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By Jacob Stockinger
It sure is shaping up as a year for movies about symphony orchestra conductors.
First there was the film “Tár” — now playing on Amazon Prime — about a woman composer-conductor, played by Cate Blanchett, that won a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Critics Choice awards but has also been harshly questioned and criticized as unfactual, biased, unfair.
Also in the works is a much-anticipated documentary about conductor Marin Alsop — a student and protegee of Leonard Bernstein (below) who became the first globally know female conductor and is reportedly the inspiration for “Tár.” (John DeMain, the music director and conductor of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, also worked with Bernstein.)
And now there is the movie “Maestro” about the biggest conductor of them all, the larger-than-life Leonard Bernstein (below, in a photo by Jack Mitchell).
The official trailer-teaser for the movie has just been released. You can get a sneak peek at it in the YouTube video at the bottom.
The movie is a biopic of the famously popular American conductor, composer, pianist and educator and his wife, the Chilean-Costa Rican actress and social activist Felicia Montealegre (played by Carey Mulligan), shown with Lenny below in s photo from The Sun.
The clip is only about 1-½ minutes long. But even that is enough to prove telling in many ways.
Bernstein is played by actor Bradley Cooper, who also wrote and directed the film, which is being produced by cinema titan Martin Scorsese — a hard-to-beat pedigree when it comes to backers.
The Ear also finds that Cooper has an uncanny resemblance to Lenny not only in how he looks — even with the prosthetic nose that some criticize but Bernstein’s children defend. He also speaks like Lenny, laughs like Lenny, smokes like Lenny and conducts like Lenny, who was perhaps the most documented figures ever to exist in classical music.
And of course to express the romantic yearning and hints of tragedy the soundtrack relies heavily the famous Adagietto movement from Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, which was used decades ago for similar reasons in the movie version of Thomas Mann’s novella “Death in Venice.”
No surprise there. Mahler and Bernstein fans know that the rediscovery of Mahler’s music in the mid-20th century was championed and led by Bernstein, who succeeded in making the neglected Mahler mainstream. So the music is more than appropriate in carping Bernstein’s passionate view of life and music.
One puzzling feature is that none of the preview materials The Ear has seen mentions Bernstein’s bisexuality. It led to many personal and professional conflicts and dramatic moments throughout their lives, and one must assume that it is not avoided in the movie.
Maybe they just don’t want too give away a major plot point.
But it makes The Ear wonder if the current cultural hostility to things LGBTQ+ is leading the moviemakers to back away from a reveal that comes too early and gives the hateful right-wing, fact-denying homophobes more time to martial their forces for a harmful boycott like they did with Bud Light beer and Target’s collection of Pride Month clothing.
We will soon see as the unveiling schedule unfolds.
On Sept. 2 “Maestro” makes its debut at the 80th Venice Film Festival, where critics, actors and industry people will get a first view.
The movie hits selected cinemas on Nov. 22.
Finally, it will premiere via streaming on Netflix on Dec. 22.
It should be fun — and perhaps alarming — to follow it as its audience grows.
Here is a link to the Wikipedia entry for the film. It includes background and the current controversy about the “Jewface” stereotypes created by Cooper using a prosthetic nose. It will be updated often, one expects.
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By Jacob Stockinger
World-famous soprano and opera director Renata Scotto (below) died yesterday — Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 — in her home town in Italy. She was 89.
As an opera diva, Scotto was popular with both the public and the critics. She was known for a fiery temperament and for outstanding acting as well as singing. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear Scotto singing the well-known and sublime Puccini aria “O mio babbino caro” from “Gianni Schicchi” at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.)
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By Jacob Stockinger
It has become an iconic landmark that is recognized worldwide, with prominent “sails” on the roof that harken back to the founding and settling of its home.
And this year the distinctive Sydney Opera House (below) in Australia turns 50.
Of course it has hosted wonderful productions of operas and countless classical music concerts. But it has also played a big role in the cultural, social ands political life of the city and the country.
