Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Am morgigen 1. Oktober startet die Süddeutschland-Tour der Musiktheaterproduktion ‘Zaide. Eine Flucht’, die Anfang August beim Hohen Friedensfest in Augsburg Premiere hatte. Sie vereint Künstlerinnen und Künstler, die aus Syrien, dem Irak und Nigeria geflohen sind, mit einem europäischen Opernteam. Diesmal geht es in der Mozart-Oper ‘Zaide’ um eine junge Frau, die nicht lieben darf, wen sie mag. Read More →

Two weeks after the expiration of their old contract and with the help of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), the musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the orchestra’s Board announced the ratification of a new three-year collective bargaining agreement, effective September 14, 2015, through September 16, 2018. Read More →

Grigory Sokolov

Having read our article about Grigory Sokolow refusing the Cremona Music Award over an obvious incompatibility with Norman Lebrecht, the organizer sent us the following message which gives some background and their point of view. Read More →

In June it was announced as a serious option, today the Belgian group Pias Recordings confirmed that from 1 October on, Harmonia Mundi belongs to its portfolio. Within the group, Eva Coutaz will be a consultant for Harmonia Mundi productions. Pias was until now, not active in the field of classical music.

Jean-Yes Ossonce
(c) Christophe Gaye

French conductor Jean-Yves Ossonce has announced that he will quit his job as music director of the Grand Théâtre Lyrique et Symphonique in Tours at the end of the current season. In a letter to the mayor of Tours, he said, that after 16 years at the helm of the theatre and 20 years with the orchestra, he thought that the time has come for a change.

Auch 25 Jahre nach der Wiedervereinigung sind die Orchester im Osten Deutschlands noch nicht gesichert, teilt die Deutsche Orchestervereinigung (DOV) mit. Im Einigungsvertrag von 1990 sei im Artikel 35 Abs. 2 festgelegt: « Die kulturelle Substanz darf keinen Schaden nehmen.“ Das sei auf vielen Gebieten gelungen. « Leider gilt das in vielen Fällen noch nicht für die Orchester und Theater“, sagt Gerald Mertens, Geschäftsführer der DOV. Read More →

The organizers of the 17th Chopin International Piano Competition have announced that the final list of candidates includes eighty pianists from twenty countries. Poland, with 15 pianists, is followed by China (14), Japan (12) and South Korea (9). Russia, the United States, Italy, Canada and Great Britain are next on the list. The participants in the competition have been selected among 160 applicants who took part in the qualifying round held in Warsaw in the spring. Read More →

Beethovenhalle Bonn

Nachdem die Pläne für den Bau eines Beethoven-Festspielhauses geplatzt sind, muss die Stadt Bonn an eine notwendige Sanierung der Beethovenhalle denken. Diese soll ab Oktober 2016 geschlossen und spätestens vor dem Beethovenfest 2018 wieder eröffnet werden. Read More →

Der Stadtrat der schweizerischen Stadt Biel hat beschlossen, die finanzielle Unterstützung für das Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn (TOBS) ab 2018 um jährlich 360.000 Franken (ca. 330.000 Euro) zu kürzen. Ursprünglich war die Einsparung des ganzen Symphonieorchesters vorgesehen. Nun wird es dem Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn überlassen, wo es sparen will. Read More →

Grigory Sokolov

Pianist Grigory Sokolov refuses the Music Award of the city of Cremona (Italy). In a letter to the organizer, he says that he does not want to appear on a prize-winners list comprising the name of the music journalist Norman Lebrecht who was a prize-winner in 2014 (category communication). Lebrecht is one of today’s most controversial music journalists.

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