David Aaron Carpenter
(c) Akos Simon

On a special performance at Sotheby’s New York, yesterday evening, David Aaron Carpenter became, effectively and for some moments, the most valuable musician in the world. He gave a performance on what he describes as “the most truly perfect viola ever made” and is about to become the world’s most expensive-ever musical instrument. The $45 million starting price for the Stradivarius, owned by the UK’s Baron MacDonald in the 19^th century, is so far past the previous world record (recently set at something over $16 million by the ‘Vieuxtemps’ Giuseppe Guarneri “’Del Gesù’ violin) that it is likely to shift the entire global market for musical instruments. Read More →

Benjamin Britten

Indianapolis Opera canceled its fourth and final production of the season due to « financial challenges. » The management informed cast members that they would cut Benjamin Britten’s ‘Albert Herring’, planned for April 25 through May 4 at the Basile Opera Center. « Individual and corporate support for the arts has diminished, » the opera said. They also announced a major statement concerning the business plan and the 2014-2015 seaso

Bertrand de Billy
(c) Marco Borggreve

In der Auseinandersetzung mit dem Regisseur von Wagners ‘Lohengrin’ an der Wiener Staatsoper, Andreas Homoki, ist dem französischen Dirigenten Bertrand de Billy « der Kragen geplatzt“. Das sagte er dem Wiener ‘Kurier’, nachdem er das Dirigat der Oper abgegeben hatte, weil Homoki aus Regiegründen Kürzungen der Musik verlangte. Read More →

Roger Wright, Controller of BBC Radio 3 and Director the BBC Proms, has been named Chief Executive of Aldeburgh Music. He will leave the BBC in July and take up his new post in September. Tony Hall, Director General of the BBC, said that Wright ‘has been a fantastic champion of classical music across the BBC and has raised the profile of the Proms every year. » The BBC replaces him by Bob Shennan, the current Controller of BBC 2 and 6, who will become the broadcaster’s Director of Music.

Wilhelm Backhaus

2014 ist ein doppeltes Backhaus-Jahr: Der legendäre deutsche Pianist wurde am 26. März 1884, also heute vor 130 Jahren, in Leipzig geboren, und am kommenden 5. Juli werden seit seinem Tod 45 Jahre vergangen sein. Read More →

Ludovic Morlot
(c) Sussie Ahlburg

Following the lead of other orchestras, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra launches this year its own record label. The first releases on ‘Seattle Symphony Media’ will be available for download on 1 April, and as CDs on 29 April. They comprise recent performances of works by Maurice Ravel, Camille Saint-Saëns, George Gershwin, Charles Ives and Henri Dutilleux. Seattle Symphony recorded a lot under Gerard Schwarz, and most of it is available in the Naxos catalogue. Obviously the new music director Ludovic Morlot would like to be heard in a repertoire that Naxos has already published and will not record again.

Apollon Musagète Quartet
(c) Marco Borggreve

Borletti-Buitoni Trust announced their winners for 2014. Those are the Apollon Musagète Quartet String Quartet (Poland) – which has met with resounding success worldwide performing in concert halls and chamber music festivals worldwide -, British soprano Ruby Hughes, violinist Itamar Zorman (Israel/US). He completed his final studies at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School and went on to win the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Another winner is Kate  Whitley Piano/Composer (UK).

The winners of Fellowships 2014 are Benjamin Beilman, violin (US), Italian pianist Gloria  Campaner, Alec Frank-Gemmill, Horn (UK) and  Mark Simpson Clarinet/Composer (UK).

In der Schweiz, wo ein neuer Artikel die musikalische Bildung als Grundrecht in der Verfassung verankert, gründet der Dachverband ‘Kulturvermittlung Schweiz’ als erstes von verschiedenen Fachnetzwerken das ‘Kompetenznetzwerk Musikvermittlung Schweiz +’. Das Projekt ist eine Kooperation mit dem ‘netzwerk junge ohren’. Read More →

Eines der im Musikbereich wichtigsten Kulturhäuser Luxemburgs, das CAPe der im Norden des Landes gelegenen Kleinstadt Ettelbruck, bekommt mit dem 34-jährigen Carl Adalsteinsson einen ausgebildeten Musiker als neuen künstlerischen Leiter. Er übernimmt das Amt noch in diesem Frühjahr als Nachfolger von Ainhoa Achutegui. Adalsteinsson, der auch Universitätsstudien im Musikmanagement machte, arbeitete zuletzt in der Produktionsabteilung der Luxemburger Philharmonie.

Christoph Eschenbach
© Eric Brissaud

Christoph Eschenbach (74), Music Director of both the National Symphony Orchestra and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, has extended his contract for two more years, through 2016-17. He has this job since 2010.