Lucilin
© Jean Huot

Luxembourg’s No 1 Ensemble for Contemporary Music, Lucilin, today announced a packed season 2014/15. Concerts in Luxembourg aim to reach different audiences, the younger one being a favourite. However Lucilin also has a strong presence abroad. They currently prepare for a Japan tour (25 – 31.10.2014), during which the ensemble will play a new piece by Toshio Hosokawa. This composition will be recorded and published on a Naxos CD in 2015. Read More →

Yury Revich

The tremendously gifted young violinist Yury Revich, known to our readers through some excellent CD reviews (here and here)  extends his sensitivity beyond music. With a short romantic silent music film, Confusion, for which he wrote the script and in which he is an actor, Revich asks us to support people who are not able to hear or who are colour blind. Here is his moving film: Read More →

Franz Welser-Möst
Photo: Don Snyder

The Cleveland Orchestra announced the extension of Franz Welser-Möst’s contract as Music Director for no less than eight years from now, to 2022! With this extension, his tenure will reach at least 20 years, extending four years beyond the Orchestra’s Centennial Season in 2017-18. He will become the second longest tenured Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra. Read More →

Adrien Boisseau

French viola player Adrien Boisseau, Artist of the Year 2014 at the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA), will be the successor to Mathieu Herzog at the world famous Ebène Quartet as from the 1st of January 2015 on. At the same time, Adrien Boisseau will continue his solo career. A solo recording is planned to be released in 2015.

Metropolitan Opera New York

Nach der Unterzeichnung neuer Kollektivverträge, die nicht den gewünschten Sparmassnahmen entsprechen, zweifelt die Ratingagentur Moody’s die Kreditwürdigkeit der Metropolitan Opera in New York an. Die Met wird daher finanziell unter Beobachtung gestellt. Sorgen macht vor allem das Endowment, das in den letzten Jahren erheblich geschrumpft ist und dem letzten Finanzbericht zufolge nur noch 253 Millionen Dollar betrug, was nicht einmal mehr dem Budget einer einzigen Saison entspricht.

Der finnische Dirigent Mikko Franck, der im kommenden Jahr Chefdirigent des Philharmonischen Orchesters von Radio France in Paris werden soll, ist solidarisch mit den Musikern des Orchesters, die für morgen einen Streik angekündigt haben. Auch Franck fordert die Generaldirektion des Senders auf, für das ‘Orchestre Philharmonique’ und das ‘Orchestre National’ zwei verschiedene Führungsteams beizubehalten. Read More →

Piotr I. Tchaikovsky: Symphonien Nr. 1-6, Manfred Symphonie; USSR State Academy Symphony Orchestra, Evgeny Svetlanov; 5 CDs Melodiya 1002157; 1967 (315') – Rezension von Remy Franck

Die legendäre Gesamtaufnahme der Tchaikovsky-Symphonien unter Evgeny Svetlanov wird bei Melodiya neu aufgelegt. Sie begeistert die Musikfreunde in aller Welt seit Jahrzehnten durch die schier unfassbare Intensität, mit der der Dirigent die Musik erklingen lässt. Dass sie zu den Monumenten der Schallplattengeschichte gehört, steht außer Zweifel, auch wenn ein etwas sorgfältigeres Einstudieren den Interpretationen – auf technischer Ebene – sicher gut getan hätte. Read More →

William Christie
(c) Denis Rouvre

The city of Caen has decided to stop funding William Christie’s Arts Florissants, orchestra in residence since 25 years. The City’s support reached 332.900 € in 2014. Politicians say, the measure is due to the city’s severe cost saving policy. Moreover, the Region of Basse-Normandie could decide the same and cut their funding of € 373,000.

The City Council of Dijon has voted an exceptional financial support of €180,000 to save the Orchestre Dijon-Bourgogne. Mayor Alain Millot presented this political act as an emergency which would allow the orchestra to continue its activities. In a second step, the whole project would have to be analyzed and consolidated.

Markus Hinterhäuser

The Austrian pianist and artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser is to receive the 2015 Heidelberg Spring Music Prize, which comes with a purse of €10,000. The festival presents this annual award alternatively to a creative artist and to a journalist covering cultural affairs. The award will be presented on Sunday, 12 April 2015 in Heidelberg’s Stadthalle during a recital by pianist Igor Levit.