Pianist Klara Min has performed extensively throughout North America and Europe. On Tuesday, 23th April, 7:30pm, she will make her London debut at Wigmore Hall. The programme consists of pieces by Schumann, Sean Hickey (UK premiere) and Chopin. You can already listen to Klara’s interpretation of the Chopin Mazurkas – a few pieces she will also play at Wigmore Hall – on her recently released CD on the Delos label. In his review American Record Guide’s Stephen Estep raved:

“Min plays with the most ravishing piano tone I’ve heard in the last 50 discs I’ve listened to, at least! Her dynamic control is out of this world … anybody’s music would be served well by Min’s touch.”

Klara will be also appearing on BBC Radio 3 In Tune on Monday afternoon, 22th April.

(Written on April 19, 2013 )

The 18th annual Jacqueline du Pré concert will take place on 5th March at Wigmore Hall. Each year, a concert is held in memory of Jacqueline du Pré, one of the greatest cellists of her generation, who passed away from multiple sclerosis at the age of 42. Since 1996, the concerts raise money for different musical and medical charities.

This year’s concert will be in aid of the Musicians Benevolent Fund, who provide advice, guidance or even financial support for musicians who need assistance. From musicians who are beginning their career, to musicians who may hit a crisis or are considering retirement.

Guy Johnston will be performing at the concert with pianist Tom Poster to perform a programme including works by Bridge, Britten and Debussy.

For more information on the Musicians Benevolent Fund and the 18th annual Jacqueline du Pré Charity Concert, visit the website here.

(Written on February 21, 2013 )

Klara Min will be releasing her second solo album on 1st March, which will feature a selection of Chopin Mazurkas. Having grown up as a great lover of Chopin and Polish nationalistic music, Klara’s upcoming release will not only showcase her striking talent, but will present a more personal performance.

The Korean born pianist will be making her London debut at Wigmore Hall on 23rd April. She will perform the UK premiere of Cursive by American composer Sean Hickey, along with works by Telemann and a number of Chopin Masurkas from her new CD.

Klara’s Chopin Masurkas can be purchased here.

For more information on Klara’s upcoming concert and to purchase tickets, visit here.

(Written on February 21, 2013 )

The Telegraph

Tim Burton and Danny Elfman to collaborate on live concert

The work of composer Danny Elfman, who soundtracked Tim Burton’s films, will be performed in concert for the first time

Classical Music Magazine

iTunes Essentials:Classical hailed as breakthrough

The first week of iTunes’ Essentials:Classical campaign has been hailed by recording companies as a dramatic success not only in converting classical collectors to downloaders but also in opening up new markets.

Gramophone

Southbank Centre shares plans for Festival Wing transformation via public exhibition

Proposals include refurbishment of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery

Evening Standard

Welcome to awards night at the opera

Stars will flock to London for first classical music ‘Oscars’

The Wall Street Journal (via Arts Journal)

Saving the Soul of Mali

To the musicians from Mali here, the attempt by terrorists associated with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) to suppress music in their country’s north goes beyond politics and religion: It’s an offense to the soul of the nation, where music is more than entertainment, it’s essential to life.

Huffington Post

Pedro Reyes Turns Guns Into Musical Instruments

The guns that have caused so many deaths in northern Mexico are now making music.

Planet Hugill

Garden of surprises and delights – Wigmore Hall Summer programme

The Wigmore Hall’s Summer programme starts on 1 April, with a pair of delightful concerts[...]

Music Week

Warner Music posts $80m loss for Q4 2012 as digital grows

Warner Music Group has posted a loss of $80m for the three months to the end of 2012.

Huffington Post

(Written on February 15, 2013 )

Klara Min

(Written on December 21, 2012 )

WildKat is excited to announce that one of its clients, the renowned independent school Millfield, will be providing a unique showcase of its musical talent in a rare performance at London’s Cadogan Hall on Saturday 23^rd March 2013, at 7.30 pm.

The concert will feature a unique collaboration by pupils and staff including Millfield’s string consultant, So-Ock Kim, one of the leading violinists of her generation, and whose career has seen her perform at Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Hall, London, and as a soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra, the English Sinfonia, Britten Sinfonia, and the Orchestra Filharmonica di Torino. The school’s award-winning chamber choir ‘The Millfield Camerata’ will also perform the world-premiere of a newly commissioned work by composer and former drummer of ‘The Police’, Stewart Copeland.

