The French music manager Nicolas Joel will quit his job as Genanal Manager of the French National Opera in Paris on year prior to the date written in his contract. This means that Stéphane Lissner, coming from La Scala, will become Joel’s successor already in August 2014. This was made possible after the recent nomination of Alexander Pereira in Milan. Joel took his post in Paris after Gerard Mortier’s departure in 2009. In 2012 he was a candidate for a second term, but the Cultural Minister nominated Stéphane Lissner instead. Nicolas Joel’s frustration about this decision may have led to his early departure. According to a press release form the Opera in Paris, Joel will return to his activity of stage director.
The composer, pianist, writer and teacher Ilja Hurnik died last Saturday, Sept. 7 at the age of ninety. He was a notable figure in the world of Czech contemporary music. His compositional output includes many symphonic, chamber and vocal works performances of which were well received both in his own country and abroad. Read More →
Obschon quasi festzustehen scheint, dass Markus Hinterhäuser 2017 die Intendanz der Salzburger Festspiele übernehmen wird (https://www.pizzicato.lu/salzburger-festspiele-hinterhauser-wirds-wohl-sein/), haben sich auf die internationale Ausschreibung des Postens 15 Kandidaten gemeldet, eine Frau und 14 Männer, wie das Kuratorium mitteilte. Nach einer ersten Vorauswahl werde es Gespräche mit potenziellen Kandidaten geben. Am 25. September soll bereits die Entscheidung über die Nachfolge von Alexander Pereira fallen.
Die Spanier lassen sich von Gérard Mortier nichts mehr sagen: In der Debatte über die Nachfolge des Belgiers, dessen Vertrag 2016 ausläuft, ist laut ‘El Pais’ die Entscheidung bereits gefallen. Joan Matabosch soll am Teatro Real in Madrid künstlerischen Direktor werden. Nach den provozierenden Äußerungen Mortiers, sein Nachfolger müsse unter seinen eigenen sechs Kandidaten ausgewählt werden, wurde die Entscheidung über die Mortier-Nachfolge vorgezogen. Und Matabosch, der derzeitige Leiter des Liceo in Barcelona war nicht auf Mortiers Liste. Konsequenterweise müsste Mortier, der sich gegenwärtig einer Krebsbehandlung unterzieht, seinen vorzeitigen Rücktritt einreichen. Damit zumindest hatte er letzte Woche gedroht (pizzicato berichtete).
Deborah Voigt
Photo: Dario Acosta
American soprano Deborah Voigt, scheduled to sing Isolde in the season-opening production at Washington National Opera, has withdrawn from the role. The Wagner opera will be performed between the September 15 and 27. Stepping in for Voigt are the Swedish soprano Irene Theorin as well as the British soprano Alwyn Mellor. Voigt made a long summer break this year, partly due to health problems, and now, as she explained in the local press, she is having trouble getting her voice back to where she wants it.
The city of Cremona, 90 kilometers south-east from Milan, will inaugurate on Sept. 14. its ‘Museo del Violino’. The town where Antonio Stradivari and other master violin-makers worked, is to celebrate this grand opening with a month long ‘Stradivarifestival’ from 14 September to 13 October, through exhibitions, concerts and meetings. Read More →
Algerian capital Algiers is hosting the 5th edition of the International Festival of Symphonic Music, September 12 to 19. Twenty foreign orchestras are invited to participate, alongside the Algerian National Symphony Orchestra. The orchestras come from Czech Republic, Syria (yes, they still have a Symphony Orchestra), Irak (they have it again), Tunesia, Russia, Ukraine, South Africa, China, Japan, Mexico, Belgium (Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie) and Turkey.
Hunderttausende von Polizisten und paramilitärischen Kräften sicherten das Gebiet weiträumig ab, wo am Samstagabend (7/9/13) das so genannte Friedenskonzert von Zubin Mehta und dem Bayerischen Staatsorchester stattfand, organisiert vom deutschen Botschafter in Delhi, Michael Steiner. Das Konzert in der umkämpften Kaschmir-Region war im Vorfeld von Separatisten heftig kritisiert worden und rief jetzt auch die harsche Kritik von Einwohnern und lokalen Persönlichkeiten der Stadt Srinagar hervor. Read More →
The 119th season of the BBC Proms provided the organizer with new record figures. Average attendance for the main evening Proms in the Royal Albert Hall this year was 93%, equal to last year. However a record 57 of 75 concerts in the Royal Albert Hall wre sold out, six more than in 2012, and over 300,000 people attended concerts at both the Royal Albert Hall and Cadogan Hall. Read More →
After the merger of Warner and EMI, EMI Classics and Virgin Classics Labels are not to disappear so soon. As long as the new owner has a stock with the old names, CDs and DVDs will be sold with the EMI and Virgin logos. However, when a reprint is necessary, the Warner Classics and Erato names will be used.
