Christoph Eschenbach has cancelled his second week in Israel after falling unaccountably unwell. The Philharmonic are using his withdrawal to make a huge fuss of a young Israeli substitute. Rotem Nir, 26, is head of […]
From the Lebrecht Album of the Week. … This is the best I have heard from Mäkelä on record. With a febrile soloist, he both anticipates and accommodates her whims, muting the orchestra or letting […]
The sinister BDS is calling for ‘creative, peaceful pressure’ on the prog-rock group Radiohead to ‘convincingly distance itself’ from Israel. The euphemisms here are insidious. Radiohead’s creative force Johnny Greenwood is married to an Israeli […]
Almost 230 compositions from 37 nationalities were submitted for Finland’s Uuno Klami Composition Competition. The highest number of entries came from Italy, Finland, Germany, Britain and Spain. The selected finalists are Yves Balmer, 45 (France/Switzerland): […]
Hearing that the English company is now dancing to tape recordings, the Berliners have made their views known. Another win for Arts Cancel England (ACE). Berliner Philharmoniker: Keep Northern Ballet LIVE! The post Berlin Phil […]
The eminent Rome oboist Carlo Romano has announced the death of his senior colleague Bruno Incagnoli, retired principal oboe of the of the Rai Symphony Orchestra of Rome. Incagnoli was 88. Carlo writes: ‘Bruno was […]
We have been hearing of senior redundancies at ON, which are denied. This, however, is the official line: ‘Opera North has announced this week that it has undertaken a leadership review that aims to put […]
We have received outraged responses from musicians to a Facebook sermon by the Dean of Winchester, the Very Revd Catherine Ogle, in which promises that ‘choral music will be at the heart of all that […]
Dear Alma, I am finishing a year of teaching at a university as a sabbatical replacement for an acquaintance. My duties span the usual – a studio of undergraduate to PhD students (mix education and […]
David Krauss’s latest guest on Speaking Soundly is the outstanding American tenor Lawrence Brownlee. His ascent was not easy. He sang Tamino in The Magic Flute before he had ever seen an opera. He was […]