James Gaffigan

The Verbier Festival in Switzerland announced James Gaffigan as Music Director of its Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra (VFJO). Gaffigan will be only the second Music Director of the VFJO, after founding Music Director Daniel Harding, who served from 2013 to 2016. Read More →

The Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) today announced the Awards for 2020 which mark the tenth anniversary of this prestigious musical recognition. Austrian-Russian pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja is honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka is Artist of the Year, Italian cellist Erica Piccotti is Young Artist of the Year. The Discovery Award is awarded to 16-year-old German cellist Philipp Schupelius. Pentatone Classics is the Label of the Year, and the Composer Award goes to Luxembourgish-Spanish composer Ivan Boumans. A Special Award is conferred to the American conductor John Axelrod, who is conducting this year already his third ICMA Gala concert, as well as to Jérôme Lejeune, who forty years ago founded the Belgian label Ricercar. The Royal Seville Symphony Orchestra is honouring Spanish guitarist Pepe Romero with the Orchestra Award. In the Audio and Video categories, 18 productions are awarded a prize. Read More →

Valery Gergiev
Foto: Marco Borggreve

Der russische Dirigent Valery Gergiev hat gestern an der Wiener Staatsoper die mit ihm geplante Aufführung der Wagner-Oper Lohengrin verpasst und wurde am Pult durch Michael Güttler ersetzt. Eine entsprechende Meldung des Kurier bestätigte die Wiener Staatsoper am Montag auf Nachfrage der österreichischen Agentur APA. Read More →

On invitation by Unison, the Croatian Music Alliance, the Jury members of the International Classical Music Awards met last weekend (17-20 January) in Zagreb and Rijeka for their General Assembly. Read More →

Mit der Finissage der Clara Schumann-Ausstellung im Stadtgeschichtlichen Museum Leipzig ging am Sonntag das Festjahr Clara19 der Stadt Leipzig zu Ende. Erstmals stand in der Musikstadt eine Frau im Mittelpunkt. Einen festen Platz in Leipzig hat Clara Schumann nun im neuen Museum des Schumann-Hauses. Read More →

Max-Emmanuel Cencic

Am 3. September 2020 startet das Internationale Festival der Opera Seria Bayreuth Baroque im Markgräflichen Opernhaus Bayreuth. Damit erhält Bayreuth ein weiteres Musikfestival. Künstlerischer Leiter für die kommenden drei Jahre ist Countertenor, Regisseur und Produzent Max Emanuel Cencic. Read More →

Vor 100 Jahren wurden die Salzburger Festspiele gegründet. Aus diesem Anlass gibt die Münze Österreich eine Jubiläumsmünze in Silber heraus, die vom Motiv her eine Premiere in der Münzwelt ist: eine Prägung zu Ehren eines großen Festivals. Read More →

Vladimir Ashkenazy
c) E.Sakata

The 82 year-old pianist and conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy has decided that the time has come for him to retire from public performances and to do so with immediate effect, his agency Harrison Parrott says in a statement. Read More →

While Brexiteers plan to celebrate the Brexit day on 31 January loudly and visibly, one EU campaigner, James Melville, has received strong support on social media for his idea to start a crowdfunding for the hiring of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to play the EU anthem Ode to Joy on a boat on the Thames when Big Ben bongs will mark the Brexit.

Ettore Panizza (1875-1967) was an Argentinian conductor and composer, and one of the leading conductors of the early 20th century even though he is almost forgotten today. Now, a book, The Other Toscanini, published by University of North Texas Press (UNT Press) puts the musician in the spotlight. Read More →