The Iceland Symphony Orchestra has announce that Yan Pascal Tortelier (68) was appointed as its next Chief Conductor. The French musician, who was selected through the musicians’ committee unanimous decision, will assume the three-year tenure in September 2016. Tortelier’s collaboration with the orchestra dates back to 1998 and 2012. He is nowhere else music director.

Yu-Chien Tseng

Beim Echternacher Festival startet diese Woche die ‘New Generation’. Spannende Konzerte sind angesagt. Read More →

Alexander Shelley
(c) Nürnberger Symphoniker

Alexander Shelley wird seinen Vertrag bei den Nürnberger Symphonikern nicht verlängern und seine Tätigkeit zum Ende der Spielzeit 2016/17 beenden. Der britische Dirigent, Jahrgang 1979, ist auch ‘Music Director’ das Nationalen Orchesters in Ottawa, Kanada, sowie ‘Principal Associate Conductor’ beim Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Photo: Borggreve/Warner

Wegen gesundheitlicher Probleme muss der Dirigent Nikolaus Harnoncourt (85) muss seine nächsten Auftritte absagen. Betroffen sind u.a. die Konzerte am 10. und 11. Oktober im Wiener Musikverein, sowie am 13. Oktober an der Mailänder Scala. Laut seinem Kalender hat Harnoncourt weitere Termine erst wieder im Dezember

Music plays a role in the accompaniment of people suffering from Alzheimer disease, says Hervé Platel, professor of neuropsychology at the University of Caen, France. In his laboratory, Platel explores human memory using brain imaging. Read More →

Beim Beethovenfest Bonn 2015 waren 35.000 Eintrittskarten für ein Hauptprogramm von 54 Veranstaltungen an 22 Spielstätten in Bonn und Umgebung im Verkauf. 32 der Konzerte waren ausverkauft, mit 30.000 Besuchern liegt die Auslastung unverändert bei 87%.

Gustavo Dudamel
Photo: Mathew Imagaing

After having been repeatedly accused for sympathies with the dictatorial regime in Venezuela, conductor Gustavo Dudamel declared last week that, in fact, he is ‘not political’ and that all his engagement for El Sistema and the Bolivar Orchestra is about his love for his county and for the music. His words have considerably upset Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero who published her very personal opinion about it. Read More →

Hermann Lewen
(c) Mosel Musikfestival - Foto Thewalt,Wittlich

Der Abschluss der Ernte im musikalischen Weinberg der Mosel war mit Berlioz und Guilmant ein würdiger Abschluss der (Musik-)Lese des Jubiläumsjahrgangs 2015 beim Mosel Musikfestival. Pizzicato-Mitarbeiter Marc Jeck war am 3. Oktober in der Trierer Konstantin-Basilikabeim Abschlusskonzert des Mosel Musikfestivals dabei. Read More →

James Levine

The Metropolitan Opera in New York announced that James Levine has cancelled the new production of Alban Berg’s Lulu, opening on November 5. The announcement said Levine will concentrate his energies on Wagner’s Tannhäuser, which opens on October 8. Why this overlapping was planned after all, is one of the mysteries of the music business. Lothar Koenigs will take over the first five performances of Lulu. The Met said that the conductor of the final three performances would be announced later.

In Memphis (Tennessee) the Memphis Symphony Orchestra has named Robert Moody (42) as Principal Conductor beginning with the 2016-2017 season. Moody has signed a two-year contract. He is the successor of Mei-Ann Chen. Moody has served as Music Director of the Winston-Salem Symphony (North Carolina) since 2005, Artistic Director of Arizona Musicfest since 2007, and Music Director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra (Maine) since 2008.