April 12, 2013   |
| | | Thought of the Day | | The past cannot be cured.
--Elizabeth I
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| Quote of the Week | | The works must be conceived with fire in the soul but executed with clinical coolness. --Joan Miro |
| | Sydney Opera House Partners with Samsung |  The Sydney Opera House has signed a three-year, multi-million-dollar deal with telecommunications giant Samsung whereby the 40-year-old facility will undertake about $1 billion in renovations over the next decade. Samsung in exchange gets rare harbor-side visibility on the SOH "sails" for its latest product launches, as well as credit for building an "interactive educational facility" for the opera house. "We are all about the next generation of the Opera House, and this partnership is about (technology) and putting it into action," said SOH Chief Executive Louise Herron. Among the elements of the deal are the creation of remote "sites" where people can watch performances in real time; large screen "interactive televisions" positioned around the SOH, also for real-time viewing; and the requisite technology for mobile phone and tablet live-streaming both inside and outside the opera house. |
Leading Man Misses the Downbeat |  It's every singer's worst nightmare. Canadian tenor Lance Ryan was scheduled to sing Siegfried with the Berlin Staatsoper Saturday afternoon, but ten minutes before curtain, he still hadn't shown up. So the (first) announcement from the stage was not about a last-minute substitution, but rather, "We don't know where our lead tenor is," according to the Telegraph. Conductor Daniel Barenboim remembered that Andreas Schager was in town to sing The Magic Flute with the Berlin Philharmonic. Schager knew the Wagner role, so the conductor summoned him, allegedly just 15 minutes before show time. In the end, Schager sang the role from the wings and an assistant director dressed in Ryan's costume took to the stage. Ryan arrived in time for Act 2. |
| | | Time to Retire the Machine? |  NEW YORK--It's not just the golden ring that carries a curse. The Metropolitan Opera's production of Wagner's epic seems to as well. On Saturday afternoon, the company launched the first of this season's three complete Ring cycles with a performance of the opening installment, Das Rheingold. And the high-tech staging by Robert Lepage malfunctioned once again. This time the problem apparently wasn't a mechanical breakdown of the 45-ton set with its 24 movable metal planks. Rather, the Met said in a statement that a "track and trolley system" that is supposed to guide two stunt doubles failed to operate, and as a result the order was given to freeze the planks in place for several minutes. The glitch ruined one of Lepage's more breathtaking effects [pictured]. The elaborate machinery has been plagued with problems, literally from Day One. |
| Arizona Opera GD Resigns |  Arizona Opera, which recently moved into a new facility, has announced that Scott Altman, general director since 2009, has resigned. Altman is former director of Opera New Jersey, which he founded with his wife some ten years ago. "Coming into a new position in the depths of a recession was a significant challenge," said Board Chair-elect Dr. Judith Wolf in thanking Altman. According to the Arizona Daily Star, the company was struggling against mounting debt due to lost ticket- and contributed-income at Altman's arrival. One way he solved the problem was to consolidate the Tucson and Phoenix administrations and to sell the Tucson facility. His moves, while effective, were not universally popular. MA.com subscribers read the full story |
| Sacramento Phil, Opera, Name Top Man |  The Sacramento Philharmonic and Sacramento Opera will merge July 1, as previously announced, operating independently but under the rubric of the Sacramento Regional Performing Arts Alliance, with one board of directors. The new news is the recent appointment of the group's general director, Robert Tannenbaum, 56, who starts as the merger becomes official. A native New Yorker with a BA in music history from Columbia College, Tannenbaum most recently served as executive director of the cultural division at the Esterházy Foundation in Austria. Neither Jane Hill, interim executive director of the Philharmonic, nor Rod Giddons, general director of the opera, was interested in the job. |
| Using Existing Recordings -- Not So Fast! |  To submit a question to GG Arts Law write to LawAndDisorder@MusicalAmerica.com Dear Law and Disorder: A few weeks ago you wrote a great article about how to obtain a mechanical license when someone wants to record music. But what about using a recording that already exists? We would like to promote an upcoming concert at our venue by putting some recordings of the artist on our website. Since the artist gave us the recordings, are we ok? Read the full story |
| Appealing Promotional Videos |  From Ask Edna by Edna Landau Dear Edna: First, thanks for your blog. I recommend it to folks all the time! And here's my latest question: I was wondering if you could give us your perspective on what makes an effective musician's publicity video - for both soloists and ensembles? I've been seeing such a variety of approaches, lengths and production values, it makes me wonder what you're recommending these days. Thanks. Angela Beeching, Longtime Edna fan and author, "Beyond Talent" |
The BSO - Helmless but Not Helpless |  From Why I Left Muncie by Sedgwick Clark The Boston Symphony Orchestra has taken its time in replacing James Levine, who stepped down as music director two years ago due to a back injury. While two years without a captain at the helm is hardly optimum, at least the orchestra has avoided Philadelphia's precipitous mismatch of Christoph Eschenbach (2003-2008). Last week in the two concerts I heard of the three it performed at Carnegie Hall, the BSO demonstrated that it remains close to the top of its game, with its traditional warmth, tonal elegance, and ease of virtuosity firmly in place. 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 Grandy, Elias, conductor, added, Rayfield Allied
Sigurdarson, Olafur, baritone, added, Rayfield Allied
Trevigne, Talise, soprano, added, Rayfield Allied
Whelan, Paul, bass, added, Rayfield Allied Read the full story |
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