Peter Sellars
The 2014 Polar Music Prize will be awarded to two Americans: Peter Sellars, the American opera and theatre director, and Chuck Berry, rock ‘n’ roll singer. Both laureates will be presented with their prizes by King Carl XVI of Sweden at a gala ceremony in Stockholm’s Concert Hall on 26 August. The Polar Music Prize celebrates this year its 25 anniversary. Read More →
In Colorado, where cannabis is a legal drug, the Colorado Symphony takes profit from a 2013 law and launches an astonishing concert series, sponsored by the cannabis industry. On the orchestra’s website we read: « Experience the Colorado Symphony in a brand new way… with Part 1 of our summer concert series. Join us as we travel along the Pan American Highway with stops for chimchurri, arepas & the best salty roasted jalapenos you’ve ever had. Read More →
Mariss Jansons
Photo: BR
Today managing director Jan Raes and chief conductor Mariss Jansons informed the musicians and staff members of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra that Maestro Jansons will resign his position after the 2014/2015 season. The management of the orchestra is in discussion with Maestro Jansons regarding both the exact date of his last concert as chief conductor and his concerts in later seasons. Read More →
Donato Cabrera
(c) Anastasia Chernyavsky
Donato Cabrera has been named music director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic as from the next season on. He will launch the 2014-15 season on Saturday, September 27th in Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center. Cabrera (43) was born in Pasadena, California. He studied at the University of Nevada, the University of Illinois, Indiana University, and the Manhattan School of Music. He made his professional debut with the Reno Chamber Orchestra in 1997. In 2002 he received a Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship from the Vienna Philharmonic. Read More →
The International Classical Music Awards published today slide shows from their Award Ceremony and their Gala Concert at the Beethoven Easter Festival 2014 in Warsaw. Click on the link and go right away to the galleries.
Alexander Pereira
Photo: Suzanne Schwiertz
Weil der Salzburger Festspielchef Alexander Pereira, designierter Intendant des Mailänder Opernhauses La Scala, durch den Verkauf von sechs Opernproduktionen aus seiner Noch-Wirkungsstätte Salzburg an die Scala in den Verdacht des Interessenkonflikts geraten ist, fordert der italienische Kulturminister Dario Franceschini eine Untersuchung des Vorgangs. Pereira soll angeblich weder den Verwaltungsrat der Scala oder den gegenwärtigen Intendant Stéphane Lissner über den Kauf informier haben. Read More →
Charles Dutoit
(c) Bruno Fidrych
Swiss conductor and ICMA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Charles Dutoit will lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra on its upcoming tour to Japan and China, May 1-10, stepping in for Lorin Maazel who has to interrupt his activities until the third week of May due to an accident. Maestro Dutoit will make no changes to the originally scheduled tour programs. Still in Warsaw, where he received the ICMA Award last Saturday, he was collecting the scores for the tour. Read More →
Rund 37.000 Musikfreunde besuchten zwischen dem 15. März und dem 12. April die mehr als 100 Veranstaltungen des diesjährigen ‘Heidelberger Frühlings’. Das ist eine deutliche Steigerung gegenüber 2013, wo nur 34.700 Besuchergezählt wurden. Unter dem Motto ‘Parallelgeschichten’ richtete das Festival dieses Jahr einen Blick auf die Zeit der anbrechenden Moderne um 1900 und stellte Bezüge zur Gegenwart her. Der nächste ‘Heidelberger Frühling’ findet vom 21. März bis zum 25. April 2015 statt.
La Chambre Philharmonique
(c) IMG Artists
Created in 2004 by Emmanuel Krivine, the ‘Chambre Philharmonique’ celebrates this year its 10th anniversary. On this occasion, a tour dedicated to Hector Berlioz will lead the Orchestra trough France an England. The program comprises three works, the overture for Béatrice et Bénédict, Les Nuits d’été with mezzo-soprano Michèle Losier and ‘Symphonie Fantastique’, all played on period instruments and a pitch of 440 Hz.
C.P.E. Bach
Aus Anlass seines 300. Geburtstages wird beim Bachfest Leipzig vom 13. bis 22. Juni das Œuvre Carl Philipp Emanuel Bachs in den Fokus genommen. Das Motto ‘Die wahre Art’ erinnert an das bedeutendste Lehrwerk Philipp Emanuels zur Musizierpraxis. Auf der Suche nach dieser ‘wahren Art’ zeigen im Bachfest Leipzig 2014 führende internationale Interpreten und Ensembles den aktuellen Stand der historisch-informierten Aufführungspraxis. Read More →
