According to reports, British baritone Thomas Allen (79) announced his retirement from the stage. He made his debut at the Welsh Opera in 1969 and at Covent Garden in 1971. A brilliant international career followed, and since 1981 Allen has also sung regularly at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and at the Houston Grand Opera. Read More →
A deeply irritated friend in the US has notified us about a Facebook post by a well-known opera singer, Alessandra Marc. It looks she is one of those hardcore Republicans who are totally brainwashed by Trump: She writes (all in caps): A TRUE HERO…A TRUE PATRIOT , PRESIDENT TRUMP ALONE WILL BE OUR LAST CHANCE TO SAVE OUR FREEDOMS & OUR WAY OF LIFE!!! Read More →
British Baritone Benjamin Luxon died last week (25 July) at the age of 87. Luxon was born in Redruth, Cornwall in 1937. He won the third prize at the 1961 ARD International Music Competition in Munich. Soon afterward he joined composer Benjamin Britten’s English Opera Group. In 1971, Britten composed the title role of his opera Owen Wingrave specifically for Luxon’s voice. Read More →
The San Antonio Philharmonic, founded in 2022 following the dissolution of the San Antonio Symphony suffers from internal disharmony of its Board over various topics and also positions within this Board. This sheds an ambiguous light on the organization and the preparations for the third season with new music director Jeffrey Kahane. Read More →
Mit dem Preisträgerkonzert in der Thomaskirche Leipzig endet heute in Leipzig der XXIV. Internationale Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Wettbewerb 2024. 108 hochbegabte Musiker aus 19 Ländern wetteiferten seit dem 17. Juli in den Fächern Orgel, Gesang und Violoncello/Barockvioloncello um den begehrten Titel Bachpreisträger. Ins Finale zogen davon am 26. Juli 18 junge Musiker aus acht Nationen ein. In jedem Fach wurden drei Bach-Preise vergeben: Read More →
Wolfgang Rihm ©Universal-Edition-Eric-Marinitsch
Der deutsche Komponist Wolfgang Rihm starb nun in der Nacht zum heutigen 27. Juli im Alter von 72 Jahren. 1952 in Karlsruhe geboren, beschäftigte sich Wolfgang Rihm früh mit Malerei, Literatur und Musik. Mit elf Jahren begann er zu komponieren und studierte während seiner Schulzeit von 1968 bis 1972 an der Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe. Hier setzte er sich intensiv mit der Musik Arnold Schönbergs und Anton Weberns auseinander und schloss zeitgleich mit seinem Abitur auch das Studium in Komposition und Musiktheorie ab. Read More →
With a budget of – at a low estimate – over 10 billion euros, of which the public sector contributes over four billion, the Olympic Games in Paris are quite an expensive event. After all, the state contributes as much to this fortnight-long event as it does to the entire cultural life of France over the course of an entire year. The opening ceremony alone is said to have cost around 125 million euros, almost as much as the annual budget of the Paris Opera. Read More →
The vocal competition BBC Cardiff Singer of the World has been postponed until 2027 because its usual venue, St David’s Hall, is closed for since September 2023 after an inspection found that the roof could collapse. Cardiff Singer of the World is usually held every two years, with the most recent competition in 2023.
Corum, Montpellier
70,000 spectators, 700 artists, 50 venues, 109 musical events, 3.5 million radio listeners: these are the key figures for the Festival Radio France de Montpellier. The French festival recorded a 25% increase in attendance over the previous edition.
Philip Glass
American composer Philip Glass has protested the not allowed use of his music in a new production scheduled to open in Russian-occupied Crimea. Read More →
