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MUSIC

The Joys And Perils Of Staging Don Giovanni

The opera is a work "of slippery psychology, frank humanity and, crucially, crystalline construction that punishes any mistake onstage or in the orchestra pit." - The New York Times

Flagship HMV Music To Reopen Its Shuttered Flagship Store In London

It said the return to 363 Oxford Street was due to a "dramatic turnaround", with HMV returning to profit in 2022. The store will have different branding and a new layout. - BBC

Lebrecht — One Man’s Relationship With Beethoven’s Music

It is a sad fact in the 2020s that anyone writing a book praising the achievements of an artist on the order of Ludwig van Beethoven situates himself on the dangerous side of a political question. - The Wall Street Journal

Spokane Symphony Faces A $1 Million Deficit

"Expiring pandemic-related government funds, a scuttling stock market and the increasing cost of doing business have left the 78-year-old arts organization seeking some help. … Symphony boosters are right now seeking $300,000 in donations ahead of the end of their fiscal year in June." - The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA)

What Blair Tindall Got Right About The Classical Music World

 In the pre-#MeToo era, when we had yet to shift from feminism’s third wave into its fourth, it was easy—even forgivable—to miss what Tindall left hidden in plain sight. - Van

Pappano: The Challenges Of Conducting Music For The Royal Coronation

"You can imagine the challenges of getting the choir, the organ, the fanfare and the orchestra together. So yes, it's going to be very challenging, but potentially very exciting." - BBC

The Art Of Classical Music Fashion

While not every musical artist takes risks — in their repertory or their apparel choices, be they prét-à-porter or the hautest of haute — it’s great for audiences to take in a performance visually as well as aurally. - San Francisco Classical Voice

Pianist Angela Hewitt On How To Keep So Many Pieces Memorized As She Ages

"At the age of 64, (my brain is) definitely shrinking, and memorising has become a very conscious, frustrating and time-consuming activity. But I stick at it because memory is a muscle that needs to be constantly used to stay in any sort of shape." - The Guardian

A Cache Of Unknown Songs By Donizetti Has Been Discovered

Musicologist Roger Parker found the works — some of which were published in the 19th century and faded from view, others only in manuscript — in archives in Paris, Naples, Bergamo, and even a monastery in Austria. The songs will be performed and recorded over the next three years. - The Observer (UK)

“We Are Facing A Long-Term Fight For Existence”: Read Simon Rattle’s Speech On Britain’s Funding Cuts

"There is nobody here tonight, even musicians, who does not recognise the enormous challenges faced by the world at present and this country in particular, where people are struggling even to heat and feed themselves. But none of this is a force majeure. It is rooted in political choices." - Musical America

How Streaming Algorithms Turned My Music-Listening To Sludge

My sludge addiction sprang from Spotify’s algorithmically curated playlists, which promised to help me focus or find music tailored to my tastes. But at a tap, these playlists drip-fed me endless pap that dissolved into the background. - Wired

Big Ears’ Ashley Capps And The Art Of Curating Music

Big Ears started very small in 2009, and very organically. It had been discussed for a number of years and was rooted in a passion for music that wasn’t always on people’s radar screens, that had much more niche audiences. - The Fader

Apple’s New Classical Music App Understands Classical

As long as we’re living in a streaming world, we might as well have technology that reflects the specific contours of the classical repertoire. Now, at last, we do. - San Francisco Chronicle

How Can A Judge Decide If Ed Sheeran Copied From Marvin Gaye?

"The music industry is keenly interested in the outcome. Over the last decade, the business has been rocked by a series of infringement suits that have involved questions of just how much or how little of the work of pop songwriters can be protected by copyright." - The New York Times

The New Canon Of Julius Eastman

"We’re firmly enjoying some new period of appreciation for the pioneering but once-overlooked work of this Black queer composer and multi-instrumentalist; archival recordings and new interpretations are widely available, and the art world more broadly has taken an enthusiastic interest in him." - The New York Times

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