The Latest News From The World Of Classical Music - We Certainly Live In Interesting Times !
Here are some interesting stories about the latest developments in the world of classical music . As the old Chinese saying (or possibly curse ) goes, may you live in interesting times !
Italian conductor Fabio Luisi has just resigned from his prestigious position as music director of the legendary Saxon State Opera in Dresden and conductor of the world's oldest orchestra, the Staatskapelle, Dresden, which functions both as the city's opera and concert orchestra .
Luisi was angered by the fact that a special New Year's eve concert by his orchestra led by German conductor Christian Thielemann, who is set to take over the same position in 2112 was scheduled by the orchestra's management without his consultation .
Formidable American piano virtuoso Earl Wild has died at the age of 94 . Wild was a pianist of phenomenal technique and panache , and also a composer . He was a specialist in the flamboyant piano works of the 19th and early 20th century and leaves numerous acclaimed recordings .
The Philadelphia Orchestra , one of the world's most prestigious orchestras , is facing such severe financial difficulties that it may declare bankruptcy soon . If so , it will be the first of America's so-called "Big Five " orchestras, which also include the New York Philharmonic , Boston and Chicago symphonies and the Cleveland Orchestra , to do so . Other US orchestras have been forced to do this , most recently the Honolulu Symphony . Not a good trend .
The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and its music director Michael Tilson Thomas have won the Grammy award for the best classical recording of the year for their performance of Mahler's monumental 8th symphony , for huge orchestra , 8 vocal soloists chorus and children's chorus . This is part of the orchestra's cycle of recordings of all 9 Mahler symphonies and is on the orchestra's own record label , which releases some of its live performances on CD .
The rising Italian conductor Alberto Veronesi will succeed Eve Queler as music director of the Opera Orchestra Of New York , founded nearly 40 years ago by Ms. Queler as a means to give concert performances of rarely heard but interesting operas a chance to be heard and using many acclaimed opera singers and rising vocal talents . Veronesi is active primarily in Italy and has conducted recordings of such rarely perfomed Italian operas as Puccini's early Edgar and Pietro Mascagni's L'Amico Fritz for Deutsche Grammaphon records .
So it's a mixture of good and bad in the complex and multi-faceted world of classical music . But don't believe any one who says things are dull and humdrum there !