Domingo 1st Performance in Australia in 15 Years
Opera legend Placido Domingo, who kicked off his 70th birthday celebration in January, keeps the party going by doing what he does best...singing. He travels to Australia for two performances with young crossover star Katherine Jenkins this fall. Tickets go on sale this week. Read Domingo Joins Katherine Jenkins Down Under (limelightmagazine.com)
Australian Church Takes Umbrage at Gilbert and Sullivan Lyrics
So you think classical music is not relevant? Think again. Gilbert and Sullivan set the bar very high when it comes to current humor. The List, one of the best-known songs from The Mikado was regularly updated with timely lyrics to take advantage of current events. While the audience laughed uproariously, some failed to see the humor. Read Hillsong Church Brings in Lawyers (Limelight Magazine)
Own Your Own Beethoven...Or Bach...Or Ravel
For all of the bad publicity Lehman Brothers received when they tanked, Robert Lehman, son of founder Philip Lehman, assembled an amazing collection of musical manuscripts. Â Harvard Music History Professor Christoph Wolff calls it "the trophy collection."Â Now, it could be yours. Read Major Trove of Classical Music Manuscripts for Sale (NPR)
Arena Developers Bring Basketball, and Culture, to Brooklyn
The 18,000-seat Barclay Center being developed by Atlantic Yards is to be the new home of the New Jersey Nets (once the NBA players and owners quit arguing...but that's another story). It will also be a cultural center which will allow the Brooklyn Academy of Music to bring in several performances a year...performances paid for by the arena. Read In Alliance, Nets Arena to Offer Arts (NY Times)
Tchaikovsky Competition Controversy...Again
Over a half-century after Van Cliburn stunned the world by winning the first Tchaikovsky Competition, controversy was the order of the day throughout the storied competition. Read Tchaikovsky Competition Ends in Cold-War-Era Scandal (AFP.com)