Classical news

In today’s news, conductor and violinist Walter Weller dies, The New York Philharmonic reveals their new digital-music partnership with Google and James Macmillan unveils his new Cumnock Tryst programme. Also, the Boston Symphony will provide recordings via Google play, a new instrument to replace the piano and the internet sensation which took the world by storm yesterday: elephants dancing to classical music.

Gramophone

Conductor and violinist Walter Weller has died

Walter Weller, who held conducting posts in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Scotland, Belgium and Norway, has died: he was 75.

The Wall Street Journal

New York Philharmonic Unveils Digital-Music Partnership With Google

New initiative, dubbed Classical Live, is part of the orchestra’s efforts to expand its global audience

The Times

Roll over, Beethoven, the piano is yesterday’s musical keyboard

Roland Lamb claims that his company has reinvented the keyboard, taking “a bigger leap from the piano to what we’ve created than there was from the harpsichord to the piano”.

The Guardian

Are these elephants really dancing to classical music? 

A Belgium zoo captures footage of a group of elephants appearing to sway in unison to live classical music.

Classical Music Magazine

Sir James MacMillan unveils 2015 Cumnock Tryst programme

Sir James MacMillan, who received a knighthood for services to music in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours, has unveiled the programme for the second Cumnock Tryst.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Wut kann eine starke musikalische Kraft sein

Vierzig Jahre arbeitete der italienische Pianist Maurizio Pollini an seiner Aufnahme der zweiundreißig Klaviersonaten von Ludwig van Beethoven. Für ihn war es ein Weg zu Schönheit und Freiheit. 

Der Tagesspiegel

Mozarteums-Chef soll Jürgen Flimm ablösen

Am Mittwochmittag will Michael Müller über die Intendanz der Staatsoper informieren. Jürgen Flimm soll offenbar früher abgelöst werden als vorgesehen – von Matthias Schulz, dem Leiter des Salzburger Mozarteums.

Berliner Zeitung

Matthias Schulz wird neuer Intendant der Berliner Staatsoper

Kultursenator Michael Müller (SPD) hatte für Mittwoch eine Pressekonferenz in der Staatsoper angesetzt. Laut Medienberichten soll dort der neue Intendant vorgestellt werden. Auch einen Namen gibt es bereits: Matthias Schulz.

The Boston Globe

Boston Symphony to provide recordings via Google Play

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has been offering digital recordings for years, but starting this week the 134-year-old orchestra is wading into the rapidly intensifying competition among online music services like never before.

Opera News

Five Leading Orchestras in U.S. and Europe Partner with Google to Sell Exclusive Recordings of Live Performances

Five leading orchestras in the United States and Europe announced today that they have partnered with Google to sell exclusive recordings of some of their live performances via the Google Play digital music storefront, indicating a significant industry shift away from the recording model once embodied by studios, brick-and-mortar retail stores and CD sales.

Tweets

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