In the current issue of Classical Music Magazine, conductor Thomas Kemp discusses the pros and occasional cons of working with living composers, and about his recent recording of chamber works by Mark-Anthony Turnage with Chamber Domaine and Nicky Spence.

You can read Thomas’ interview in the current issue of Classical Music Magazine and buy the recording, A Constant Obsession, from Resonus Classics.

Stepping away from contemporary repertoire, Thomas makes his Opera Holland Park debut this summer, conducting their new production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte.

(Written on February 2, 2012 )

We are delighted to begin 2012 with some exciting new additions to our client roster.

Bridget Cunningham is an award-winning harpsichordist, conductor and early music specialist whose research and performances have been featured on ITV, Sky Arts and BBC TV and Radio including Woman’s Hour, Front Row and Radio 3’s In Tune.  We are delighted to be working with Bridget on all her up-coming engagements and promoting her new album ‘Handel in Ireland’.

We are also excited to be working with the up and coming lyric soprano Nadine Mortimer-Smith who is appearing at St Alban’s Chamber Opera and in the Fourth London Festival of American Music in 2012, as well as producing her first recording. WildKat PR are working with Nadine in Europe and the USA, offering PR and consultancy services.

We also welcome the French Institute, the official French government centre for culture in the UK. Their classical concert series encourages cross-cultural exchange and highlights the rich history of French music. Upcoming concerts feature singers from the Royal Academy of Music, the Psophos Quartet, the Mercury Quartet, Ivan Ilic, Charles Owen and more.

We will also be working with an exciting young Baroque violinist, Johannes Pramsohler on his busy concert schedule which regularly takes him all over the world.  This year Johannes will be releasing his solo album with the International Baroque Players entitled ‘Pisendel – Violin Concertos From Dresden,’ which included previously unrecorded works by Handel, Fasch and Pisendel.

Finally, we welcome the pianist and composer Jean-Philippe Rio-Py. Jean-Philippe’s rhythmic compositions have already led him to record an album for Cutting Edge / Air Edel, and he will recording his second CD in 2012, as well as performing at the exclusive Box club in Soho.

Nadine Mortimer-Smith

For any enquiries, please contact WildKat PR on london@wildkatpr.com, or call us +44 20 7499 9334.

(Written on January 23, 2012 )

The new trailer for the ACCENTUS music production of Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez and the Staatskapelle Berlin’s performance at the Philharmonie, Essen, is available to view on YouTube now. The programme is composed of:

Franz Liszt:

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2

Consolation No. 3

Valse oubliée No. 1

Richard Wagner:

A Faust Overture

Siegfried Idyll

This exciting DVD is the first of the ACCENTUS Music 2012 new releases – the concert when live received outstanding reviews with The Daily Telegraph describing it as ‘A real miracle, like catching two starts in a rare celestial conjunction…no wonder the audience went into delirium at the end. They knew they’d witnessed something utterly extraordinary.’

The DVD and Blu-ray will be available from 27^th February (UK), 20^th February (Germany), 28^th February (USA) and 6^th March (France).

To view the trailer please see below:

(Written on January 18, 2012 )

It is that time of year again – WildKat PR are looking for an intern to join our team in London for 3-6 months starting in February.

Any applicant will need to be passionate about classical music, culture and the performing arts, and a second language is definitely a bonus, but not essential! An interest in new media and knowledge of social networking platforms is also important.

This is a great opportunity for someone considering a career in arts PR or marketing who is seeking to gain first-hand experience. You will assist with researching and reporting on new developments in the classical music world, writing press releases for clients and blogs for the WildKat PR website, researching press opportunities, as well as general tasks such as keeping the office in top running order.

The successful candidate needs to be self-motivated with excellent written and verbal communication skills. Good computer skills are vital. You will need to be confident and able to take on responsibility, as well as being organised, able to prioritise and meet deadlines.

To apply, please send your CV and covering letter to london@wildkatpr.com before 5pm on January 30^th.

Interviews will be held on the 3rd February and the start date will be the 13th February.

N.B. Only candidates able to work five days a week from 10 – 6 should apply.

