© Reinhard Winkler/LTH Linz
In a new staging of Verdi’s Rigoletto in Linz, Austria, director Andreas Baesler creates associations with Donald Trump. According to the stage director, the Duke is a narcissistic, megalomaniac, politically unscrupulous, power-hungry man who has very special relations with women. All this reminded him the current President of the United States. Read More →
Die Klage des österreichischen Schlagersänger Andreas Gabalier gegen Konzerthaus-Chef Matthias Naske ist in zweiter Instanz vom Oberlandesgericht Wien abgewiesen worden. Das Gericht hat die Entscheidung des Handelsgerichts Wien bestätigt, wonach die Aussagen von Naske über Gabalier in einem Interview durch die Meinungsfreiheit gedeckt sind. Read More →
The Polish public radio will launch a digital program called Radio Chopin, targeting classical music lovers and named after the great Romantic composer. It is scheduled to go on air on November 11. Radio Chopin will reach listeners worldwide via the internet, the DAB+ platform and satellite.
Riccardo Muti
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association announced an operating deficit of $1.4 million for fiscal 2017, ending June 30, 2017. In 2016 Riccardo Muti’s orchestra had a surplus of $400,000. According to the press release, the negative result comes from the decline in ticket sales and of other operating revenues, as well as from a substantial $700,000 rise in expenses. Read More →
Cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O’Riley have released their new album Troika on the Pentatone Oxingale series, « to explore music of the Slavic soul ». Yet, Haimovitz says: « Inspired by the subversive irony of Shostakovich’s Sonata, Ttroika also delves into more recently-written, unexpected, and popular works. Whether subtle or blatantly rebellious, each work potently reveals the strength of the artistic voice in the face of political repression in mother Russia. » Read More →
Gotthold Schwarz
Der 65-jährige Leipziger Thomaskantor Gotthold Schwarz erhält den Georg-Philipp-Telemann-Preis 2018 der Landeshauptstadt Magdeburg. Seit dem 20. August 2016 ist er Thomaskantor, der siebzehnte nach Johann Sebastian Bach und unmittelbarer Nachfolger von Georg Christoph Biller. Schwarz gehöre zu den großen Interpreten der Alten Musik und sei ein ausgewiesener Telemann-Experte, sagte der Kulturbeigeordnete der Stadt Magdeburg, Matthias Puhle. Read More →
Piotr Tchaikovsky
Democracy at last played a role, after stupid politicians decided to remove the statue of Piotr Tchaikovsky from a square in the Russian city of Klin (some 100 km from Moscow). The inhabitants were furious when they heard about the removal and a petition was signed by thousands of Tchaikovsky fans. The politicians withdrew their decision, and the monument will remain in the historical centre of the city.
Susanna Mälkki
The Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki, 48, has been awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize 2017. The Adjudication Committee wrote: “Susanna Mälkki is a versatile and dedicated maestro of both the classical and contemporary repertoire. Having forged her own path through the world of classical music, she now ranks among the top international conductors. » Read More →
Lang Lang
(c) Deutsche Grammophon
Der 35-jährige Chinese Lang Lang wird erst im Sommer 2018 wieder auftreten. Das sagte er in einem Gespräch mit ‘Die Zeit’. Eine Sehnenentzündung im linken Arm hat ihn dazu gebracht, alle Konzerte bis dahin abzusagen. Er dürfe nur 30 Minuten an Tag leichte Stücke spielen, sagte er der Zeitung und betonte auch, er werde künftig seltener Konzerte geben. – Kurz kommentiert: das sind lauter gute Nachrichten.
Swiss born conductor Urs Leonhardt Steiner, music director of the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in San Francisco, is reacting to President Trump’s xenophobic rhetoric and organizes a ¡Viva Mexico!-concert taking place Nov. 5 at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre. Read More →
