The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Here are news items. Elusive and eccentric pianist Grigory Sokolov signs with Deutsche Grammophon. Italian maestro Daniele Gatti is named director of the famed Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra remains silent and locked out. And THIS AFTERNOON is your last chance to hear the Madison Symphony Orchestra and pianist Olga Kern in an all-Russian program of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich.

ALERT: Today at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall is the final performance of this season’s second concert by the Madison Symphony Orchestra under the baton of John DeMain. Pianist Olga Kern (below) is the soloist in Sergei Rachmaninoff‘s Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor. Other music includes the Suite from the ballet “Swan Lake” by Peter Tchaikovsky and the Symphony No. 6 by Dmitri Shostakovich. For information about tickets, the artists and the program, visit:

http://www.madisonsymphony.org/kern

Here are reviews of Friday night’s opening night performance:

By John W. Barker of Isthmus:

http://www.isthmus.com/daily/article.php?article=43817&sid=665cd87de278be4a3d198906d0365515

By Jess Courtier for The Capital Times:

http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/city-life/symphony-review-mercurial-shostakovich-and-glamorous-olga-kern-make-a/article_289ef9a6-568e-11e4-821b-3be5190f72cd.html

And by Greg Hettmansberger, who writes the Classically Speaking blog for Madison Magazine:

http://www.madisonmagazine.com/Blogs/Classically-Speaking/October-2014/Russian-Music-Savory-and-Sweet/

By Jacob Stockinger

The much admired but elusive, eccentric and enigmatic Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov (below) has signed up with Deutsche Grammophon and will release a live recital –- he refuses to make studio recordings – in January.

For the news plus an interesting interview and profile of Sokolov, here is a link to a story in the British magazine Gramophone. It includes some of his quirks such as not playing pianos older than five years and his specific repertoire favorites:

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/grigory-sokolov-signs-exclusive-contract-with-deutsche-grammophon

Italian conductor Daniele Gatti is named the new maestro of the famed Dutch Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. He starts in 2016 and sounds like he might be quite a bit of a contrast to past Concertgebouw conductors such as Bernard Haitink. Here is a story:

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/daniele-gatti-named-new-chief-conductor-of-the-royal-concertgebouw

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra continues its lockout over labor disputes, thereby postponing or canceling the opening of the new season. But last weekend ASO music director Robert Spano conducted the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in the German Requiem of Johannes Brahms.

Here is a link to a story on NPR  (National Public Radio) to yet another turmoil in the world of American symphony orchestras:

http://www.npr.org/2014/09/28/351810425/the-atlanta-symphony-lockout-continues-musicians-picket-on-peachtree-street