The work, written for choir and percussion ensemble, is inspired by Copeland’s school days at Millfield in the 1960s and contrasts driving, almost minimalist pulsating rhythmic patterns for marimba, vibraphone, timpani and drums combined with stark open chords in the voices. The composer has said of the piece:

“In the 1960s the Millfield riding school was all about polo on the Kingweston ground. But in winter other equestrian diversions were needed. Down on the flat levels, between the tors, were these irrigation ditches, called rhynes. Old Captain Hearn would have us saddle up and clop down Cow Bridge Road to the lowlands, where we would gallop across the muddy fields and tilt at the rhynes. It was terrifying but somehow fortifying to face the cold wet fear and make a very tangible leap into manhood. Maybe it¹s the association with minimalism but tinkling mallets seem perfect for conjuring up a cold wet day. The interlocking ostinato patterns give a feeling of misty stasis and nothing quite says frozen ears like an icy crotale.”

Tickets to the event start at £15 and the programme for the concert is:

Stewart Copeland World Premiere of ‘Jumping the Rhynes’ (Chorus and Percussion Ensemble)

Vivaldi Four Seasons

Mozart Piano Quartet No.1 in G minor

Schumann Piano Quintet

This concert, an inspiring amalgamation of Millfield’s past and present, promises to be a delight for all who attend, presenting the best of the school’s world-class music department and performers, and also a rare opportunity to see some of Britain’s finest young musicians perform in London in such a renowned venue.

For more information please visit the Cadogan Hall website here.

(Written on December 13, 2012 )

Arts Journal: NewMusicBox

Cage = 100: As Influential as Wagner, as Interpretable as Mozart

Cage’s centenary sparks a fresh sense of intrigue about his work.

Gramophone

Wigmore Hall launches expanded 2012-13 Early Music and Baroque Series

Increased investment and artist residencies continue to strengthen the programme

Classic FM

Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry: composing with heartbeats

The Arcade Fire’s multi-instrumentalist Richard Reed Parry told Classic FM about the perils of Twitter, his compositions for The Kronos Quartet and how to perform with a stethoscope.

Classical Music Magazine

No arts background for new culture secretary

The new secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport has been catapulted into the cabinet despite no obvious previous connection with the arts. Maria Miller, the 48-year-old MP for Basingstoke, takes over a shrinking department from Jeremy Hunt if not a shrinking portfolio.

NPR music- deceptive cadence

A ‘Numpty’ Glance, Minnesotan Muddles And Brass Bullies

Violinist Nicola Benedetti, whose interview with the Scottish Sun this week sparked a furor — including the writer being called a “numpty,” or fool.

BBC Classical Music magazine

Mihaela Ursuleasa (1978-2012)

Brilliant Romanian pianist dies, aged 33. She would have performed Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 on tour with the National Youth Orchestra tomorrow.

John Cage, NewMusicBox

(Written on September 5, 2012 )

As summer approaches (very slowly, through all these grey clouds), an air of excitement surrounds the world of classical music: the festival season is here!  Whether at home in the UK or elsewhere in Europe and beyond, there is so much choice for great classical music this summer. In Olympic spirit, London is celebrating itself at the ‘City of London Festival’ from the 24th June to the 27th July, featuring the LSO and acclaimed guitarist John Williams. Also gloriously British, is the ‘Longborough Festival Opera’, which features the famous ‘Sweeney Todd’ performed by the festival’s Young Artist Production; the festival is on now, until the 29th of July.

Whilst Glastonbury’s usual Rock and Roll tenants take a break this year, the ‘Orchestra in a Field’ at Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset, takes place this weekend (30^th June to 1^st July) providing ‘Tchaikovsky to Tubular Bells by way of Opera, Hip Hop and hand bells’ (Classical-music.com) as well as free tickets to those under the age of 13, a great, fun event to introduce children to classical music. Another great event this weekend takes place at the prestigious ‘Wigmore Hall’: you can hear and see the Leipzig String Quartet as well as soloists of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, providing exciting music from Brahms to Beethoven.

Finishing this week is the renowned ‘Istanbul Music Festival’, which has been running for the entire month of June. In its 40^th year, it has featured (a staggering) over 750 artists this year, including the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and the Chamber Orchestra Vienna-Berlin. It has also commissioned works by the revered composers Giya Kancheli and Fazil Say, which were premiered at the festival.

Even further east is the ‘IV Gabala International Festival‘ of Azerbaijan, taking place from the 25^th of July to the 5^th of August, featuring traditional Chamber music, as well as Mugham – the folk compositions of Azerbaijan, which are now a UNESCO protected cultural heritage.

More centrally in Europe, Austria is hosting some of the world’s finest classical music festivals. The month-long, extraordinary ‘Bregenzer Festspiele‘ (18^th July to the 18^th August), in its breathtaking lake-side location features Opera on the Lake (with its stunning staging), an array of Chamber music, Theatre, and Music and Poetry: a highlight of which is Shostakovich’s ‘Ten Poems on Texts by Revolutionary Poets for mixed chorus op.88’. The renowned ‘Salzburger Festspiele‘ is one of THE summer events, from the 20^th July to the 2^nd September, featuring music and operas, from ‘Ariadne auf Naxos’, to ‘La Boheme’; Whilst August welcomes the ‘Innsbrucker Festwochen der alten Musik‘, from the 8^th to the 26^th, spanning all areas of classical music from Oriental Baroque to Slavonic Dances.

