Classical news: San Francisco Symphony turns 100 while Louisville Symphony cancels a third month of concerts. The Montreal Symphony gets a new hall and higher pay. Is Euro-debt hurting Wagner? Is China the New Europe for opera?

By Jacob Stockinger

Symphony orchestras are making news – good news and bad news – this week. And what is up in Europe and China? Will Western classical music end up being Eastern classical music?

ITEM: The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra turns 100 and celebrates in style (below):

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2011/09/06/140233097/the-san-francisco-symphony-at-100

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/16/DDS61L1C2C.DTL&type=entertainment

 

ITEM: Canada escapes the Great Recession. So the Montreal Symphony gets a new hall (below) – plus a new and higher paying contract for musicians:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/music/montreals-new-symphony-hall-is-about-to-make-its-debut-acoustically-will-it-thrill/article2151614/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheGlobeAndMail-Entertainment+%28The+Globe+and+Mail+-+Arts+News%29

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20110906/montreal-symphony-orchestra-pay-hikes-110906/

ITEM: Meanwhile, the troubles of the Louisville Symphony (below) continue. After cancelling concerts for September and October, the orchestra has also cancelled concerts for November:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110908/SCENE05/309080059/Louisville-Orchestra-cancels-November-concerts?odyssey=mod%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Enewswell%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Etext%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHome%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3Ep

ITEM: New Yorker critic Alex Ross has some interesting points to make about the Metropolitan Opera and Fabio Luisi (below) replacing James Levine as well as the moves of director Peter Gelb. Read about the possible end of the Levine era::

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/09/james-levine.html?mbid=gnep

ITEM: Will China’s cultural Long March include opera and being a training ground for the West?

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/06/140095183/in-search-of-a-stage-western-opera-singers-try-china

ITEM: Are Euro-companies, surrounded by fears of debt, facing retrenchment in arts patronage? Siemens ends sponsorship of  Bayreuth, that iconic and historic summer festival for showcasing Richard Wagner (below):

http://www.expatica.com/de/news/german-news/siemens-ends-bayreuth-festival-sponsorship_173970.html

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Posted in Classical music