The world rarely arrives in sonata form…
we could all use a good recap.
About this week
Apologies for the delay this week — we use Feedly to organize many of our curated articles for this feature, and that platform was down for about eight hours yesterday, so I finally had to get some sleep. I hope you’re all having a wonderful Independence Day, and the links below will help keep you in the loop and fully informed. There’s a discount from the LA Phil, a high-profile TV appearance by one of LA’s most respected choirs, the cancellation of an entire opera season in Oklahoma, and the emergence of the earliest known classical recording. The week is kind of a mish-mosh, but all the more fascinating for being so.
See you soon.
Announcements for the Listerhood
The LA Phil has offered our readers a discount code for the upcoming (and Lister-filled) Verdi Requiem at the Hollywood Bowl, which will be performed one night only on Tuesday, July 11. If you’re not on our mailing list, this is one great reason to subscribe! Get details in today’s e-blast, which is available online:
Lister News
Social justice-centered choral ensemble TONALITY has been making new waves with a recent performance with Kelly Clarkson — here’s a recent post from artistic director Alexander Lloyd Blake… and you can read more about this project on their website: ourtonality.org
Social justice-centered choral ensemble TONALITY has been making new waves with a recent performance with Kelly Clarkson — here’s a recent post from artistic director Alexander Lloyd Blake… and you can read more about this project on their website: ourtonality.org
People & places
Today’s Top Composers Unanimously Crown JS Bach as the Greatest Composer of All Time — NewsMoi, 6/30/23
Bach was amazing… there’s no doubt about that. But this headline, which presupposes that ALL composers agree on anything and that the BBC is the sole arbiter of the list of the greatest living composers, almost made us laugh out loud. (Don’t worry, Bach fans — it’s the headline we’re quibbling with. The article is quite good!)
Hear the ‘first’ recording of classical music – an astonishing 1888 performance of a Handel oratorio — Classic FM, 6/30/23
Etched onto a wax cylinder 135 years ago – this is the earliest known recording of classical music.
Riccardo Muti: ‘I don’t care about what’s politically correct, but about quality’ — El Pais, 7/3/23
The legendary Italian director reflects on the past, present, and future of classical music following his farewell concerts as conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
How György Ligeti soundtracked 2001, inspired Radiohead and composed music like ‘a knife through Stalin’s heart’ — The Guardian, 7/3/23
The Hungarian escaped two murderous regimes, wrote pieces to be played on metronomes and car horns, and depicted inner and outer space to Stanley Kubrick. Now, in his centenary year, the Proms will celebrate Ligeti’s genius
Reviews and Previews
The rootin’, tootin’, potato-gun shootin’ American composer who took modernism by the horns —The Telegraph, 7/1/23
Charles Ives was a beacon to the likes of Stravinksy. A new recording by Orchestra New England celebrates his achievement (sub. req.)
For its centennial season, San Francisco Opera brought its very best — Datebook, 6/27/23
Too much fun
Mischievous cat repeatedly steals owner’s music stand during flute practice — Classic FM, 6/27/23
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny soundtrack: All the songs from John Williams’ nostalgia-fueled adventure — Classic FM, 6/30/23
More links
Tulsa Opera cancels most of 2023-2024 season, general director resigns — Tulsa World, 6/24/23
Singing is good for you. Singing with others may be even better. — Washington Post, 6/25/23
Brooklyn Academy of Music Lays Off 13 Percent of Its Staff — New York Times, 6/26/23
From Grace Jones to Madonna – why divas deserve to be difficult — The Collection, 6/26/23
Apple Music vs. Spotify: Which is Better? — How-to Geek, 6/27/23
How Classical Musicians Move — And How It’s Woven Into Their Performance — Ludwig van Toronto, 6/27/23
What Opera Singers Gained, and Lost, Performing While Pregnant — New York Times, 6/28/23
US music education has a history of anti-Blackness that is finally being confronted — The Conversation, 6/28/23
Hooked on classics? But if you want to learn to play, you’d better be posh – The Guardian, 7/2/23
Exploring Urban Culture: The Impact of Classical Music on City Life — Urban Matters, 7/3/23
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