Alban Berg-Denkmal im Modell
(c) Markus Pillhofer

Wolf Prix (*1942), Begründer des renommierten österreichischen Architekturbüros ‘Coop Himmelb(l)au’, plant, auf dem Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz vor der Wiener Staatsoper ein Alban-Berg-Denkmal zu errichten. Laut Prix wird es eine sechs Meter hohe « abstrakte Variation über vier Notenbilder ». Die Kosten des Denkmals wird die Alban-Berg-Stiftung tragen. Read More →

Pierre Cao
(c) Sébastien Boulard / Arsys Bourgogne

Not many conductors like to talk in public about their work. Now, one of the greatest conductors of vocal music, Pierre Cao, former music director of the renowned choir Arsys Bourgogne, has decided to share his knowledge with the audience. Read More →

Vladimir Fedoseyev
(c) Roman Goncharov

After Vladimir Fedoseyev quit the production of Tchaikovsky’s opera Iolanta at the Bolshoi Theatre the opera house told the audience, this walking out was due to health reasons. Now, in an interview with the magazine Classicalmusicnews.ru, the conductor gives the real reason: « I just did not have enough rehearsals, to adequately prepare this premiere ». So much for statements from the Bolshoi management…

Dennis Russell Davies
Photo: SOB

Conductor Dennis Russel Davies who had to undergo surgery after he hurt his knee badly when he fall just 90 minutes before a concert in Austria, will return on the podium on November 25 for a rehearsal with the Bruckner Orchestra Linz. Currently the maestro still walks on crutches.

Leonard Bernstein
(c) Deutsche Grammophon Arthur Umboh

Film director Martin Scorsese will make a biographical film about the American conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. The biopic will be produced by Paramount Pictures.

Der russische Pianist Alexey Sychev (*1988) gewann den 1. Preis des 8. Internationalen Franz Liszt Klavierwettbewerbs Weimar-Bayreuth. Den 2. Preis erspielte sich die 20-jährige Russin Dina Ivanova. Den 3. Preis gewann der 26-jährige Weißrusse Arseni Sadykov. Der Sonderpreis für die beste Interpretation der Sonate h-Moll von Franz Liszt ging ebenfalls an Alexey Sychev – wie auch der Publikumspreis. Read More →

Luxemburgs größter Musikverband, die UGDA (Union Grand-Duc Adolphe), hat bei einem außerordentlichen Kongress ein neues Exekutivbüro gewählt. Das war notwendig geworden, nachdem vier der fünf Mitglieder des Exekutivbüros zurückgetreten waren. Read More →

Gaspard Dehaene
(c) Christophe Grémiot

Eleven candidates were admitted to the semi-finals of Prix Pro Musicis in Paris. The Jury awarded French pianist Gaspard Dehaene (28) and Trio Zadig, a French-American ensemble with Boris Borgolotto, violon, Marc Girard Garcia, violoncello and Ian Barber, piano.

Placido Domingo

Placido Domingo, 74, who recently had a surgery in New York and therefore cancelled several performances of the Metropolitan Opera production with Puccini’s Tosca, has made a surprising comeback at the Met’s Golden Horseshoe dinner, held to thank donors who support the organisation. At the end of the dinner, the tenor walked in and sung Nemico della Patria from the opera Andrea Chenier. He is expected to return to the Tosca production on 6 November.

As you may have read in Pizzicato, the National Orchestra of Belgium is supposed to merge with the orchestra of the opera La Monnaie in Brussels within the next years. This means, that NOB would simply stop to exist, since according to the Ministry of Culture, it would be absorbed by the opera house. Now, NOB has launched a petition in order to convince politicians to refrain from the merger. Read More →