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September 2008
- New Mozart Score Surfaces in France
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Sep 18, 08 5:52 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A single-page musical score located in a French library has been confirmed as a Mozart original, the Telegraph reports. “Mozart's handwriting is clearly identifiable,” an expert said. “There's no doubt that this is an original piece handwritten by Mozart.” The notation is for a melody only, with no orchestrations, but “one can really get a feeling of what Mozart meant,” he said. More »
August 2008
- Gergiev to Lead Defiant South Ossetia Concert
  
  Times (UK) | Aug 21, 08 12:47 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Valery Gergiev, the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, among other prominent posts, will preside over a victorious concert tonight in South Ossetia, celebrating Russia’s recent military successes, the Times reports. Gergiev is an ethnic Ossetian and close personal friend of Vladimir Putin—they are godfathers of each others’ children—and Putin is expected to be guest of honor. The concert will coincide with rallies declaring South Ossetia independent. More »
July 2008
- A Dad's Quest for Mind-Expanding Music
  
  Boston Globe | Jul 14, 08 8:20 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A father brings home his newborn and ponders the CD rack: How best to develop the baby's brain? Mozart? Bach? Toddler tunes? With the stakes so high, Jeremy Eichler takes his dilemma to the experts, he writes in the Boston Globe . One tells him that infants benefit from tricky rhythms, so Eichler tosses on Bulgarian wedding music at home. The boy's face lights up. Is he onto something? More »
- The Secret of the Strad's Superiority
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jul 2, 08 11:49 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Stradivarius violins—300 years old and valued at least $3 million each—are universally recognized as producing the richest sounds. Now, the Daily Telegraph reports, scientists believe they know why. X-rays of several old and new instruments show the wood used by 17th-century violin makers has a more uniform density than modern violins. How that was achieved remains a mystery. More »
June 2008
- No-Longer-Fat Lady Sings Part She Was Denied
  
  New York Times | Jun 11, 08 8:34 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - In 2004 Deborah Voigt, one of the world's most gifted sopranos, was dismissed from a London production of Ariadne auf Naxos for being too fat to fit in the little black dress that the director insisted was integral to the production. On Monday Voigt, who has gone from a size 30 to a 14 after weight-reduction surgery, has what the New York Times is calling a "second date" with that black dress: starring in the same production of Ariadne. More »
- How an Amateur Made Classical Cool in NYC
  
  Gramophone | Jun 7, 08 4:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Ronen Givony is no musician, he can’t read music, and had never organized a concert—until recently. Now the 28-year-old is considered one of New York’s top impresarios, thanks to his “Wordless Music” series, which puts top indie rock and electronica bands on the same bill as classical performers. The series is a blockbuster, drawing the young, curious 20-something crowd that Lincoln Center so desires. More »
May 2008
- Fire Lashes Berlin Philharmonic
  
  Der Spiegel | May 20, 08 2:25 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A fire broke out at the Berlin Philharmonic today, bringing more than 100 firefighters to the concert hall, Der Spiegel reports. No one was injured in the blaze, with musicians fleeing with their instruments; a lunchtime concert had to be evacuated. "We don’t believe anyone is in danger, as the fire appears to be contained in the roof," a fire official said. More »
- Robo-Maestro Takes Baton
  
  Guardian (UK) | May 14, 08 3:27 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - It was classical music, but when the Detroit Symphony Orchestra hit its final note last night, it sounded an awful lot like the future. Honda’s Asimo robot led a real, live, human orchestra, and though the android was only repeating the recorded movements of a human, the performance went beautifully, impressing the musicians and delighting the crowd, the Guardian reports. More »
- Violinist to Serenade Taxi Driver
  
  Associated Press | May 6, 08 11:13 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - When violin virtuoso Philippe Quint left a 1723 Antonio Stradivari “Ex-Kiesewetter” in a New Jersey taxi two weeks ago, he was distraught: The $4 million instrument was not only irreplaceable, it was on loan. But the cab driver returned the violin next morning, and today, in gratitude, the Grammy-nominated musician will perform a private concert—at the Newark airport cab stand. More »
- Muti to Lead Chicago Symphony
  
