BACK[PIAS] announces global distribution deal with Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings
[PIAS] has announced a new global distribution agreement with another of the world’s top orchestras, the Berliner Philharmoniker.
The organisation’s in-house label, Berliner Philharmoniker Recordings has signed a worldwide agreement with [PIAS] which complements partnerships with the in-house labels of the London Symphony Orchestra, the Choir of King’s College Cambridge, and the St. Petersburg-based Mariinsky Orchestra, all of which were announced in 2018.
The Berlin Philharmonic’s first new release with [PIAS] is a recording of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 conducted by the orchestra’s new chief conductor, Kirill Petrenko. The album will be released globally on May 10.
New survey reveals ‘hidden barriers’ for disabled artists
Research from the charity Attitude is Everything has uncovered a number of ‘hidden’ barriers facing deaf and disabled artists across the UK music industry.
Drawn from results of a far-reaching online survey, launched as part of the charity’s Next Stage initiative, it finds that 70 percent of respondents have withheld details of their condition due to worries it will cause problems and impact relationships with promoters, venues or festivals.
Of those playing live, two in three have compromised their health or wellbeing to perform.
The findings also reveal that 96 percent of respondents think the industry can become more inclusive for musicians and artists with access requirements if they are enabled to become more visible and are given the opportunity to speak out about their experiences.
Nachruf auf Georg Katzer Spielerisch und konsequent
Der Komponist Georg Katzer ist am Dienstag im Alter von 84 Jahren in seinem Haus in Zeuthen gestorben. In den ersten Nachrufen wird er als „einer der wichtigsten Komponisten der DDR“ bezeichnet, als wären die fast 30 Jahre, die Katzer nach dem Mauerfall unermüdlich weiter komponiert hat, lediglich eine Nachgeschichte der 36 Jahre, die zwischen seinem Studienbeginn und dem Mauerfall lagen. Zudem war Katzer durchaus präsent im Musikleben, während andere Komponisten seiner Generation von der Bildfläche verschwanden. Warum nennt man Katzer nicht schlicht einen „deutschen Komponisten“?
Katzer und seine gleichaltrigen Kollegen waren die Schüler der idealistischen Aufbaugeneration, von Hanns Eisler, Paul Dessau oder Rudolf Wagner-Régeny. Den Glauben an den Sozialismus jedoch verlor Katzer wie viele andere 1968 nach der brutalen Niederschlagung des Prager Frühlings. Während das Kultur-Ministerium unverdrossen „die Formung allseitig gebildeter sozialistischer Persönlichkeiten in der sozialistischen Menschengemeinschaft“ forderte, wandten sich die Komponisten der westlichen Avantgarde zu: Friedrich Goldmann, die vielleicht eleganteste Begabung dieser Generation, hatte vor dem Mauerbau noch Kurse bei Stockhausen besuchen können und absorbierte das Gelernte in vielfältiger Weise; Friedrich Schenker schrieb aggressive und chiffrierte Plakatmusik, und Paul-Heinz Dittrich wandte sich einer komplex-verästelten und verrätselten Kunstmusik zu, während Katzer die Gründung des ersten elektronischen Studios der DDR betrieb.
The composer Georg Katzer died on Tuesday at the age of 84 years in his house in Zeuthen. In the first eulogies, he is described as “one of the most important composers in the GDR”, as if the almost 30 years that Katzer continued to tirelessly compose after the fall of the Berlin Wall were merely an after-story of the 36 years between the beginning of his studies and German unification. In addition, Katzer was quite present in the musical scene, while other composers of his generation faded away. Why is Katzer not simply called a “German composer”?
Katzer and his colleagues were students of an idealistic generation, taught by Hanns Eisler, Paul Dessau or Rudolf Wagner-Régeny. Like many others, Katzer lost his faith in socialism in 1968 after the brutal suppression of the Prague Spring. While the Ministry of Culture undauntedly demanded “the formation of all-round educated socialist personalities”, the composers turned to their colleagues in West Germany: Friedrich Goldmann, perhaps the most gifted composer of this generation, could still attend courses held by Stockhausen before the Wall was built, and absorbed what he learned in manifold ways; Friedrich Schenker wrote aggressive and ciphered poster music, and Paul-Heinz Dittrich turned to a complex-ramified and puzzling art music, while Katzer operated the founding of the first electronic studio in the GDR.