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By Jacob Stockinger
It’s getting hard not to recognize the name of conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin (below, conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe).
The 48-year-old French-Canadian is the acclaimed music director of the Metropolitan Opera, the artistic director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the music director and chief guest conductor of the Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra. He also heads numerous recording collaborations — many of them award-winning — for the Deutsche Grammophon label.
He also trained Bradley Cooper who portrayed Leonard Bernstein in the new movie “Maestro.” (He discusses that in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Like the flamboyant Bernstein, the colorful Nézet-Séguin is getting to be a superstar conductor, a much-in-demand rock star of the classical world who is known by his first name — Yannick, like Lenny.
What would you like to know about him?
How he was trained?
What was his big break?
What is his private life like?
How does he juggle his super-busy schedules and commitments?
What music he listens to away from his jobs?
Here is a revealing interview that should answer a lot of your questions and spike the public’s interest in him even more.
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The opening opera is the exotic, lyrically melodic and Romantic “Florencia en el Amazonas” (Florence in the Amazon, below and in the YouTube preview at the bottom) by the Mexican composer Daniel Catan.
It will be the first opera staged in Spanish at the Met in many decades. But you might recall that the Madison Opera and Madison Symphony Orchestras under John DeMain presented it in an outstanding production at the Overture Center in the spring of 2018.
Here is a review from this blog to remind you about the work and the local production:
And here is the complete schedule of Met radio broadcasts on Saturday afternoons, which includes works by Mozart, Donizetti, Verdi, Bizet, Puccini, Wagner, Gounod, Terrence Blanchard, Anthony Davis and Jake Heggie among others.
But The Ear thought you might also like to read and listen to what OperaWire sees at the The Top 10 up-and-coming opera singers, who just might be heard in this season’s or future productions at the Met.
The story has profiles with biographies, appearances in upcoming productions, here and in Europe, as well as singing samples from YouTube:
What do you think of “Florencia en el Amazonas”?
Which singers, productions and broadcasts do you most look forward to?
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By Jacob Stockinger
The 2024 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 66th GRAMMY Awards (below, illustration courtesy of the Recoding Academy), will air live (8:00-11:30 PM, LIVE ET/5:00-8:30 PM, LIVE PT) on the CBS Television Network.
The show will also stream on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).
You’ll notice by the number of the categories that classical music is at the bottom of the list. The Grammys are intended primarily to promote important and profitable contributions to the industry as well as the quality of the music and performances.
Here is a listing of the classical music nominations, which were announced yesterday, Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. The list can be helpful if you are looking for new recording to buy or stream. You can also hear promos and excerpts of most of the nominees on YouTube.
Adès: Dante Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Bartók: Concerto For Orchestra; Four Pieces Karina Canellakis, conductor (Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra)
Price: Symphony No. 4; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
Scriabin: Symphony No. 2; The Poem Of Ecstasy JoAnn Falletta, conductor (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)
Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
88. Best Opera Recording
Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) of a world premiere Opera recording only.
Blanchard: Champion Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Ryan Speedo Green, Latonia Moore & Eric Owens; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Corigliano: The Lord Of Cries Gil Rose, conductor; Anthony Roth Costanzo, Kathryn Henry, Jarrett Ott & David Portillo; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project & Odyssey Opera Chorus)
Little: Black Lodge Timur; Andrew McKenna Lee & David T. Little, producers (The Dime Museum; Isaura String Quartet)
89. Best Choral Performance
Award to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble.
Carols After A Plague Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
The House Of Belonging Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Miró Quartet; Conspirare)
Ligeti: Lux Aeterna Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony Chorus)
Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil Steven Fox, conductor (The Clarion Choir)
Saariaho: Reconnaissance Nils Schweckendiek, conductor (Uusinta Ensemble; Helsinki Chamber Choir)
90. Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
For new recordings of works with chamber or small ensemble (twenty-four or fewer members, not including the conductor). One Award to the ensemble and one Award to the conductor, if applicable.
