classical music

The Bolshoi has announced the death of Rodion Shchedrin, Russia’s most successful composer of the late and post-Communist eras. Although open to modernist ideas in his composition and teaching, and refusing to join the Communist […]

The impetuous Lawrence Brownlee has had second thoughts about opening the season at a Moscow state concert hall. He now says: ‘To all my fans, friends, and supporters: I have chosen to withdraw from the […]

In 1781, the enlightened Emperor Joseph II abolished serfdom, ensuring society’s least privileged – servants like Figaro and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro – of certain civil freedoms, including marriage. In their opera, Mozart and […]

The Oslo Philharmonic has rolled out its final season with Klaus Mäkelä, a year earliernthan scheduled. Quite apart from his commitments in Paris, Amsterdam and Chicago, it is understood that Mäkelä’s relations with the Norwegian […]

The Komische Oper Berlin congratulates its music director James Gaffigan on his wedding to Marta Wasilewicz. Nice to report some happy news, for once. The post Maestro marries appeared first on Slippedisc.

A member of the 12 Cellists of the Berlin,Christoph Igelbrink has announced his retirement after 36 years. He sounds a bit disillusioned: ‘Attending concerts no longer has the social importance it once had. And we […]

The Orchestre de Paris has plucked Sarah Nemtanu from the Orchestre National de France as its new first solo violin. She succeeds the late Philippe Aïche and the retired Roland Daugareil, having held the #1 […]

Remember when they didn’t start selling tickets until May? And everything sold out within hours. The Bayreuth Festival has just put its 150th anniversary festival on show, and partly on sale. Christian Thielemann will open […]