Jean Sibelius (1865-1957): A Reserved Finn with White-Hot Passion Within by Barry Lenson If you ask a group of music lovers to tell you something about the Finnish Composer Jean Sibelius, at least 10 of […]
By Barry Lenson The British composer Benjamin Britten wrote a remarkably large and varied body of music. His compositions range from the simply delightful Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra to the ravishingly beautiful Spring […]
Nine months after its last flare-up, Wakefield Cathedral is back on the skids. The Dean announced this morning that he’s clearing out. Dimon Copwling has been in the job just over six years. There has […]
The audience were evacuated Friday night from a performance of Lully’s opera Perseus. Fire broke out five minutes into the performance, apparently from a kitchen in the basement. Report here. The post Fire at […]
French culture minister Rachida Dati has made an announcement at the Gare de Lyon that double-basses will be permitted in future to travel on TGV trains. Under these conditions: • Double basses transported on board […]
The Frenchman Francois-Xavier Roth has stopped conducting for the time being after being accused of sending indecent selfies to female members of an orchestra. Under current social norms, he has been globally cancelled. But Roth […]
The Years It’s only February but this, for me, is already the play of the year. The Years is about us and our time, but only if you are a woman who has lived through the […]
The Egyptian soprano Fatma Said has cancelled recitals in Linz and Hamburg. Her management says: ‘”Fatma Said deeply regrets that she cannot perform the upcoming concert due to unforeseen circumstances.’ German press reports say Fatma […]
Chorus members at Teatro San Carlo in Naples have instructed lawyers to take action for defamation against the English conductor Ed Gardner, who recently told the Times newspaper that the opera chorus was ‘made up […]
From SAI Composers Bureau: American composer Dr. Diane Thome passed away on January 13, 2025. She was 82. Dr. Thome was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in Composition from Princeton University, where she […]
%20Craig%20Fuller.jpg?w=160&resize=160,160&ssl=1 "A lot more emotional resonance than you might expect: Jonathan Dove & Alasdair Middleton's Itch return to Opera Holland Park shows it is more than a rattling good yarn")
