… remember this? … is advertising for a peculiar new position:
St Albans Cathedral exists to glorify God and, inspired by the witness of Alban, proclaim Christ’s message of love
St Albans Cathedral is seeking to appoint an Assistant Director of Music & Music Partnerships to start summer term 2025
We are seeking someone passionate about the English choral tradition of this Benedictine Abbey and also motivated by new possibilities in cathedral music
We are committed to nurturing a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion and want to encourage applications from a diverse range of people.
This is believed to be the final recital given by Pavel Kushnir, who died in prison for criticising Putin.
The recital took place in the Kurgan Philharmonic Hall in 2021.
The next soloist in the Kurgan hall will be the Putin loyalist Denis Matsuev.
I am generally resistant to albums that impose an external theme on unrelated pieces of music from different places and times. In this case, it is eastern Europe, 1814 to 2024….
This album comes into its own with the present Ukraine war…
Slippedisc, courtesy of OperaVision, travels to a European festival that is something of a hidden gem: Rossini in Wildbad in Germany’s Black Forest. Friday night’s production of Rossini’s sparkling medieval ballad, Le Comte Ory, includes some joyous musical recycling (attentive ears will recognise part of last week’s stream, Il viaggio a Reims) and plenty of cross-dressing.
So what to make of Rossini’s comedy Le Comte Ory? Well, it is certainly more than just a collection of old man’s jokes. When the Count has finally managed to penetrate the barricaded castle, Isolier appears (who is actually not allowed in either) but has a key role: he unmasks the Count and, in an indescribably beautiful trio, he stands disguised in the dark between him and the Countess to protect her. The Count tries to approach him. But wait! Isolier is not a man at all, it is a woman in travesty. So we have a tenor disguised as a woman who thinks he is making love to a soprano, while in fact he is courting an alto in the role of man who takes the place of the soprano. And what to make of an opera in which a large proportion of the music derives directly from a work whose substance is entirely different, namely, Il viaggio a Reims? There are indeed many questions to address faced with one of Rossini’s most charming and graceful operas. The annual celebration of Rossini in Wildbad in Germany’s Black Forest seeks in their new production to tackle at least one. Who is Isolier? Is the boy Isolier a man or a woman who dreams of being a man, strong like a crusader?
Here is a clue as to who is who: Comte Ory is sung by Patrick Kabongo, Countess Adele is sung by Sophia Mchedlishvili and Isolier is sung by Diana Haller.
Plot: all the men are away on a Crusade. Only the young Count and his companions are around but have other things in mind; they are on the prowl for amorous adventures. In ridiculous disguises, they try to outwit the women, for now, bereft of their husbands. The beautiful and strict Countess Adele, to honour her crusading brother and other knights, has taken a vow of chastity, although she has fallen in love with Count’s noble squire, the young Isolier. Surely, in such circumstances, shouldn’t all men be banished from her castle?
Sung in French. Subtitles in French, German and English.
Streamed on Friday 23 August 2024 at 1900 CET / 1800 London / 1300 New York
Before the summer is over, here’s a dreamy version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Deep in the magical forest a feuding King and Queen cross paths with four runaway lovers and a troupe of comic actors, resulting in tempestuous love triangles, contagious fogs and moonlight revels, and, because it’s in the Bridge Theatre, they’re surrounded by a roving audience following the action on foot.
Gwendoline Christie, Oliver Chris, David Moorst and Hammed Animashaun lead the cast as Titania, Oberon, Puck and Bottom, in Shakespeare’s’ most famous romantic comedy.
This was a somewhat contentious production from Nick Hytner’s Bridge Theatre. See what you think.
Martin Leginus yesterday resigned as music director of the Slovak National Theatre, against a backdrop of Government interference.
Leginus is a close friend of Robert Jindra, who quit as chief conductor of the Kosice State Philharmonic. Slovakia is in danger of losing all credible music leadership if the political turmoil continues. On the geo-political stage, the country is aligning itself with Hungary and Russia.
The Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin is paying respects to long-serving violinist Eberhard Wangemann, who has died at the age of 104.
