Tag: 07.12.05

Liverpool Philharmonic Signs Russian Conductor

“The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic has appointed 29-year-old Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko to lead the orchestra into the city’s capital of culture year in 2008.He has signed an initial three-year contract as principal conductor and will conduct up to 25 concerts. He will be the youngest principal conductor of any leading British orchestra, although he cannot beat the record of Sir Simon Rattle, who took on the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at 25.”

Lloyd Webber Sells Theatres

Andrew Lloyd Webber has sold four of his West End theatres. “
Lord Lloyd-Webber said the £10m proceeds would be put towards the refurbishment over the next five years of his eight remaining music houses, including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. ‘These wonderful, treasured buildings have always been my first love and I am so pleased that we can ensure that they will be preserved and modernised,’ he said.”

Stonehenge Quarry Discovered

It’s only taken 4,500 years, but the quarry from which the stones for Stonehenge were taken in 2,500 BC has been found. “Archaeologists have long suspected that the bluestones, which form Stonehenge’s inner circle, came from the Preseli Hills, but no evidence of a quarry had been found in the area. Darvill and Wainwright report that geochemical analysis show that the rock formations at the prehistoric quarry are identical to those at Stonehenge.”

Classically Trained? Classically Stupid!

Why do pop musicians hide behind the phrase “Classically trained”? “Tossed into a bio or regurgitated in a feature article, that phrase—along with its cousins “classical background” and “classical studies”—can add depth to the frilliest of pop-culture images, leading some to think that a million-dollar contract is the only thing keeping their favorite artist from the recital hall. Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews’ violinist Boyd Tinsley, Beyoncé, and even the avant-hop producer the Automator, all have some form of ‘classical training.’ Here’s the problem: Few people outside of music students know what that really means.”

Music Sales Down, Downloads Triple

“Internet users in the U.S. downloaded 158 million individual songs from services like Apple Computer Inc.’s iTunes during the first half of the year, compared with 55 million in the year-ago period, SoundScan said. U.S. album sales, including downloads, fell 2.5 percent to 301.2 million units in the first half from 309 million a year earlier. Those figures included downloaded tracks equivalent to about 17.6 million albums this year and 6 million last year. Sales of albums, excluding these new digital formats, fell 7 percent to 282.6 million units.”

UK Downloads Top 10 Million

The number of songs legally downloaded from the internet in the UK during 2005 has topped the 10 million mark. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said the figure was almost twice the level for the whole of 2004.” And another odd stat: sales of vinyl signles are up 87 percent over last year.

Veteran Ohio Arts Council Director To Retire After 27 Years

After 27 years on the job, Ohio Arts Council director Wayne Lawson is retiring. “Lawson, a Cleveland native, raised the council to national prominence during his tenure. His leadership has been widely admired for having seen the council through a rocky political and economic era while simultaneously establishing well-regarded grants programs and arts services.”