March 15, 2013   |
| | | Thought of the Day | | I don't want life to imitate art. I want life to be art.
--Ernst Fischer
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| Quote of the Week | | The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware. --Henry Miller |
| | ROH's Pappano Decries Diva/Divo Drop-outs |  Sir Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House for over a decade, went on a bit of a tirade this week on the occasion of the ROH's 2013-14 season announcement.The increase by major artists in last-minute cancellations has apparently gotten to him. "It happens more and more," he said. "There's something about this generation of singers who are either weaker in their bodies or just don't care.... It's something that is very frustrating for me personally. I have to conduct these guys." "Physically the organisms are not as strong," he continued. "For Domingo to cancel he would have to be on his death bed. It's just a different generation." Previously "a contract was a contract. The attitude is not the same." |
San Francisco Symphony Players on Strike |  As threatened, San Francisco Symphony musicians have opted to go on strike, one week prior to their scheduled Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center concerts. Management issued a statement Wednesday indicating that, rather than continuing contract negotiations under a federal mediator, the players, displeased with the current option on the table, have decided on a complete work stoppage. The first concert to be cancelled was scheduled for March 14 at 2 p.m. As of this writing, concerts for March 15 and 17 have not been cancelled. Yet.
The offer on the table is as follows: minimum base salary of $141,700 in the first year, with multi-year increases to $144,560 by the end of the three-year proposed contract. Additional compensation would include radio payments, over-scale, and seniority raises. Benefits--including full cost of health insurance, pension, sick leave, and ten weeks vacation--remain completely intact from the last contract. SFS musicians are the third highest-paid symphony orchestra players in the country; they are seeking a 5 percent raise. exposure. |
| | | Manhattan School of Music Names President |  The provost and executive VP of Roosevelt University in Chicago, Dr. James Gandre, is to be the new president of the Manhattan School of Music, succeeding composer Robert Sirota, who left last year. Gandre, 53, starts in May. He appears to have the right qualities to prepare students for the harsh realities of today's music business. A onetime professional tenor with a Masters degree from the San Francisco Conservatory, Gandre holds a PhD in Education from the University of Nebraska and is a strong proponent of the use of technology in education. His appointment is a bit of a homecoming; Gandre worked at MSM from 1995-2000, most recently as dean of enrollment and alumni. Perhaps most importantly, he is said to be a "gifted" fundraiser. MA.com subscribers read the full story |
| Clapping Music Meets Radiohead | LONDON--There has to be some hope for the world when the Royal Festival Hall can sell out its 2,500 seats to people who want to hear an old man clapping. Such is the draw of America's "greatest living composer" (New York Times) Steve Reich, who with percussionist David Hockings set the scene for a March 5 concert with his 1971 trademark piece, Clapping Music. It could be that some who filled the seats were fans of rock band Radiohead, for it was the group's songs that inspired Reich's Radio Rewrite, receiving its world premiere at the concert. This is orchestral Steve Reich, a matured, relaxed Steve Reich--he allows almost Mahlerian moments of calm, slowing the rhythm right down--but he has lost none of his vitality and verve. Rhythmic vigor and punchy instrumentation are both in abundance, but there is also an attractive lyricism to his writing that is captivating. |
| Vienna Philharmonic Reveals Nazi Past |  Many of the Vienna Philharmonic musicians were members of the Nazi party during Hitler's regime, according to a report the orchestra issued March 10. Further, the orchestra delivered one of its most prestigious awards to a Nazi war criminal two decades after the end of World War II. The Philharmonic has long been under fire for hiding the details of its Nazi past; the report includes biographies of Jewish members who were driven out and sent to death camps. Among the most startling revelations was the origin of its famed New Year's concert, which today is broadcast to an audience of more than 50 million in 80 countries. It was designed as a propaganda vehicle for the Nazi party. The orchestra held the release of its report until its return to Austria from its U.S. tour earlier this month. |
| Then is now | | 
From Rough and Regie by James Jorden With one of my favorite opera productions returning to the Met tonight, I've been considering lately what makes Willy Decker's Traviata so fine, so satisfying, and so worth a return visit. Of course I am impressed and even moved by the deliberate rejection of sentimentality in the treatment of a very deeply emotional work, and, as I've said before, Decker's take on the work is one of the few that clearly and thoughtfully addresses the story of "Marguerite Gauthier" (et. al.) as myth. But it wasn't until recently that another piece fell into place. Read the full story |
| Another Taxing Question |  To submit a question to GG Arts Law write to LawAndDisorder@MusicalAmerica.com Dear Law and Disorder: There seems to be some clarification needed regarding income earned by non-US artists we represent who perform in Canada. We act as the agent for the artists, so payment is always made to us. If an artist will be performing in Canada, but payment comes to us in the US before it is sent to the artist, is it still subject to US withholding (potentially 30%)? If an artist earns money in Canada and the payment comes to us as agent for the artist does that income get recorded in the 1042S that we provide the artist at the end of the calendar year? I am hoping you can provide me with an answer that I can forward on to my colleagues. Thanks, you guys are great! |
Lessons Learned From Crowdfunding | | 
From Ask Edna by Edna Landau Dear Edna: I am Associate Professor of Piano at a university music school in the U.S. and enjoy reading your blog very much. I also encourage my students to read it. For a number of years, I have been researching piano compositions written by female composers and I have now collected enough music to make a cd recording. I realize it is unlikely that a record company would release the cd and cover the expenses so I've been thinking of producing it myself. I know that others have undertaken such projects through crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter and I am happy to go that route. However, I am wondering if there are things I should know up front to avoid making any mistakes and to maximize the effectiveness of my campaign. Any advice you can give me would be most appreciated. -- Stephanie B. Read the full story |
Happy Birthday, Pierre Boulez |  From Why I Left Muncie by Sedgwick Clark All scribes like to receive mail, even negative, because it shows that someone is reading us. A welcome note about last week's blog, which concerned my love of youth orchestras, arrived from my good friend John Canarina, conductor, educator, critic, and author most recently of The New York Philharmonic: From Bernstein to Maazel (Amadeus Press): "You wrote last week in your blog about hearing Boulez conduct the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain in 1977. Though we didn't know each other at the time, I was there, too! I agree with you 100 percent in your assessment and remembrance of that concert. It was stupendous, probably the finest Boulez concert I've ever heard." In its totality, I agree. But there were several unforgettable concerts during his Philharmonic years that deserve mention, beginning with those four electrifying programs in February and March 1969 that earmarked him as Leonard Bernstein's successor as music director.... Read the full story |
| Latest Roster Changes |  Musical America is helping presenters keep up with its advertisers! Managers whose rosters appear in the 2013 edition of the Musical America Directory should write to listings@musicalamerica.com with the names of artists and attractions that have been either added or removed, and please be sure to indicate "added" or "removed." NEW THIS WEEK Clarke, Catherine, soprano, added, United Artists and Authors Agency/UNA Grundy, Christopher, baritone, added, United Artists and Authors Agency/UNA Provenzale, Nicholas, baritone, added, United Artists and Authors Agency/UNA Sriraman, Lakshmi, Bharatanatyam dancer, added, United Artists and Authors Agency/UNA Read the full story |
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