Dressing Room Demands
Pavarotti apparently has some interesting backstage requests. According to a recent article in The Times of London, “the usual order for the maestro’s air-conditioned personal dressing room includes: 10 grilled chicken breasts, rice for 10 people, a pot of vegetable broth, a large plate of charcuterie, assorted cheeses (including Italian goat’s cheese), red and green apples, five liters of Evian water and two crates of Coca-Cola.” By the way, Pavarotti just won his tax evasion case. If he had lost, it would have meant as much as three years in prison for tax evasion. Prison food would have been a big change.
Leontyne Price makes an Appearance
In a free concert at Carnegie Hall to commemorate the victims of the September 11 tragedy, Leontyne Price made a brief appearance, which incited much excitement from the audience. The soprano, who is 72, had not been heard since her retirement from the Met in 1985.
Missing Employees Remembered at Opening Gala
The Lyric Opera of Chicago opened its season as scheduled on September 22. The Aon Insurance Company has traditionally sponsored the opening night gala. Despite the fact that the company had an office in the World Trade Center and is still missing approximately 200 people, the company’s executives made their appearance at the gala to demonstrate their desire to persevere.
America’s New National Anthem
In the weeks after September 11, God Bless America has been significantly out-performing the traditional Star Spangled Banner, due to its more ‘user-friendly’ melody and tranquil lyrics.
The Healing Power of Music
As many people turn to the arts as a means of comfort in the post-tragedy weeks, a study into the biological effects of music shows that when a piece of music gives someone ‘shivers down their spine’, it is actually activating the same parts of the brain that are affected by sex and food; music is therefore mentally and physically beneficial. The report appeared in a September issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Censorship or Courtesy?
Clear Channel Communications has circulated a list of about 150 songs to its 1,170 radio stations and asked them to voluntarily pull the songs from their playlists. The songs pulled had subject matter that dealt with flying, falling, bombs, or general incitement to violence. Some stations have complied, but others are wondering if the list is not a move towards general arts censorship.
Earplugs as Standard Concert Attire?
A woman in Germany won a lawsuit against a concert-promoter; she suffered permanent hearing loss after attending a concert given by N’Sync in 1997. She was awarded the American equivalent of about $4,210 because the sound levels at the concert were illegally high.
Afraid to Fly?
In a recent article in the Telegraph, Norman Lebrecht spoke out against performing artists who cancel performances because they do not wish to fly. Recent cancellations include Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu, who withdrew from the season’s engagements at the Met. Tenor Marcello Giordani cancelled his recital with San Diego Opera and remained in New York, where he filled in for Alagna at the Met. The touring Kirov Opera was scheduled to be in Melbourne but delayed the trip when the air-strikes in Afghanistan began in mid-October. The 240-member company was able to re-route its trip to avoid the military action and landed safely in Melbourne to continue with its itinerary.
Renovated Library Reopens its Doors
After a lengthy three-year, $38 million renovation, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts has reopened its doors under its new name, the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center. Administration expects that this year’s attendance will double to 800,000. The library currently has nine million items on file. This includes 500,000 recordings, making it the largest recording collection in the world, second only to the Library of Congress. Welcome back!
Boosey & Hawkes
Music Sales (G. Schirmer and Associated Music Publishers) has made a takeover bid to buy out the 200-year-old company, Boosey & Hawkes. Boosey & Hawkes apparently did not have such a great year and is currently in debt. Music Sales is anxious to get its hands on the company’s publishing division, which has exclusive rights to composers such as Stravinsky. Boosey & Hawkes was able to decline the takeover bid and will be sold in an auction in the near future.
Lincoln Center Renovation in Limbo
As a result of the surprising resignation of the President of Lincoln Center, the anticipated renovation has once again been delayed. After only nine months of holding the position, Gordon J. Davis left the post as a result of conflicts within the administration. Plans for the renovation are once again in question as the constituents of Lincoln Center take sides over the details. The most controversial issue in the plan is the proposed new house for New York City Opera, located off of the Lincoln Center campus.
Turmoil for Deutsche Oper Orchestra
On October 11, all five members of the Deutsche Oper Orchestra Board turned in resignations and also a letter of protest to Udo Zimmerman, the incumbent Indendant. The letter protests at Zimmerman’s conduct and claims that his promise of a pay-raise to the orchestra in November of last year never materialized. The Orchestra has not yet started to elect a new board.
Conductor Luis Antonio Garcia Navarro
The famed conductor of the Madrid Opera House, Luis Antonio Garcia Navarro, died on October 10 of cancer after being ill for several years. He was 60 years old. Navarro is credited with the revival of the Madrid Opera House after its 1997 reopening.
