Gramophone Blog

Vivaldi – 24 Seasons Later  

Jeffrey Freedman talks about writing the screenplay for a new film about Vivaldi.

Arts Journal- Slipped Disc 

Confirmed: Tragic Death of an international pianist 

Award-winning Rumanian pianist Mihaela Ursuleasa dies suddenly at the young age of 33.

Good TV: Bjork meets naturalist Attenborough and disabled orchestra gets a big break 

Charles Hazlewood’s ‘paraorchestra’ of disabled musicians is being filmed for a new series of music documentaries.

At last: The Malaysian press breaks silence on the Philharmonic scandal 

Five months after nine European members of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra were asked to leave the silence finally breaks in a Malaysian Insider piece.

The Guardian 

Germany: Battle for the Deutsche Oper am Rhein

The desperate need to save civic money in Düsseldorf and Duisburg could bring the curtain down on the fabled opera troupe

Classic FM 

Nikitin claims tattoo is not Nazi-related 

Yevgeny Nikitin claims that the tattoo that has sparked international controversy was inspired by Scandinavian mythology.

Lost Vivaldi Opera’s premiere recording  

Vivaldi’s lost opera has been pieced together after the libretto was recently discovered in Washington.

Mr. Bean fails to amuse Michael Nyman 

British Film composer Michael Nyman was not pleased with Danny Boyle’s choice of tunes at the Olympic Opening ceremony.

(Written on August 3, 2012 )

Arts Journal – Slipped Disc 

Breaking: America loses one its last classics-only stores 

Music Millennium will shut down their long time classical music store, Classical Millennium in September.

The one-armed pianist who’s playing the Olympics 

The Paralympic team welcome ceremony features The British Paraorchestra.

Kate Wagner wants to open archives, but the family won’t let her

Katharina Wagner wants to come clean over Bayreuth’s Nazi past.

BBC News 

Thousands attend Three Choirs Festival 

Organizers of the Three Choirs Festival report that up to 30,000 people attended this year’s festival.

Classic FM 

Nikitin to appear in Met Opera’s Parsifal  

Opera star Yevgeny Nikitin returns to stage in the Metropolitan Opera’s forthcoming performance of Wagner’s Parsifal.

Opera’s brightest starts at Covent Garden 

Seven opera singers including Joseph Calleja, Joyce DiDonato and Plácido Domingo all take to the stage at the Royal Opera House.

China’s ‘Three Tenors’ give Olympic performance

China’s answer to the Three Tenors have performed a special concert fusing Western and Chinese classical music.

Classical Music Features in Olympic ceremony 

The world’s best classical artists descended upon Stratford for the Olympic ceremony.

(Written on July 30, 2012 )

Classic FM 

Hoffman, Walken for String Quartet Movie

Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Christopher Walken star in ‘A Late Quartet,’ a new film about a string quartet.

Big Ben chimes in Olympic Composition 

Turner Prize-winning artist and musician, Martin Creed aims to break the record for the greatest number of bells being rung at any time.

Nazi tattoo opera star ban not final? 

Yevgeny Nikitin might not be permanently excluded from performing at the Bayreuth Festival.

Lang Lang given prestigious German award 

Lang Lang will receive the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in recognition of his services to music.

Arts Journal- Slipped Disc 

Has star-struck Verbier taken heed of Kremer’s outcry? 

It seems as if the Verbier Festival is still stuck in its ways.

Watch out! The Candid conductor is back 

Conductor Mikel Toms returns with a piece entitled ‘The Slutcracker.’

BBC Music Magazine – Blog  

BBC National Orchestra of Wales goes to China 

A first hand account of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ trip to the East.

Gramophone 

Jessica Cottis named Sydney Symphony assistant conductor 

Jessica Cottis, 35, succeeds Nicholas Carter as The Sydney Symphony’s assistant conductor.

(Written on July 27, 2012 )