The Detroit Symphony has returned to the stage after six long months of contract negotiation. It marked the achievement with a weekend of free concerts led by music director Leonard Slatkin, featuring symbolic works such as Dvorak’s New World Symphony and Barber’s Adagio for Strings.
While the return of a major American orchestra is decidedly joyous, there were reminders of the struggles the organization faced during the 26 weeks musicians were on strike. Some players did not return to their posts, including the entire percussion section. View Full Article »
Posts Tagged ‘orchestra’
Detroit Symphony Returns to Stage
Standing Room Only
Syracuse Symphony Closes Doors
Takes Syracuse Symphony Youth Orchestra With It
The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra was forced to shut down in the middle of its 50th season when the Board of Trustees voted to suspend operations on March 29. Citing a $5.5 million deficit and an inability to reach an agreement between the board and the musicians, the organization was forced to cancel all remaining concerts without refunding ticketholders.
The Syracuse Symphony website contains only the image above as a testament to what would have been its 50th season. It is followed simply by an explanation of the orchestra’s plan to suspend operations and layoff both its staff and musicians. Perhaps the most hard hitting line of the paragraph is the declaration that all remaining concerts are canceled, which reads “All concerts have been cancelled for the remainder of this season, including the Yo-Yo Ma concert scheduled for April 27. The SSO is unable to issue refunds for tickets because we have run out of money.” View Full Article »
A Stroll Through “The Old Burying Ground”
A Song Cycle by Evan Chambers
Evan Chambers’ The Old Burying Ground is a new orchestral song cycle inspired by epitaphs from an 18th century graveyard in New Hampshire. Scored for soloists and orchestra, The Old Burying Ground creates the spirit of each song through astute instrumentation and selective use of soprano (Anne-Carolyn Bird), tenor (Nicholas Phan), and folk singer (Tim Eriksen). The premier recording, made by The University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Kenneth Kiesler, provides an arresting first look at this neo-traditional American work. View Full Article »
Breaking: Orchestra Finance Woes Part II, Syracuse Symphony
The Syracuse Symphony Orchestra cut its upcoming season from 40 to 34 weeks today in an effort to endure dwindling funds. Meanwhile, the orchestra needs to raise $500,000 to cover the deficit in its $7.4 million budget, says The Watertown Daily Times. Faced with possibility of shutting down for the summer, the SSO managed to keep its doors open with help from an anonymous benefactor. View Full Article »
Basically All North American Arts Organizations Losing Money: Part I
Barely Counts as News Anymore
Editor’s note: The Sound Post generally avoids covering the recent downturn in arts funding as it does little to help the situation and simultaneously neglects the more important aspect of the industry—the art. But just as the headlines flow about organizations seeing red, there is a similar trickle of news about surfacing grants and endowments. So, this multi-part story will attempt to chronicle the down and up of the music industry; for now we lament the dwindling zeros, but look for updates on how everyone is not only keeping their heads above water, but climbing back into the boat.
As the cooling economy continues to do its number on the numbers of many North American arts organizations, orchestras and opera houses across the US are reevaluating their budgets in an effort to weather the dreary economic climate. View Full Article »
Pianist Pascal Roge Is Definition Of Classy
Class Act of the Day
It’s good to see that some people are already getting into the holiday spirit!
When Scott Freck, the general manager of the North Carolina Symphony made the call to virtuoso pianist, Pascal Rogé, to inform him of their inability to honor his contract for a performance of the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos because of financial constraints, he was more than likely ready for a verbal beat-down, or at the least a serious case of embarrassment.
What he didn’t expect, was Rogé offering not only to play the concert for free, but also to bring his wife, Ami Rogé, to play alongside him.
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Newsweek: Classical Music’s Version of Dodgers vs. Yankees: A Youthquake Hits Both Coasts
California Remains Attached
Before the Dodgers relinquished their chance at the Series, Newsweek featured an article capitalizing on the potential bi-coastal competition and profiled the two conductors who recently claimed their coasts: Alan Gilbert and Gustavo Dudamel. Author Seth Colter Walls asserts that the LA and NY Philharmonics are not in competition, but instead share the goal of bringing conductors’ names into American—even international—homes.
Citing that both conductors have already commissioned and premiered works by well known composers, Walls indicates the pair intend to, and are capable of renewing interest in new music and bringing young audiences to concert halls. Click to read the Newsweek article containing the words “buttress” and “contemporaneity.”
The New Yorker: Why So Serious?
Let's Put a Smile on that Face
While concertgoers today might resent those who unknowingly applaud or whisper between movements of a piece, it seems such gaffes have only recently begun to draw frowns. The familiar silent audience who applauds in appropriate places is of relatively new invention. Relative, of course, to the age of music in the classical repertoire. As it turns out, classical concerts used to be noisy, social gatherings where aristocrats could mingle and the public could turn bourgeois into a verb.
The September 8th issue of The New Yorker featured the article “Why So Serious?” In it, writer Alex Ross chronicles the history of classical concert tradition.
Ross cites examples from performances at the Paris Opera and recitals by the pianist credited with creating modern piano performance tradition, Franz Liszt. Ross compares Liszt’s recitals to “The Ed Sullivan Show,” claiming that Liszt would solicit suggestions from the audience for subjects to improvise at the piano. Furthermore, Liszt is said to have modulated not only between tonal centers, but entire pieces. As Ross explains it:
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