Met Goes to the Movies
Since January 2007, opera lovers in the United States and abroad have been able to see live Metropolitan Opera matinées and later, reruns of these performances at movie theaters. Only the most modern theaters can handle the live, high-definition broadcasts, but the reruns are available to other theaters and may also be shown on television.
Seats for the live transmissions have been hard to come by, says the Contra Costa Times of California, reporting that almost all venues have been selling out. Lauren Leff, spokesperson for National Cinemedia, said, “Ticket sales are exceeding our expectations,” the newspaper reported, adding that comments by attendees were positive.
www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/16334403.htm
Music Lovers Can Celebrate Some Upcoming Anniversaries
Classical music lovers can look forward to several significant anniversaries in the next three years. During 2007, we can commemorate the 1857 birth of British composer Edward Elgar and the 1907 birth of Hungarian-American film score writer Miklos Rozsa. It is also the 50th anniversary of the death of Jean Sibelius and the centenary of the death of Edvard Grieg. In 2008, we can celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Olivier Messiaen and the 100th anniversary of the death of Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
The year 2009 will be quite a banner year. It is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Felix Mendelssohn, as well as the bicentenary of the death of Franz Joseph Haydn, and the 250th anniversary of the death of Handel.
Insight from Caruso
Good singing comes from the heart, said one of history’s most famous singers.
“I always force myself to incarnate the personage I am interpreting. To be able to move the public, one has to feel. The whole secret resides in the heart of the artist. . . . If I can draw the man who cooks my macaroni from his fire, and if I can make him forget that there is such thing as food in this world, then I know I am touching the heights of my art.”
—Enrico Caruso as quoted in Opera Aria Ready for a Laugh, edited by Stephen and Nancy Tanner
Austin Lyric Opera Loses Top Executives
In late December, Managing Director Tamara Hale and Artistic Director Richard Buckley both announced they will leave their posts at Austin Lyric Opera by the end of this season. Board Chair Steve Davis told the Austin American-Statesman that the company is looking to hire a general director who can fill both positions. Buckley and Hale have been in their jobs since 2002 and 2003 respectively.
www.statesman.com
www.austin360.com/seeingthings
www.austinlyricopera.org/2006-07/about-2.asp
It Pays to Cross Over
While today’s leading classical instrumentalists and singers usually top the Classical Recordings Chart, the No. 1 title on the Billboard list for December 2006 was Songs from the Labyrinth by popular singer Sting. The CD is devoted to music by the 16th century English composer John Dowland.
Second on the list was the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s rendition of Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs and third was Joshua Bell’s Voice of the Violin. They were followed by the music of conductor André Rieu and movie score composer Mychael Danna.
www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=Top+Classical+Albums Billboard Charts
New Jersey Gets a New Orchestra
The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) now has its own chamber orchestra, the SOPAC Virtuosi. Maestro David Wroe of the Westfield (N.J.) Symphony started the new group with a number of musicians from Westfield and some other fine players who perform in that area.
The orchestra’s first concert was a rendition of Handel’s Messiah presented shortly before Christmas. On Feb. 9, the group continued its season with a program of Bach, Martinu, and Copland.
http://sopac.vpsland.com/news