American Stories Anthony McGill & Pacifica Quartet
Beethoven For Three: Symphony No. 6, ‘Pastorale’ And Op. 1, No. 3 Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax & Leonidas Kavakos
Between Breaths Third Coast Percussion
Rough Magic Roomful Of Teeth
Uncovered, Vol. 3: Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, William Grant Still & George Walker Catalyst Quartet
91. Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor when applicable.
Adams, John Luther: Darkness And Scattered Light Robert Black
Akiho: Cylinders Andy Akiho
The American Project Yuja Wang; Teddy Abrams, conductor (Louisville Orchestra)
Difficult Grace Seth Parker Woods
Of Love Curtis Stewart
92. Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Award to: Vocalist(s), Collaborative Artist(s) (Ex: pianists, conductors, chamber groups) Producer(s), Recording Engineers/Mixers with greater than 50% playing time of new material.
Because Reginald Mobley, soloist; Baptiste Trotignon, pianist
Broken Branches Karim Sulayman, soloist; Sean Shibe, accompanist
40@40 Laura Strickling, soloist; Daniel Schlosberg, pianist
Rising Lawrence Brownlee, soloist; Kevin J. Miller, pianist
Walking In The Dark Julia Bullock, soloist; Christian Reif, conductor (Philharmonia Orchestra)
93. Best Classical Compendium
Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) and Engineer(s) of over 50% playing time of the album, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) with over 50% playing time of a world premiere recording only.
Fandango Anne Akiko Meyers; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Dmitriy Lipay, producer
Julius Eastman, Vol. 3: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? Christopher Rountree, conductor; Lewis Pesacov, producer
Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright Peter Herresthal; Tim Weiss, conductor; Hans Kipfer, producer
Passion For Bach And Coltrane Alex Brown, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds, Edward Perez, Neal Smith & A.B. Spellman; Silas Brown & Mark Dover, producers
Sculptures Andy Akiho; Andy Akiho & Sean Dixon, producers
Zodiac Suite Aaron Diehl Trio & The Knights; Eric Jacobsen, conductor; Aaron Diehl & Eric Jacobsen, producers
94. Best Contemporary Classical Composition
A Composer’s Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.
Adès: Dante Thomas Adès, composer (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Akiho: In That Space, At That Time Andy Akiho, composer (Andy Akiho, Ankush Kumar Bahl & Omaha Symphony)
Brittelle: Psychedelics William Brittelle, composer (Roomful Of Teeth)
Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright Missy Mazzoli, composer (Peter Herresthal, James Gaffigan & Bergen Philharmonic)
Montgomery: Rounds Jessie Montgomery, composer (Awadagin Pratt, A Far Cry & Roomful Of Teeth)
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By Jacob Stockinger
If — like The Ear — you are really looking forward to seeing “Maestro”(below) and can hardly wait for it to arrive, you will want to see the newly released extended preview or trailer.
The bio-pic about the late American conductor, composer, pianist and educator Leonard Bernstein being in love has been acclaimed at festivals and received standing ovations around the world. Film greats Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg were involved in making it.
“Maestro” — which runs 2 hours and 9 minutes — opens in select theaters in the U.S. on Nov. 22.
Then it comes to Netflix on Dec. 20.
And the soundtrack — which includes the music of Mahler whom Bernstein help to rediscover — will be released soon on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label.
Forget the silly brouhaha about whether Bradley Cooper — who wrote, directed and stars in the film — should have used a prosthetic nose to portray Lenny. It was a move that Lenny’s children approved of and it works even though some critics said the actor should have been the same ethnicity as the characters.
Cooper also practiced a certain way of breathing and talking, and took conducting lessons from Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
And to see and hear his portrayal is to be amazed at how closely he resembles Lenny.
And yes, if you ware wondering, it definitely does not ignore the gay side of Bernstein.
Just take a look and a listen.
The visuals and the music whet your appetite for more, much more.
Here is some of it found of the British radio station ClassicFM:
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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
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.
