gentleman have attended the nation’s highest award for lifetime achievement in the arts. The Kennedy Center is a living presidential memorial to the country’s 35th President, John F. Kennedy.
The Vilna-born, Vienna-based violinist has been named Chief Conductor of Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra in Norway.
The orchestra comprises 71 full-time musicians from 17 nations.
Julian, 47, says: ‘I’m honoured and deeply moved by the trust the orchestra has placed in me following my five seasons as their Principal Guest Conductor.’
Like many violinists in their forties, he has swapped the grind of daily bowing for the cut and thrust of baton work.
The independent record group PIAS has sold a 49 percent stake to the market leaders, Universal Music.
PIAS owns Harmonia Mundi, along with other classical boutique labels.
Eighteen months ago, Universal refinanced PIAS which was suffering Covid blight. Now it has turned that debt into an asset.
What will become of HM?
Universal boss Sir Lucian Grainge said: ‘The boldly independent and music-centric culture that Kenny and Michel have built over the last four decades has provided a vital creative network to so many artists. While much of the past was focused on ‘majors versus indies’, it’s clear that today, the important divide in our industry is about those committed to artist development versus those committed to quantity over quality. We share Kenny and Michel’s passion for developing artists and moving culture, and we recognise that a healthy music ecosystem needs companies like [PIAS] who are committed to amplifying the best voices in independent music.’
The National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico has named Ludwig Carrasco as its new artistic director.
He succeeds Carlos Miguel Prieto, who held the baton for 15 years, and he is recknoned by cognoscenti to be the best available, which is not always the case in Mexican appointments.
Here’s the rather florid announcement:
The National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (Inbal) has concluded the process of consultation, dialogue and definition of the replacement of the Artistic Direction, as well as a new work program aimed at strengthening the National Symphony Orchestra (OSN).
With the definition of the new Artistic Direction, which will now be headed by maestro Ludwig Carrasco, a new stage begins in this musical group. Mtro Carrasco was appointed by the director general of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature, Lucina Jiménez López, in use of the powers granted to her by the decree creating the Institute, after conducting a dialogue process that began during the health contingency for COVID-19 and that it will continue during this new period.
The dialogue promoted by the Institute with members of the musical group was not only focused on appointing a replacement in the Artistic Direction of the OSN, after the conclusion of a 15-year cycle under the baton of maestro Carlos Miguel Prieto, but also towards the elaboration and analysis of a project that allows strengthening the role of the Orchestra, as the main musical group in Mexico, expanding its national scope, strengthening its links with other musical systems, with youth in the process of training, with the schools of its own Inbal, instance of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, as well as the promotion of the relationship of the OSN with musical diversity in the country.
Through its various collegiate bodies, including a Transition Commission that was formed to have channels for participation, members of the OSN have worked closely with different instances of the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature. The dialogue intensified due to the pandemic, since the group and institution collaborated on several virtual projects, in addition to updating the website and the different tools aimed at disseminating relevant actions that took place during the 2020 and 2021 cycles.
From a reader’s remedy in the New York Times magazine:
…Covid caught up to me in May of this year. My symptoms were not dangerous, but they were persistent; I counted 12 days, 14, 16, and I still couldn’t eat normally or function for more than a few hours without exhaustion and physical pain. My mental-health symptoms, meanwhile, were devastating and worsened as the days passed. I couldn’t see the point of anything; I couldn’t stop crying; I couldn’t imagine a time when these things would change….
So I decided to relearn trumpet in a more committed way: by joining a community band. I found a no-audition ensemble near me and filled out the online interest form. I received a welcome text from my new section leader and a card in the mail, telling me how the band was sure to be better because I had joined. The first time I attended rehearsal, I played a single note, badly, then spent the rest of the 90 minutes listening. Throughout the following week, I practiced at home every day, switching on the metronome and playing long tones until my lips gave out. When the next Tuesday evening rolled around, I could play. Not well, but well enough. It felt astonishing, a revelation: Sometimes, things get better instead of worse….
The author is Shea Tuttle (pictured). The full article is here.
Kurt Elling and Danilo Perez- Birdland
Wednesday, November 30, 2022 9:30 PM ET
Birdland Jazz Club continues its smashing series of livestreams this coming Wednesday with a rare appearance by Kurt Elling and Danilo Perez.
Renowned for his singular combination of robust swing and poetic insight, two-time Grammy winner Kurt Elling has secured his place among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. The New York Times proclaimed Elling, “the standout male vocalist of our time”.
Danilo Pérez is a Panamanian pianist whose music is a blend of Panamanian roots with elements of Latin American folk music, jazz, European impressionism, African, and other musical heritages that promote music as a multi-dimensional bridge between people. His career has included appearances with Dizzy Gillespie and Wayne Shorter.
We’ve just heard that the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic will embrace the international TV extravaganza next May.
On Friday 12 May 2023, the Orchestra will perform iconic Eurovision songs at its ‘Douze Points!’ concert. The Orchestra, conducted by Richard Balcombe and joined by incredible vocalists, will take you on a trip around the continent, performing Eurovision favourites such as ‘Waterloo’, ‘Boom Bang a Bang’, ‘Rise Like A Phoenix’, ‘Stefania’ and many more.
See here.
The fourth symphony by Detlev Glanert, titled Prague Symphony, will be premiered next week by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Semyon Bychkov.
It contains fragments of texts by Kafka, sung by Catriona Morison, mezzo-soprano, and Christian Immler, bass-baritone.
The eighth symphony by Valentin Silvestrov was performed in Warsaw last Friday, its Polish premiere.
Andrey Boreyko conducted the national symphony orchestra of Katowice.
He writes: Because I truly believe ( since 33 years already) the music of this composer 100% deserves to be known and performed ( recorded) much more often – let me share with you the recording from the concert from last Friday. The composer was there, and wasn’t unhappy.