  New York Times | May 5, 08 2:23 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - After four years of searching for a new music director, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has finally found its man: Italian maestro Riccardo Muti. He will take over for the 2010-11 season on a five-year contract. In September, Muti rejected the idea of an American music directorship because of hefty administrative duties, but a month of guest conducting changed his tune. More »
- Vivaldi Opera Revived 278 Years Later
  
  BBC | May 4, 08 5:57 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A long-lost opera by Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi has resurfaced nearly 280 years after its Prague premiere, BBC reports. Argippo , a tale of love and deception set in an Indian maharaja’s court, was first performed in 1730 but vanished soon after, leaving only a libretto. But that was enough for a Czech musician to start hunting around Europe for the rest. More »
- Mozart Helps Snap Saudi Taboos
  
  Associated Press | May 3, 08 9:56 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Mozart hasn't challenged cultural taboos for more than 200 years, but last night he caused quite a stir in Saudi Arabia. A German-based quartet gave the nation its first public classical concert where men were allowed to hear Mozart and sit next to, gasp, women. "The concert is a sign that things are changing rapidly here," a German ambassador told the AP. More »
April 2008
- Bravo! Met's First Encore in 14 Years Wins Huge Ovation
  
  New York Times | Apr 23, 08 8:09 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Audiences at New York's Metropolitan Opera Monday night were treated to something they hadn't heard in 14 years: an encore. In the Met's new production of Donizetti's La fille du régiment , tenor Juan Diego Flórez nailed the nine high C's of the difficult aria "Ah! Mes Amis" and won a huge ovation. He then did the whole thing again and was rewarded with an ultra-rare mid-performance standing ovation. More »
- Shhh! Europe Law Forces Orchestras to Tone It Down
  
  New York Times | Apr 19, 08 9:46 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A new law in Europe to protect employees from ear-damaging noises is stifling a surprise industry—orchestras. Conductors are taking it down a notch to comply, in one case canceling a world premiere because it exceeded the allowable decibels in rehearsal, the New York Times reports. At the Royal Opera House, musicians have to wear earplugs—akin to telling a "race-car driver they have to wear a blindfold," said one oboist. More »
- Verdi, Naked and Anti-American
  
  Der Spiegel | Apr 12, 08 6:51 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A German staging of Verdi’s “A Masked Ball” leaves Uncle Sam wearing little but a mask, Der Spiegel reports. In a rebuke of US capitalism, the production parades naked retirees on a set of the World Trade Center's ruins, and offers a female singer with a Hitler mustache saluting the audience, the Daily Telegraph reports. "One has to introduce new elements" into Verdi's all-too-well-known opera, director Johann Kresnik says. More »
- Pavarotti Lipsynched Last Performance
  
  Guardian (UK) | Apr 7, 08 9:02 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Lipsynching isn't just for neophytes like Nikki Hilton—none other than tenor Luciano Pavarotti faked his way through his final public performance at the opening of the Turin Winter Olympics, the Guardian reports. In a new book, Pavarotti's conductor and pianist claims that he recorded the cancer-stricken tenor and the orchestra, and used video trickery to pull the ruse off before millions of TV viewers. More »

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Stories

New Mozart Score Surfaces in France

Gergiev to Lead Defiant South Ossetia Concert

A Dad's Quest for Mind-Expanding Music

The Secret of the Strad's Superiority

No-Longer-Fat Lady Sings Part She Was Denied

How an Amateur Made Classical Cool in NYC

Fire Lashes Berlin Philharmonic

Robo-Maestro Takes Baton

Violinist to Serenade Taxi Driver

Muti to Lead Chicago Symphony

Vivaldi Opera Revived 278 Years Later

Mozart Helps Snap Saudi Taboos

Bravo! Met's First Encore in 14 Years Wins Huge Ovation

Shhh! Europe Law Forces Orchestras to Tone It Down

Verdi, Naked and Anti-American

Pavarotti Lipsynched Last Performance