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27th April: Coronavirus Interruption Loan inadequate for suffering music sector, Robert Schumann Prize for Olga Neuwirth, Vienna State Opera unveils season 2020/2021

Monday 27th April 2020

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme inadequate for suffering music sector, ISM’s flash survey reveals

The Incorporated Society of Musicians’ (ISM) latest flash survey, which focuses on the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) has revealed that businesses and organisations in the music sector are at significant risk due to lack of robust and timely financial support.

Of all the music business and organisations to complete the survey, not one reported a successful application to the CBILS scheme.
More than a third reported that if they do not receive financial support within a week, they will need to make their entire workforce redundant. Over 25% said that they were at risk of complete closure.
Comments from respondents included:‘Applied on 23 March. Sent holding email. Absolutely zero response back since then… nearly a month now.’

‘Slow and challenging. We are expected to use their “language” while they have no comprehension of ours.’‘Poor.
Four weeks since applying and still no response from my bank. It has just been poor all round at every level.’

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Robert Schumann-Preis für Olga Neuwirth

Die Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur zeichnet die Komponistin Olga Neuwirth für ihr künstlerisches Lebenswerk mit dem Robert Schumann-Preis für Dichtung und Musik aus. Die Verleihung findet Ende November statt.

“Eine neue poetische Zeit” strebte einst Robert Schumann an: Damit wandte er sich vor allem gegen oberflächliche Betriebsamkeit, inneren Leerlauf und ästhetische Beliebigkeit im Musikleben seiner Gegenwart. “Mit Olga Neuwirth trifft Schumann bald 200 Jahre später auf eine Geistesverwandte”, so die Jury zu ihrer Entscheidung. Mit ihrem offenen, jeder Redundanz widerstrebendem Schaffen trete die Komponistin für eine erfüllte poetische Zeit des 21. Jahrhunderts ein. Mit ihrem “enorm vielseitigen Schaffen erhebt Olga Neuwirth die Stimme des Widerstands gegen Mainstream, schnelle Gewissheiten und wohlfeile Übereinkünfte”, so die Jury zur Begründung.

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Robert Schumann Prize for Olga Neuwirth

The Academy of Sciences and Literature honours the composer Olga Neuwirth for her artistic life’s work with the Robert Schumann Prize for Poetry and Music. The award ceremony will take place at the end of November.

“A new poetic time” was once the ambition of Robert Schumann: In doing so, he turned primarily against superficial activity, inner emptiness and aesthetic randomness in the musical life of his time. “With Olga Neuwirth, Schumann meets a kindred spirit almost 200 years later,” was how the jury reached its decision. With her open-minded creativity, which resists all redundancy, the composer advocates a fulfilled poetic time of the 21st century. With her “enormously versatile oeuvre, Olga Neuwirth raises the voice of resistance against mainstream, quick certainties and cheap agreements”, the jury said in explanation of its decision.

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l’Opéra de Vienne dévoile sa saison 2020/2021

Restrictions sanitaires oblige, c’est sans public et à l’occasion d’une retransmission en direct sur la 1ère chaîne de télévision autrichienne que la nouvelle direction de l’Opéra de Vienne a présenté le programme de la saison 2020/2021. Bogdan Rošcic, le directeur général autrichien qui succède à Dominique Meyer (parti diriger la Scala de Milan), Philippe Jordan, directeur musical et son compatriote suisse Martin Schläpfer, directeur du ballet (à la place de Manuel Legris) ont donc donné le coup d’envoi de leur collaboration avec l’institution autrichienne. Le début d’une nouvelle ère pour l’Opéra de Vienne qui doit également gérer la sortie de crise du coronavirus qui l’a contraint à suspendre ses activités depuis le 11 mars jusqu’au 30 juin, au minimum. En ce qui concerne la programmation lyrique, priorité sera donnée aux répertoires de Mozart, Wagner et aux opéras du XXe siècle qui sont devenus des classiques pour garder le lien entre tradition et composition contemporaine avec la présence des plus grands noms du chant comme Netrebko, Garanča, Yende, Kaufmann, Schrott, Alagna ou Flórez mais également de nouveaux chefs d’orchestre invités tels que l’Allemand Christian Thielemann, l’Autrichien Franz Welser-Möst ou le Français Bertrand de Billy.

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Vienna State Opera unveils its season 2020/2021

Due to health restrictions, the new management of the Vienna State Opera presented the programme for the season 2020/2021 without an audience and during a live broadcast on the 1st Austrian television channel. Bogdan Rošcic, the Austrian General Director who succeeds Dominique Meyer (who left to conduct La Scala in Milan), Philippe Jordan, Music Director, and his Swiss compatriot Martin Schläpfer, Ballet Director (replacing Manuel Legris) thus kicked off their collaboration with the Austrian institution. The beginning of a new era for the Vienna Opera, which must also manage the end of the coronavirus crisis that forced it to suspend its activities from 11 March until at least 30 June. As far as opera programming is concerned, priority will be given to the repertoires of Mozart, Wagner and the operas of the 20th century that have become classics in order to keep the link between tradition and contemporary composition with the presence of the greatest names in singing such as Netrebko, Garanča, Yende, Kaufmann, Schrott, Alagna or Flórez but also new guest conductors such as the German Christian Thielemann, the Austrian Franz Welser-Möst or the French Bertrand de Billy.

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