Met and ENO Commission New Work
With a combined commission from the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera, composer Nico Muhly is writing an opera that will be premiered in London in 2011 and in New York during the 2013-2014 season. The libretto, based on the true story of a teenager who plans his own murder by means of the Internet, is by playwright and film director Craig Lucas.
“It’s a huge thrill to be asked to write a full-sized opera for two of the most exciting houses in the world,” says Muhly, who describes his forthcoming opera as “dark and dramatic.” Met General Manager Peter Gelb says, “Creating successful new operas is a daunting challenge but, hopefully, we have stacked the odds in our favor with this brilliant team.”
www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_news.php?id=1430
Rest in Peace Philip Langridge
On March 5, 2010, British tenor Philip Langridge passed away at the age of 70. During the current Metropolitan Opera season, he sang the witch in Hansel and Gretel. During his time in New York, he was heard to say that he didn’t think he had ever had so much fun in his whole career. He was noted for his searing portrayal of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes and for his total commitment to the opera stage.
His wife, mezzo-soprano Ann Murray, and four children survive him.
www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/mar/07/philip-langridge-obituary
Salzburg Festival Names Culprit
Salzburg Governor Gabi Burgstaller says that Summer Festival Technical Director Klaus Kretschmer is entirely responsible for company losses of as much as $1.1 million, reports Bloomberg. He is accused of contracting and paying for outside work that was never performed.
Currently, Kretschmer is in a hospital recovering from a suicide attempt, although he denied any wrongdoing when he was fired in January. No other festival employees were found to be part of the scheme, but outsiders did collaborate with him and the Austrian government expects to apprehend them.
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601112&sid=aZ9Ttj7ty_Mw
How Many Contraltos Are Singing These Days?
Rupert Christiansen, of the British newspaper the Telegraph, asks where all the contraltos have gone. Some years ago, there were numerous women singers with resonant low voices. Kathleen Ferrier, Marion Anderson, and Janet Baker are three examples. Now, very few singers call themselves contraltos, although Ewa Podleś and Meredith Arwady are notable exceptions. Most women with low ranges refer to themselves as mezzo-sopranos and work on their top notes because there are far more roles for mezzos than for contraltos.
In the past, contraltos often sang more concerts, oratorios, and recitals than opera. Currently, there is much less of an audience for oratorios other than Messiah, and only true superstars can sell out recitals. Contralto operatic roles like Erda in Wagner’s Ring and Ulrica in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera are often sung by mezzo-sopranos. Today, most singers born with the lowest vocal range will work at training their voices upwards so that they can also sing high Cs.
www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/7309084/Where-have-all-the-contraltos-gone.html
Gockley Hopes to Consolidate Scattered Opera Facilities
David Gockley, general director of San Francisco Opera, would like to consolidate the company’s facilities which are now in seven different locations around the city. His wish is to transform the parking lot behind the Veterans Building into an annex. A preliminary analysis indicates a price approaching $60 million, but lowering the cost of transporting items from shops to stage would offset much of it. Gockley has submitted documents to the city’s Capital Planning Committee, but the plans are merely preliminary at this point. However, construction could begin in 2013 when the Veterans Building is expected to undergo seismic retrofitting.
www.sfexaminer.com/local/Opera-envisions-expansion-84935487.html
Stroke Victims Recover More Fully with Music Therapy
New research revealed at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science suggests that intensive musical therapy can improve speech in stroke patients, reports the Associated Press. Gottfried Schlaug, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, reported that “music making is a multisensory experience activating links to several parts of the brain.” He then showed a video of one patient who could not speak but learned to sing “I am thirsty.” He noted, however, that this kind of therapy is helpful only for people who have had a severe stroke on the left side of the brain.
Other researchers found that music education can improve the speech of children who suffer from autism or developmental dyslexia.
www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/22/aaas.music.language/index.html
articles.sfgate.com/2010-02-20/news/17950036_1_music-training-stroke-treatments-brain