Described as ‘an exemplary person and musician who made invaluable contributions to the orchestra,’ Wangemann joined in 1955 at the age of 35 and was quickly elected onto the players’ board.
He was still attending concerts around his 100th birthday.
The state record label Melodiya is building a vinyl pressing plant in Novosibirsk, local media report.
Opening in the spring the aim is to press 100,000 LPs a year, about one-third of the present domestic market. There is even talk of export potential.
Bring back the Red Army Chorus ar 33rpm.
Primo Artists has added composer-conductor Joel Thompson to its roster. He joins Wynton Marsalis and Valerie Coleman on the New York-based list.
Primo’s founder Charlotte Lee says: ‘Joel Thompson is a brilliant composer and humanist, and one of the most important and promising voices of our time. His work is bold and socially engaged, telling modern stories in brilliant, stirring, and truthful ways. Embracing America’s multi-layered musical heritage but deeply rooted in the here and now, his writing is not only intelligent, sophisticated, and deeply transcendent, but also startlingly beautiful and everlasting. We look forward to working with Joel, in collaboration with Just a Theory Press, on supporting the breadth of his work as a composer, conductor, pianist, and educator and building on what is undoubtedly going to be a significant career and legacy in the canon of classical music.’
The Sarasota Orchestra has chosen Giancarlo Guerrero as its next music director from 2025, succeeding Bramwell Tovey, who died two years ago.
Guerrero, 55, from Nicaragua, is also music director in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has served for 14 years.
He recently ended two terms at the Wroclaw Philharmonic in Poland.
From our agony aunt’s mailbag:
Dear Alma,
My standpartner is an ardent supporter of Donald Trump. He is constantly bringing up politics, even though he is aware that I don’t share his views in the slightest. I try to politely smile and not respond, but it’s gotten so that I feel physically ill as rehearsals approach. Last week he even showed up with a Trump tshirt on under his button-down shirt, and revealed it once he was sitting down. He makes under the breath comments constantly – derogatory and slanderous comments towards democrats. I am going out of my mind. Alma – is it wrong to push back – to wear a Kamala shirt? I feel pushed down and bullied. And I am sick of it.
Signed,
Had enough
Dear Had Enough,
I get it. He is incessantly talking about something that causes stress in the work environment, resulting in decreased productivity and increased anxiety for those around him.
How can it stop? How can calm and order be restored? Let’s look at several things that may be causing this, possible solutions, and things to be cautious of going forward.
I know it’s no excuse, but some people are just completely out of it. They aren’t aware of how their behaviors and words affect others. Be clear and tell him you do not want to discuss or hear about politics at work. If he brings it up again, be even more direct – “I do not want to talk about or hear about politics at work.” Don’t worry about offending him. Be straight forward and clear.
Has it occurred to you that he may be purposefully trying to sabotage you? To get a reaction so that he can complain to management? Don’t bite at this low hanging fruit. Stay your course, don’t respond to his provocations. Some people are inherently terrible – narcissistic and manipulative. Stay aware and protect yourself from this dangerous taunting.
Keep documentation of his offenses, dates and details, including the times when you asked him to stop talking about this topic. You may need this proof if things get more heated and you are called in to discuss the situation with management.
Had Enough, do you feel as if you are being harassed? Does your orchestra have any harassment or behavior code documents- best practices or expected conduct? If your race, gender or religion is being degraded, you may have protection from your employer.
In the short term, ask for a seat change. The quicker you can get away from this toxic maniac the better.
Be smart, remain cool, take a step back and a big breath. There are times to take the bait, but this is not one of them.
Questions for Alma? Please put them in the comments section or send to DearAlmaQuery@gmail.com
The French soloist Hélène Grimaud has been replaced on both of the past two nights with the Basel Chamber Orchestra at the Edinburgh Festival and the Swiss Tannay Festival.
She will also miss the rest of the tour to Luxembourg and Poland.
Her management says: ‘Due to a recent Covid-infection Hélène Grimaud is unfortunately unable to continue the tour concerts in August 2024’.