(Written on January 18, 2012 )

A new video of the Belcea Quartet is available to view on YouTube now. In it, the Quartet perform Szymanowski’s string quartet no.2, op. 56 at Handelsbeurs, Gent.

January 2012 sees the Belcea Quartet perform the third instalment of their Beethoven string quartet cycle:

Beethoven, op. 18 no. 2 in G major.

Beethoven, op. 59 no. 2 in E minor.

Beethoven, op. 131 in C sharp minor.

UK tour dates include 20^th January at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool and Saturday 21^st January at Wigmore Hall, London, Thursday 26^th January at The Sage, Gateshead and Friday 27^th January & Sunday 28^th January at the Britten Studio, Snape.

For more information on the tour please click here.

To view the video please click below:

(Written on January 13, 2012 )

BBC Music Magazine has nominated the ACCENTUS Music recording of Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra performing Mahler’s 9th Symphony for its prestigious award. The winner is decided online by the public – click here to vote for the ACCENTUS entry. Voting is open until the 29th February.

Having previously been described as “strongly recommended” by Gramophone Magazine, this DVD has already received widespread critical acclaim. In 2011, Andrew Clark in the Financial Times wrote “this DVD of last summer’s fabulously fluid performance with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra is an important release” and BBC Music Magazine reviewer David Nice wrote: “Finest concert DVD ever? I think so.”

The ACCENTUS release of Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra playing Mahler’s 9^th Symphony is available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray worldwide.

(Written on January 13, 2012 )

WildKat PR would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and happy new year. Thank you to everyone who has made 2011 such an exciting year for us – we can’t wait for 2012.

To celebrate the festive season, we’ve selected some of our favourite Christmas song for you to enjoy:

Kat:

O Tannenbaum

Victoria:

Bethlehem Down

Amy:

Gaudete

Cordelia:

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Christmas Carols

(Written on December 23, 2011 )

Thomas Kemp is featured in this month’s Gramophone magazine as their monthly ‘one to watch’. In it he is described as ‘a musician for the modern age’ and talks about his upcoming engagements such as Così fan tutte at Opera Holland Park and his new CD with Chamber Domaine; A Constant Obsession.

It also features a tribute from Judith Bingham, with whom he has an ongoing working relationship. In the piece, Bingham describes Thomas as ‘an incredibly dynamic person – like a shot in the arm’.

To read the full interview see the January issue of Gramophone magazine – available now.

(Written on December 22, 2011 )

A new video of the Belcea Quartet is available to view on YouTube now.  In it, members Corina Belcea, Axel Schacher, Krzysztof Chorzelski and Antoine Lederlin discuss embarking on the mountainous task of performing all of Beethoven’s String Quartets in one year.

The Quartet is currently almost halfway through its Beethoven String Quartet cycle. Upcoming UK concert dates are:

Friday 20^th January 2012: St George’s Hall, Liverpool

Saturday 21^st January 2012: Wigmore Hall, London

Thursday 26^th January 2012: The Sage, Gateshead

Friday 27^th January 2012: Britten Studio, Snape

Sunday 28^th January 2012: Britten Studio, Snape

Programme:

Beethoven Op.18 No.2 G major

Beethoven Op.59 No.2 E minor

Beethoven Op.131 C sharp minor

To view the video please click here or see below:

(Written on December 22, 2011 )

LA Times 

2011 Year In Review: Top Arts And Culture Stories.

Ai Weiwei, “The Book of Mormon” and Gustavo Dudamel receive acclaim.

TSA Chorus Checks In At LAX With Holiday Spirit.

Transportation Security Administration officers at Los Angeles International Airport aren’t just busy checking baggage and enforcing the 3-ounce liquid limit this year — they’re putting on a show.

The Telegraph

Ji Hyun Kim: New Face.

Rupert Christiansen introduces Ji Hyun Kim, The Tenor Playing Gastone In La Traviata.

New York Times

Opera Flourishing At The Extremes.

Allann Kozin on the increasingly extreme innovations in opera.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/18/arts/music/provocative-opera-at-2-extremes-early-and-new-music.html?_r=1&ref=classicalmusic

(Written on December 22, 2011 )