Some Good News
A new study on the future of the arts, including the future of operatic artists, has just come out. To view the report, go to www.rand.org. Some good news: More and more power is going to go to individual artists. No longer will they have to rely on big record companies; they will have access directly to the public through the Internet and other venues. The bad news is the continuing trend towards more money going to the big stars—leaving less for the rest of the artists.
Singers and COBRA
Congress is now considering a subsidy bill for COBRA, the federal statute that guarantees your right to continue your former employer’s group health plan as individual or family health care coverage for up to 18 months at your own expense. 24 groups in the entertainment industry, including the singers’ union AGMA, are involved in lobbying for the bill since the start of this legislative session. Watch these pages for updates.
AGMA vs AFTRA
AGMA has stepped up efforts to take back ground lost to AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) over representing opera singers and ballet dancers in their recorded performances. Currently, singers must join AFTRA and pay dues again when singing an opera which will be broadcast on television. AGMA would like this changed. They have begun to sign individual agreements with opera houses covering Internet releases of videotaped operatic and ballet performances. So far, Houston, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. have signed.
La Scala Goes Under the Knife
December 31 marks the date of La Scala’s closure for a $50 million renovation, courtesy of the city of Milan. The theater is scheduled to reopen Dec 7, 2004. In the meantime, productions will take place in a newly constructed theater, the Teatro degli Arcimboldi, on the outskirts of Milan. While the 223-year-old theater will be subject only to redecoration, the backstage and offices will be gutted and completely rebuilt. As it stands now, the theater cannot accommodate more than one set at a time, limiting the number of productions to 90 per year. After the renovation, the house will be able to put on between 120-160 productions per year.
The Wagner Family Soap Opera
Wolfgang Wagner, grandson of famed composer Richard Wagner, still refuses to step down from his position as director of the Bayreuth Festival. Although the board of directors tried to force his exit by naming his daughter from his first marriage, Eva Wagner-Pasquier, as the new director beginning in October of ‘02, he has not acknowledged the appointment. Eva has stated that as long as Wolfgang refuses to step down, she does not want the position. A new bidder, Wolfgang’s niece Nike Wagner, who currently works as a music critic, now makes her way to the stage. She has not been helping her case by publishing attacks on her uncle’s old-fashioned management of the festival. Wolfgang, however, has a lifetime contract that can only be self-terminated. He maintains that the only person worthy of succeeding him is his second wife: Gudrun. Wolfgang’s son Gottfried should be the direct successor; unfortunately, he alienated himself from the family years ago by publishing information regarding Richard Wagner’s anti-Semitism, mother of Wolfgang Winifred Wagner’s close association with Hitler and the Nazis,and Wolfgang’s own alleged anti-Semitic views. And so the board of directors and Wolfgang remain at a stalemate.
Competition Winners
The winner of the Marilyn Horne Foundation Vocal Competition is tenor Ramone Diggs, while the Vocal Accompanying Award went to Nino Sanikedze. The winner of the Joy in Singing Competition is soprano Sharla Nafziger. The winners of the Zachary Competition are John Matz, Julie Makerov, Garrett Sorenson, Mark McCrory, Burak Bligili, Mirjam Tola, James Criswell, Estelle Kruger, Megan Miller and Christina Bouras.
Barenboim Brings Wagner to Israel
Many people are not so happy with the music director of the Chicago Symphony, Daniel Barenboim. Israel officials are encouraging boycott of any future engagements. They are calling his actions a “cultural rape.” The conductor, who himself is a native of Israel, made history at the Israel Festival on July 7 where he broke the informal anti-Wagner ban in Israel. The program of the concert originally included the first act of Die Walküre featuring tenor Placido Domingo, but criticism and protest from Holocaust survivors prompted the festival to exclude music by Hitler’s favorite composer. Barenboim agreed to perform Schumann’s Symphony No. 4 and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring instead. After the scheduled program, however, Barenboim reportedly turned to the audience and asked if they would like to hear a piece by Wagner as an encore, which incited enthusiastic applause from most of the audience. He invited anyone who would be offended to leave the theater. A half-hour later, the prelude to Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde was able to begin, although the first few minutes were subject to continued noise from the disapproving critics in the hall. The piece drew a standing ovation from the approving audience, many of whom were themselves Holocaust survivors. Although many people are angry, perhaps this is the first step to the disassociation of Wagner’s musical genius from Hitler’s devastating heritage.
Napster Moving Towards Legitimization
As BMG chief Konrad Hilbers takes over the floundering company, he cites his main goal to move the company towards a subscription-based download service. He replaces CEO Hank Barry, who will still remain on the board of directors. Napster users have dwindled significantly while other music-swapping sites, such as Gnutella and Bearshare, have seen tremendous upswings for those surfers that are determined to continue infringing copyright laws.
Download Free Sheet Music at mutopiaproject.org
This website is devoted to the distribution of sheet music whose copyright has expired or that has no copyright. Selections are small but growing, and founder Han-Wen Nienhuys says, “I have a silent hope that (copyright laws) will change someday when people realize how much more fun it is to give away things.”
Three Tenors, Prix Fixe
AOL Time Warner Inc. and Vivendi Universal SA, who are under contract to market the recordings of the Three Tenors, are in some hot water with the Federal Trade Commission after it was discovered that they had agreed to fix the prices of early Three Tenors’ Concerts. Apparently the companies did not think that the 1998 Three Tenors album would be as successful as previous albums. Consequently, they decided not to allow discount prices on previous albums, which, according to the FTC, violates anti-trust laws.
Ms. Battle Invokes Diva’s License to Disappoint
Kathleen Battle’s highly anticipated and sold-out performance at the Brevard Music Center was scheduled for July 14, but the audience did not leave the theater with amorous inclinations towards the 52-year-old singer. Because of an unassociated disagreement earlier that day at the Heritage Antique Mall, she started her performance 30 minutes late, and sang for only 35 minutes: a fraction of the planned program. The audience responded with boos and jeers and the Brevard Music Center had to reconsider its no-refund policy for concerts.
Watson Left Hanging at Concert
July 14 also was the date of the Picnic with Pavarotti, Pavarotti’s only concert in the UK this year. The fans loved it. After the performance, however, it was revealed that Pavarotti was scheduled to sing a duet with the new British tenor Russell Watson as a finale; 20 minutes before he was scheduled to be on stage, Watson was informed that the duet was off. As a replacement, Pavarotti sang a duet from La Traviata with Italian soprano Annalisa Raspagliosi.
Giuliani? An Opera Star?
Ok, so maybe he’s not ready for La Scala, but New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani made his operatic debut in the final production of the New York Grand Opera’s Viva Verdi, the cycle of Verdi’s 28 operas. Several minutes into the show, the mayor appeared as Falstaff’s second wine-server: a non-speaking role.
