Free Bernard – the campaign grows

Here are some breaking updates on recent stories in this blog.

- The free Haitink downloads have gone live in Holland – and in English. The first music comes free on March 9. Thanks to Rolf den Otter for these links.

http://haitink.radio4.nl/en/kijkenluister/http://haitink.radio4.nl/en/home/80-years-bernard-haitink.html 
http://haitink.radio4.nl/en/kijkenluister/

- Cincinnatti fears the demise of Telarc will consign its orchestras to oblivion. Cleveland, too, is not that happy.

- Rainer Mockert has sent me a brilliant user-friendly site for classical recordings. The group behind it, he reports, were 44 percent down on record sales in their shops but are enjoying a 5.8 percent rise online. You’ll need German to get the most out of the site, but here’s an English bite:

Our database currently includes around 390,000 CDs, 31,000 DVDs, more than 2,000,000 books, and 23,000 special interest offers like vinyl LPs, SACDs, and music DVDs, so that no wish is left unfulfilled. Moreover, we have more than 4,000 PC, console, and board games as well an amazing number of dirt-cheap offers and limited items on the offer pages and in the bargain market.

- From Australia, I’m delighted to hear that Libby Christie, who turned around the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, is taking charge of national arts funding. And from Canada …. oh, Canada. I guess that’ll have to be another day’s blog.

I try to update old blogs with Late Extra breaking updates, so do check back.

LATE EXTRA: And New York has woken up this morning to a stunning new opera reviewer – it’s the Post taking on the Times in the sleepwalker stakes. More of it, please.