Category: music

Any such acquisition would be without precedent, but the size and history of Opus 3 makes the announcement headline news not only in the world of music and art but also among business executives and attorneys. Few details are contained in the original announcement and the source of financing what must be a multimillion-dollar acquisition remains confidential — at least for the time being. – San Francisco Classical Voice

In Milan, 18 choristers and three woodwind players have come down with the coronavirus, even as La Scala has shut down again. At the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, 12 employees, among them management, chorus singers, orchestral players and ballet dancers, have tested positive for COVID so far. – AP

Jazz has always been a kind of extroverted modernism, and always allowed the atonality and experimentation of introverted modernism (see Coltrane’s later works). However, it has always rejected perverse modernism. That has much to do with religion and the Christianity of the black churches. – First Things

“On the one hand, then, initiatives toward diversity and inclusion are placing new names on concert programs, syllabi, and research papers, names that might not have been there 10 or 20 years ago—or even last year. But these names are appearing next to those that have been drilled deep into our brains by the forces of the inherited canon. This collision between increasing diversity and the mononyms of music history has created a hierarchical system that, whether or not you find it useful, can now only be seen as outdated and harmful.” – Slate

Ever since the bass clarinetist tested positive for the coronavirus, “they have been placed in the same section of the 1,080-room camp [on Lantau Island], each minimally furnished room the size of a standard shipping container. Jamming and group rehearsals are banned, obviously, given that nobody can leave their own rooms.” Here’s how they’re getting through the days. – South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)

The sociopolitical perspective driving Kaê’s music connects with a recent cultural movement gaining popularity among urban Indigenous artists, known as Indigenous futurism. Kaê says it is about “daring to envision ourselves in the future, and using new technologies to enhance Indigenous visibility”. – The Guardian

“My worry is that so many musicians will be forced to leave the profession that we will not be able to return to anything like the cultural life that we enjoyed previously. And that this exodus is happening right now, and that it will not be noticed until it is too late,” said Rattle. – The Guardian

On the eve of lockdown in March, the Poor Clares of Arundel “were in the final stages of recording their debut album. The sisters hope it will bring some of the simple, balanced principles of cloister life to those struggling with the fallout from Covid.”  – The Observer (UK)

The monetary losses are staggering. But far worse was what happened during the first months. Mark Swed: “The L.A. Phil publicly demonstrated little leadership. One minute it was in the midst of a revolutionary and radically prescient ‘Power to the People’ festival; the next minute, the power was summarily turned off.” – Los Angeles Times