The Ear found a terrific visual and historical overview of the famous building, both inside and out, that is also easy to navigate.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Soprano Anna Netrebko — singing in France in 2020 in the Getty Image below and singing the famous aria “Sempre libera” from Verdi’s “La Traviata” in the YouTube video at the bottom — is a world-famous Russian diva and longtime opera star.
But ever since Russia’s war on Ukraine started, she has defended the so-called “special military operation” — complete with war crimes and human right violations — and announced her continuing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Like other nationalistic arts figures who have done the same — including the conductor Valery Gergiev and the pianist Denis Matsuev — her career has suffered as she has seen concert appearances disappear and canceled or withdrawn.
Now she has filed a suit against the Metropolitan Opera and its general director Peter Gelb — whose Canadian wife Keri-Lynn Wilson has conducted tours of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. Netrebko is seeking $360,000 in damages and restoration of her fees for her upcoming cancelled performances.
And here is a blog column by lawyer and Georgetown University professor Jonathan Turley (below) — a well-known legal analyst with a large public reputation for television and radio commentaries.
He supports Netrebko’s lawsuit in the name of free speech and artistic expression. He argues against cancelling her appearances and withholding payment because contracts have already been signed. And he compares such sanctions to loyalty oaths.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Are classical music streaming services a good development and a good deal? A good way to listen to classical music? Recommended for listeners and performers?
Not according to Alex Ross (below).
But then his standards may not be yours.
Ross is the prize-winning music critic for The New Yorker magazine. He may be the most respected and familiar name in classical music criticism in the U.S., perhaps even the world.
Ross has been undertaking a pretty exhaustive comparison of various classical music streaming services such as Apple Music and Apple Music Classical; Idagio; Spotify; Presto Music; and Qobuz.
While he finds some things to praise, and finds some improvements have been made, he also finds that all of the services come up short and distort the listening experience. (Illustration for The New Yorker by Lan Truong.)
Of course, one might argue that a professional critic makes different demands and has more specific, rarified needs than most classic music fans.
He is more mainstream and convincing with his disapproving comments about the way such streaming services cheat performers out of earning a livelihood.
The Ear also wondered if Ross would consider serving as an advisor or consultant to Apple Music or any off the other classical streaming services.
The Well-Tempered Ear 
A canceled Russian diva sues the Met. Who should win?
2 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Soprano Anna Netrebko — singing in France in 2020 in the Getty Image below and singing the famous aria “Sempre libera” from Verdi’s “La Traviata” in the YouTube video at the bottom — is a world-famous Russian diva and longtime opera star.
But ever since Russia’s war on Ukraine started, she has defended the so-called “special military operation” — complete with war crimes and human right violations — and announced her continuing support for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Like other nationalistic arts figures who have done the same — including the conductor Valery Gergiev and the pianist Denis Matsuev — her career has suffered as she has seen concert appearances disappear and canceled or withdrawn.
Now she has filed a suit against the Metropolitan Opera and its general director Peter Gelb — whose Canadian wife Keri-Lynn Wilson has conducted tours of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. Netrebko is seeking $360,000 in damages and restoration of her fees for her upcoming cancelled performances.
Here is a story with the basics: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66413874
And here is a blog column by lawyer and Georgetown University professor Jonathan Turley (below) — a well-known legal analyst with a large public reputation for television and radio commentaries.
He supports Netrebko’s lawsuit in the name of free speech and artistic expression. He argues against cancelling her appearances and withholding payment because contracts have already been signed. And he compares such sanctions to loyalty oaths.
What do you think about artistic performances being canceled because the artist supports Russia’s war on Ukraine and Vladimir Putin?
Should athletes who act similarly be barred from competition, including the upcoming summer Olympics?
Do such cancellations fall under the heading of justified sanctions or illegal broken contracts?
Who do you think should win the lawsuit?
The Eat wants to hear.
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