Florian Noack

In Leipzig, on 1 April, for the first time, the ICMA Award Ceremony taking place prior to the Gala Concert will not only comprise the trophy presentations and related speeches, but also music performances. In its General Assembly in Luslawice, the Jury members decided to include this year and in the following Award Ceremonies some music played by winners. Read More →

Over Brexit fears, the European Union Baroque Orchestra is moving from Wootton (Oxfordshire) to Antwerp, Belgium, The Guardian reported. Antwerp is one of EUBO’s residence cities, as is Amilly, France, and Echternach, Luxembourg. EUBO is Orchestra-in-Residence in Echternach since 2008. In the meantime, as Pizzicato reported , Austria is ready to host the European Union Youth Orchestra.

The Foyer in the Bolshoi Theatre
Photo: Georges Franck

Vladimir Putin supports the proposal of his Culture Minister Vladimir Medinskyto extend the cobntract of the Bolshoi’s general director Vladimir Urin, Russian media reported. Urin has this job since 2013. He was able to present an envious result of his work with a house that is mostly sold out and increased ticket sales from 1.4 billion Rubles in 2014 to 2.2 billion (€ 35,5 million) in 2016.

György Kurtag

Hungarian composer György Kurtag, 91, and his wife for 70 years, pianist Marta Kurtag, have been presented with a Borletti-Buitoni Trust award in recognition of their contribution to the world of music, as well as their long and devoted musical partnership. This special tribute is in memory of Franco Buitoni (1934-2016) who co-founded the Borletti-Buitoni Trust (BBT) in 2002 with his wife, Ilaria.

Julian Prégardien

Der aus Frankfurt stammende deutsche Sänger Julian Prégardien nimmt in einem ‘Offenen Brief’ an die Jury des Frankfurter Musikpreises Stellung zur Vergabe des Preises an den deutschen Geiger David Garrett. Es stimme ihn « nachdenklich, dass ein Musikpreis, dessen erster Preisträger Gidon Kremer war, heute an einen Geiger geht, dessen aktuelle ‘corporate identity’ den Inhalt um ein vielfaches überstrahlt », schreibt der Sänger in seinem Brief, den wir nachfolgend integral veröffentlichen. Read More →

Fabio Luisi

Conductor Fabio Luisi will be heading the jury of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra’s international Malko Competition for young conductors. The competition will take place on 20-27 April 2018 in Copenhagen. Read More →

Naxos has closed its streaming service ClassicsOnline « since our technology partner ceased operating the platform used for », the website announces. Yet, there is also a financial reason, since Naxos’s CEO Klaus Heymann says: « ‘I don’t feel that terrible about it because nobody offering streaming is making money. » Read More →

The Symphony Orchestra of Torrevieja (Costa Blanca, Spain) has announced that it will temporarily suspend its activities due to the impossibility to pay the rental cost of the Auditorium where it usually performs, the local radio station reported. The orchestra intends to continue the dialogue with the administration, in order to find a solution.

The 21st Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival will run in Warsaw, 2 – 14 April under the motto ‘Beethoven and the Fine Arts’.The festival audience will be able to experience a concert performance of Igor Stravinsky’s opera The Rake’s Progress, and in the series of Unknown Operas Georges Bizet’s opera Djamileh will be presented. Otherwise the program comprises an impressive number of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, overtures, symphonies and concertos. Read More →

Der Geiger David Garrett (36) erhält den diesjährigen Frankfurter Musikpreis, teilte die Musikmesse Frankfurt mit. Die Jury ehre den Geiger, weil er durch Crossover-Projekte zahllose Menschen an die klassische Musik heranführe und gleichzeitig mit Kammermusik- und Orchesterkonzerten die Neugier für Klassik wecke. Read More →