Remember When?

07. January 2010 · Comments Off on Remember When? · Categories: Links, Symphony

… I blogged about Mathieu Dufour, and his hopping over to the LA Phil, taking leave from Chicago Symphony Orchestra? I wrote about it here, here, and here?

Well, guess things in LA didn’t thrill him:

Mr. Dufour has decided to stay at his Midwestern job, The Chicago Sun-Times reported on Tuesday, quoting him as saying that the Los Angeles Philharmonic has “no tradition there — no tradition of sound and no tradition of working together as a dedicated ensemble.” He added, “Maybe they will have that someday in the future.” Los Angeles has fine musicians, he said. “But we have achieved a very strong common purpose and set of aims in Chicago that they do not have or do not yet have there.”

RTWT.

“¿Ves como te gusta la Ópera?”

07. January 2010 · 3 comments · Categories: Opera, Videos

(See how much you like opera?)

From here I read:

On November 20, in the Central Market in Valencia, Spain, a piano was heard playing over the sound system, and a young fruit-seller suddenly started singing Alfredo’s Act I music from Verdi’s La Traviata from inside his stand. He was joined by a soprano female vendor, singing Violetta.

Then another tenor broke in, then another soprano, as a bemused crowd looked and listened in appreciation. At the end, there were three couples, indulging in a little competitive singing, handing out sparkling wine in champagne flutes, waltzing with passersby – and passing out leaflets pushing the opera.

(I’m not hearing a piano, though. Accordion maybe?)

Seiji Ozawa

07. January 2010 · Comments Off on Seiji Ozawa · Categories: Repair Quickly!

I just read that Seiji Ozawa has esophageal cancer. Wishing him a speedy recovery.

“I am perfectly fine right now. I have no problems drinking or eating,” the 74-year-old maestro said at a news conference in Tokyo. A doctor who accompanied Ozawa said the cancer is in an early stage.

“I will abide by the doctors’ advice. I will be back within six months,” a smiling Ozawa said.

(For the rest of this Tchaikovsky symphony go here and do a search on Ozawa.)

He is also known as the “world renown, very good sport”:

TQOD

07. January 2010 · Comments Off on TQOD · Categories: TQOD

I awakened thinking I should learn to play the oboe in 2010.

Craigslist

07. January 2010 · Comments Off on Craigslist · Categories: Read Online

Need to hire a professional oboist of a very high level for a one evening concert in Boston on Feb. 25th, 2010 at 8pm.
Oboe will play in one quartet. This is a paid concert. Please be available to come to Boston to meet the composer and play a bit and for several rehearsals in Jan/Feb. High profile concert featuring Israeli performers of Boston composer. Please email for more details. Thank you.

I’ve never seen an ad like that before!

I am not qualified. But I wouldn’t be able to get to Boston anyway, so oh well!