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China cracks down on Western sacred classics

Brenda Tremblay — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:57:03 -0400

A British newspaper is reporting that Chinese authorities are banning or tightening controls on performances of sacred classics such as Handel's Messiah and Mozart's Requiem. Even Carmina Burana has fallen under suspicion. (The Rochester Oratorio Society's repertoire came under Chinese scrutiny over the summer. Only a few weeks before the group's trip to China, conductor Eric Townell got an e-mail saying all of the music had to be vetted. His strategy? He sent translations with the word "Lord" spelled with a small "l" in hopes authorities might miss it.) Read the article here.

HD Opera lovers invited to join the group discussion

Ruth Phinney — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:06:57 -0400

If you love the Metropolitan Opera in HD - Met @ the Movies - you are invited to join a group of like-minded individuals on Facebook. Check out the new group "Rochester Met @ the Movies Fans" where you can connect with others and even join a discussion. Go to http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2726805992#/group.php?... to join the group!

Feedback

Brenda Tremblay — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:45:34 -0400

Being able to take constructive criticism well is a gift. Especially in publishing and broadcasting, feedback often feels personal, and no matter how reasonably it’s delivered it can reduce one to a quivering, gelatinous mass .

In the radio business, the general rule is every single comment from a listener probably represents what hundreds of others think, too. Good and bad. For the most part, the radio program managers I know take listeners pretty seriously.

Criticism from peers sounds even more loudly. So when the Public Radio Program Directors Association released contest judges’ reactions to a piece I produced, I braced myself.

More HD Opera opportunities

Ruth Phinney — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:12:12 -0400

WXXI is pleased to co-sponsor the presentation of The Little Theatre and Emerging Pictures presentation of International Opera in the Cinema. Featuring new productions from world-renowned La Scala and Italy's other great opera houses, this series marks The Little's first venture into digital programming.

Saturday's Met at the Movies

Ruth Phinney — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:26:09 -0400

This Saturday, October 11th, at 1:00 p.m. the Metropolitan Opera will present the next HD broadcast live in movie theaters across the country. Richard Strauss' Salome will feature Finnish soprano Karita Mattila, Ildiko Komlosi, Kim Begley, Joseph Kaiser, baritone Juha Uusitalo as Jochanaan, and conductor Mikko Franck.

Siren Song

Mark Grube — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:31:19 -0400

Chinese folk music wasn’t on my list of expectations going into the Austin City Limits Music Festival, but it definitely ended up on my list of highlights. We started Day 3 with Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet featuring Bela Fleck (AWATSQFBF for short). They're in the midst of a US tour, but nobody here knows the words to Taiyang Chulai. When the group toured Tibet, thousands of school kids sang along to the traditional melody.

Buffalo Phil Director appointed to National Council on the Arts

Brenda Tremblay — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:43:29 -0400

The Buffalo News is reporting that President Bush has appointed JoAnn Falletta to the National Council on the Arts. Falletta has served as music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra for the past 10 years.

Council members help wade through grant applications, decide how tax money is spent, and weigh in on national initiatives. They also advise the National Endowment for the Arts on programs and policies.

Falletta is in good company: musicians such as Leonard Bernstein and Isaac Stern have served on the same council. Her term will expire in 2012.

Questions for the Candidates

Julie Levy — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:58:40 -0400

Mud Booger Plague

Mark Grube — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:44:49 -0400

This guy walks into a bar, sits down next to a girl and introduces himself as a professional serial lady-killer. “I’m already dead,” the girl responds.

That scene, from the Old 97’s tune “Barrier Reef,” helped kick off Day 2 of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. After wandering a bit through the morning, our strategy was to stake a claim at the AMD stage and stay there. The line-up: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Robert Earl Keen, John Fogerty and Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

Bring on more guys with purple hair

Brenda Tremblay — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 06:31:37 -0400

The Rochester music scene gets some press in this lengthy New York Times article about Eastman grad Caleb Burhans. Reporter Allan Kozinn writes that Burhans took a job as a substitute in the Rochester Philharmonic “. . . which was sometimes rocky. Once, when Mr. Burhans turned up at a rehearsal with his hair dyed purple, the orchestra’s managing director asked him to do something about it before the concert. Mr. Burhans turned up in a witch’s wig, cut short. The next week he tried to dye his hair a conventional red, but because of the purple die, it came out crimson, so he shaved his head. ‘I found out that one of the trumpet players was going around saying that I was making a mockery of classical music because my hair was purple,’ Mr. Burhans said. ‘And I had a really intense conversation with the managing director, where I said: ‘You know, I’m just trying to help classical music, because if we don’t get more people like me coming to these concerts, this orchestra is going to die. The only people who are coming are old people, and you’re shooting yourself in the foot.’ And he said: ‘Yeah, you’re right. Sorry.’”