Ludovic Morlot
(c) Sussie Ahlburg

Seattle Symphony Orchestra has announced that music director Ludovic Morlot will step down after his eight year contract is up at the end of the 2018/2019 season. The 43 year-old French conductor says, he feels the time will be right then to go on to other things.

Seine Musicale
(c) Insula Orchestra

With two concert halls, the Grande Seine, devoted to large-scale shows and an Auditorium dedicated to classical music, the new music centre on the Seguin Island, west of Paris, is inaugurated this weekend. Bob Dylan is performing at the Grande Seine and the orchestra in residence, Insula Orchestra under Laurence Equilbey is giving a concert at the auditorium on Saturday 22. Read More →

Daniel Barenboim
(c) Peter Adamik

Worried about the rise of the National Front in France, conductor Daniel Barenboim, long-time music director of the Orchestre de Paris, spoke out against the rise of nationalism in Europe: « Nationalism results from the sense of unease about globalization, but it is the opposite of true patriotism », Barenboim said.

Luciano Pavarotti

The POTUS made once more a fool of himself, claiming that Luciano Pavarotti is a great friend of his. In a press conference with the Prime Minister of Italy, Paolo Gentiloni, Trump said: « Through the ages your country has been a beacon of artistic and scientific achievement. That continues today. From Venice to Florence to Verdi to Pavarotti – friend of mine. Great friend of mine. » Read More →

Valery Gergiev
Foto: Marco Borggreve

Russian conductor Valery Gergiev is building his private concert hall in Repino, a suburb of St. Petersburg, the Russian Internet magazine ‘Classical Music News’ reports. Read More →

Im Vorfeld des Parteitags der Partei ‘Alternative für Deutschland’ (AfD) kritisiert die Deutsche Orchestervereinigung deren kultur- und kunstpolitischen Ziele. « Wer den Leitantrag des AfD-Programms liest, stellt schnell fest, dass die Partei die Freiheit der Kunst abschaffen und künstlerische Ausdrucksformen nach ihren Vorstellungen steuern will. Dabei ist die Kunstfreiheit im Artikel 5 des Grundgesetzes verankert“, sagt Gerald Mertens, Geschäftsführer der Deutschen Orchestervereinigung. Read More →

Speranza Scappucci, 44, has been namned Principal Conductor of the Royal Opera in Liège, Belgioum, from the 2017-2018 season. The Italian born conductor, a graduate of the Julliard School and the Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia in Rome, is considered one of the most interesting conductors of her generation.

Die ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ berichtet, es sei beim Oberlandesgericht München eine neue Anklage gegen den ehemaligen Rektor der Musikhochschule, Siegfried Mauser, eingegangen. In den beiden neuen Fällen gehe es « um Tatvorwürfe der Vergewaltigung und der sexuellen Nötigung ». Read More →

Artem Kolesov

Artem Kolesov, a 23-year-old, Chicago based Russian violinist comes out as gay on YouTube and describes in a moving autobiographical story his own life as a young gay man in Russia and later in Canada, struggling with his sexual orientation and his beliefs. His video was published just a few days after reports had emerged that the authorities in Chechnya were imprisoning and murdering gay men. Read More →

Amarcord
(c) Remy Franck

In 11 Konzerten mit 9 Gruppen und zusätzlich einem Wettbewerb wird ab diesem Freitag beim Festival ‘a cappella’ in Leipzig Vokalmusik in allen Facetten präsentiert. Bis zum 30. April zeigen neun hochkarätige A-cappella-Gruppen aus ganz Europa sowie Australien, « wie vielfältig und bewegend unbegleiteter, mehrstimmiger Gesang sein kann », sagen die Veranstalter. Read More →