The beautiful landscapes of Italy host the ‘Incontri in Terra di Siena’ in lush Tuscany, where classical music is coupled with contemporary Jazz as well as Olive Oil and Wine tasting (definitely not one to miss!) A highlight is the Borromeo String Quartet playing Bach, Debussy and Schubert on the 22^nd of July. The entire festival is from the 20^th to the 29^th of July.

Whether travelling abroad or staying at home in this important 2012 summer, there are numerous great festivals not be missed, an abundance of which can be found on our ‘July Unmissables’ pinterest page here.

The Famous Staging at Bregenzer Festspiele

(Written on June 28, 2012 )

The Telegraph

David Munrow: Tragic genius who brought early music to the masses

The short but brilliant life of David Munrow blazed a trial for his passion.

Become part of the virtual Philharmonic Orchestra

An interactive digital installation allows visitors to step inside and become part of a virtual orchestra, taking on the role of a musician or even the conductor.

The Guardian

Leslie Baruch Brent on Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: ‘He inspired my love for lieder, especially those of Schubert’

Like thousands of others, my lifelong love for lieder, especially those of Franz Schubert, was inspired by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in the 1950s.

Andrew M Rosemarine on Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: ‘The war helped him understand the transience of life’

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau was uncertain of his legacy. But he recognised the change in himself from his earliest years and the difficulties he had surmounted in adolescence during the Hitler years.

John Birch obituary

John Birch, who has died aged 82 after suffering a stroke, was interested in – but by no means limited to – every aspect of the organ and its world.

NY Times

Philadelphia Orchestra Submits Reorganization Plan

More than a year after resorting to bankruptcy court, the Philadelphia Orchestra laid out its plan to erase debt and cut costs on Wednesday.

Arts Journal – Slipped disc

Silly, superficial, true to life: a Baroque lion’s take on the Met’s Enchanted Island

The purist Baroque pioneer Joel Cohen has been watching the Met’s potpourri on a television relay. Expecting irritation, he found a certain truth.

Classical Music Magazine

The Listening Machine launches as part of The Space

The Britten Sinfonia has teamed up with composer and cellist Peter Gregson and technologist Daniel Jones to create The Listening Machine.

Gramophone

Winners of NCEM 2012 Composers Award announced

Composition to be performed by Tallis Scholars and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Cycling with the Olympianist

Joining Anthony Hewitt on (one of a bit) Land’s End to John O’Groats concert tour.

Wigmore Hall expands commissioning programme 

Up to 15 new chamber commissions per season from 2013.

(Written on May 24, 2012 )

The Telegraph

Jazz is celebrated by the stars of music and film

Jazz was celebrated across America yesterday by cultural icons as diverse as film stars Morgan Freedman and Robert de Niro, soul singer Stevie Wonder and Chinese classical pianist Lang Lang.

The Guardian

A guide to Pauline Oliveros’s music 

Nearly sixty years ago, Pauline Oliveros found her mantra. “Listen to everything all the time and remind yourself when you are not listening”. This simple but transformative thought has filled her life in music.

Mariss Jansons: ‘The notes are just signs. You have to go behind them’

Mariss Jansons is regarded by many as the best conductor in the world.

The Independent

Noah Stewart: ‘No one gave me the opportunity…I had to work for it’

The American tenor tells Jessica Duchen about his journey from Harlem to grand opera.

Financial Times

Battle of Britain

A masterpiece? Or an ‘artistic lie’? Controversy surrounded ‘War Requiem’ when it was first performed fifty years ago.

LA Times

Pope Benedikt XVI to attend two classical concerts in week ahead

Pope Benedict XVI has long been a classical music fan and in the next few weeks, he will take time out from his schedule to attend two classical concerts.

Gustavo Dudamel to participate at Olympics festival in June

Gustavo Dudamel will make a few appearances this summer as part of the London 2012 Festival, the large-scale cultural celebration running parallel to the Olympic Games.

Alan Gilbert adds his personal touch to New York Philharmonic

In his third year as music director, he has taken it in new directions and developed a collegial approach to his job.

Gramophone

Wigmore Hall launches new late-night concert series

Friday night concerts to take place during June and July.

Pianist Yundi is back with Deutsche Grammophon

His first new recording for the Deutsche Grammophon label will be of Beethoven Sonatas, including the Moonlight, Pathétiqueand Appassionato sonatas, due for release later this year.

(Written on May 8, 2012 )