The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music news: Barbarian Republicans want a country without culture. Cuba and Florida OK a cultural exchange of orchestras. Mahler score goes on the auction block. George Szell bio is published and Deborah Voigt to pen memoirs.

By Jacob Stockinger

I normally post my weekly news roundup on Saturday. But other events preempted it this week. So here it is today.

It’s later but has some good things.

ITEM: Another Republican barbarian cuts all arts funding in his state in the name of budget-balancing and privatizing government. What’s next on the chopping block for former U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative and now Kansas Governor Sam Brownback (below)? Public broadcasting, of course:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/05/kansas-governor-eliminates-states-arts-funding.html

ITEM: Let’s play “Antiques Roadshow”: A score of Mahler’s Third Symphony annotated by Mahler himself (below) will be auctioned off in London. How much do you think it is worth?:

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/the-score-of-the-third-symphony-by-mahler-sold-by-sothebys

ITEM: A new biography marks the centennial of the famed conductor George Szell (below):

http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2011/06/07/137037843/george-szell-one-conductors-long-haul-commitment

ITEM: To-yo-ho! Chief Valkyrie Deborah ” Brunnhilde” Voigt (below) will write a tell-all weighty memoir -– and get a hefty fee for it:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/01/deborah-voigt-to-offer-true-confessions-in-a-memoir/

ITEM: Cheers to Cultural Exchange in the 21^st Century! Members of the Florida Orchestra (below top) from Tampa are going to Cuba where the New York Philharmonic has twice been stopped from going. And then the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba (below bottom) will send members to Florida. Madison has a sister city (Camaguey) in Cuba– why can’t Madison have such a deal with the Madison Symphony Orchestra?:

http://www.tampabay.com/features/performingarts/florida-orchestra-cleared-to-perform-in-cuba/1172827