Rich was a terrific writer and an enthusiastic booster of LA’s dynamic classical music scene. Here’s the obituary from the OC Register. (Hat tip: Christopher O’Reilly)
UPDATE: Here’s Allan Kozinn obit, just posted to the NY Times Web site.
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NPR looks at the Philadelphia Orchestra
… and its continuing financial woes. It’s worth pointing out that the final section of the article puts perhaps too much of a link between the orchestra and their venerable former venue. The lion’s share of the orchestra’s recordings made during Eugene Ormandy’s tenure as music director were made not at the acoustically uneven Academy of Music but at other venues, notably Philadelphia Town Hall, which yielded a far different sound than the orchestra created on their “home turf.” Additionally, the orchestra’s “Ormandy” sound had changed drastically before the move from the Academy to Kimmel Center under Ormandy’s successors Riccardo Muti and Wolfgang Sawallisch.
All Hail the Glorious Teabag Comrades!
I direct your attention to this one sentence:
The Tea Party movement’s dirty little secret is that its chief financial backers owe their family fortune to the granddaddy of all their hatred: Stalin’s godless empire of the USSR.
You know you have to read the rest. Click here for Yasha Levine’s terrific article on the Tea Party’s Bolshevik bankroll.
Crossposted to APJ
Musicians as citizens: Ilona Oltusky on Evgeny Kissin
Somehow I managed to miss Ilona Oltusky’s fascinating take on Evgeny Kissin’s outspoken opposition to what he sees as increasing anti-Semitism “in some of the prominent British media in general and the BBC in particular in the last few years.” Ouch. The post makes for provocative reading — as does Kissin’s scathing open letter to the Beeb.
On Robert Schumann | To Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann‘s piano music never made much of an impression on me when I was in high school or college; it wasn’t until I began to delve into the music of Johannes Brahms as a student and listener that I began to work my way back to the music of his mentor and take a careful listen.
Comeback Kid
You could use a little bit of inspiration, and Vivien Schweitzer’s profile of violinist Augustin Hadelich in tomorrow’s NY Times will provide an excellent source. My sources tell me that his debut CD from Avie is impressive indeed, and once I snag up a copy I’ll put my two cents in…
Light blogging for the next week or so…
… and apologies for the sparseness of posts through March. Lots coming, including some top tens and mystery tracks, plus the two disc audiophile formats you must hear to believe.
James Levine indisposed (again), setting off scramble at MET and BSO
James Barron has the details at the NY Times. Maestro Levine’s continuing struggle against multiple illnesses has many of his fans worried, but if there is any good news to come out of this it is that Italian conductor Fabio Luisi, who recently quit as director of the Staatskapelle Dresden, will be leading Tosca and Lulu at the MET. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: he’s one of the most exciting maestros in Europe, and I’d wager that he’d make a hugely favorable impression as a music director on this side of the Atlantic.
Orchestras Become Record Labels…
… and the Internet becomes a virtual concert hall. Daniel Wakin has the story and the links.
Apologies for the dearth of posts in the last two weeks; back up to speed soon.
America’s Most Underrated Pianist?
The Boston Globe profiles pianist Russell Sherman. Go read. While you’re at it, get the recent DVD on Avie.