News & Reviews

An inspiring article from the BBC about Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his sisters and brothers. Photo: Lars Borges

JoAnn Falletta recorded Richard Danielpour's The Passion of Yeshua with the UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, and Orchestra. JoAnn chatted with Rob Kennedy about the challenges of recording this lengthy account of the last hours of Christ's life on earth. Photo: Naxos.com

Special theme weekends are a regular feature of our programming. We look forward to some exciting events this fall, like Brothers and Sisters on September 14, Great Ballet Days from September 17 through 20, Armchair Travelers Weekend on October 10 and 11, and Great Nicknames Weekend on November 7 and 8. (Photo of Donato Cabrera, featured on Preview this quarter, by Lindsay Hale)

Author David Wyn Jones has turned in a remarkable work of music history in his book Music in Vienna: 1700, 1800, 1900. Vienna, of course, is famous for having been a great center of classical music for centuries. Wyn offers a biography of this crucial city by offering snapshots of the musical life at the turn of three centuries.

From the Associated Press: "Columbia Artists Management Inc., one of the leading agencies representing classical music performers, says it is shutting down."

From The Guardian: "Julian Bream, the British guitarist regarded as one of the finest exponents of the classical style, has died aged 87. The news was confirmed by his management company, who said he died “peacefully at home”. No cause of death was given."

From The Guardian: "Acclaimed musician known for interpretations of Brahms and Beethoven was forced to play left-handed for years, before successful treatment in 1990s."

From the ArtsDesk.com: "The RCM’s corridors are quieter than usual but commitment to musical learning resounds."

From BBC News: "Ennio Morricone, the Italian composer whose credits include the "spaghetti" Westerns that made Clint Eastwood a star, has died in Rome aged 91."

From The Guardian: "Polish-born violinist renowned for an intense lyricism combined with classical rigour"

From The Violin Channel: "The Vienna Boys Choir has announced that the ensemble is likely to be insolvent by September, 2020 - due the devastating economic affects of the Coronavirus pandemic."

From Sheku Kanneh-Mason: "Alison Balsom OBE, Nicola Benedetti, Sir Simon Rattle and I were invited, at short notice, to join a virtual meeting yesterday about the future of the music industry by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Oliver Dowden."

David Weiniger writes in the New York Times: "Fifty years ago, the Alban Berg Quartet was founded. A huge box set, comforting yet daring, is an immersive celebration." Photo: Warner Classics

From the New York Times: "Many artists have not been paid since March at the company, which hopes to return on New Year’s Eve after its longest interruption in over a century.." Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

English professor Matthew Lau has written a book on the uses of classical music in modernist cinema. With Sounds Like Helicopters we have a fascinating academic treatise on how classical music adds layers of meaning upon many of the most important films of the twentieth century.