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?
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By Jacob Stockinger
The month of May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage month in the U.S.
And here is a perfect story to provide questions and raise issues that pertain to that theme as it figures in classical music.
We have not seen many of them booked for concerts locally, but perhaps you have noticed how so many Asian musicians, particularly pianists, have been winning major competitions.
Those competitions include the Van Cliburn (Korean Yunchan Lim, below top), the Chopin (Chinese-Canadian Bruce Liu, below bottom), the Tchaikovsky, the Arthur Rubinstein, the Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, the Leeds Competition, the Geneva Competition and many others that are less famous.
Perhaps you have also noticed how we hear more Asian opera singers at the Met and more Asian string players in orchestras around the world.
More Asians also seem to be studying and performing in lower and higher educational institutions and organizations.
And perhaps you, like The Ear, have wondered what is behind that trend?
Here is a terrific first-person story — with research, details, photos and performance videos – written by a Canadian musician of Japanese descent that appeared on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
But The Ear thinks it could easily apply to the United States, Australia and other non-Asian places and cultures.
Do you think this story applies to Asians and Asian-Americans in the U.S.?
If you yourself are an Asian or Asian-American musician or music student, do the observations and analysis in the story ring true to you own experience?
Do you have other thoughts to add about the cultural reasons for the surge of Western classical music in Asia and among Asians elsewhere?
Are there important lessons here for non-Asian people and places?
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By Jacob Stockinger
You might think you already know the famous, high-profile musician and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin (below).
The Ear certainly did.
But then I saw the profile and comprehensive interview with the 48-year-old on CBS’ “60 Minutes” last Sunday. And I learned many new things, including how enjoyable and humorous the native French-Canadian can be as well as how he plans to breathe new life and bring new audience into the Met.
I learned how extremely busy he is being the music director of three major artistic organizations: the Metropolitan Opera in New York; the Philadelphia Orchestra; and the Metropolitan Orchestra of Montreal. In addition, he is a prolific recording artist.
I also learned much about his personal life (below, on vacation) and his professional career. You meet his parents and his longtime violist husband.
Not for nothing has the renowned mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato affectionately dubbed this openly gay man with the nickname of the cartoon character Mighty Mouse (below) because of his small size but muscular physique, his cheerful and expressive face, and his ambitious rescue mission as the third music director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Here is a link to the wide-ranging and candid interview, both amusingly serious and seriously amusing, which you can read it or watch and listen to it:
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By Jacob Stockinger
It will probably be the biggest music news story of the year, perhaps even the decade.
Gustavo Dudamel (below), the Venezuelan-born maestro of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will become the music director of the New York Philharmonic starting in 2026.
The news was announced late yesterday afternoon on both coasts. The New York Philharmonic post is probably the most prestigious music post in the United States, a podium once occupied by Gustav Mahler, Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Mehta and Kurt Masur.
In what one imagines is a very, very expensive coup — the financial terms were not disclosed — the New York Philharmonic recruited the 42-year-old superstar maestro who is known for giving passionate and fiery performances and for innovating music education programs, both of which have brought in bigger and younger audiences.
He also built a reputation for championing new music, Latin music and musicians of color. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear Dudamel conducting Mexican composer Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2, a Latin American piece he made famous and which is now often used by other orchestras on full programs or as an encore. In the video, he is conducting the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra, the senior orchestra of “El Sistema” and the post that Dudamel held before heading to Los Angeles.)
Dudamel has guest conducted the New York Philharmonic more than two dozen times. The musicians there have greeted him warmly and enviously, especially since their CEO Deborah Borda originally signed Dudamel to the Los Angeles post in 2009 when he was 26.
Born into a musical family, Dudamel himself became a professional musician by rising through the ranks of “El Sistema,” the national youth music organization in his native country. He studied violin and composition before turning to conducting with global success and fame.
In Los Angeles he has been nominated for and won many Grammys for his many recordings. He also been the music director of the Paris Opera.
It is worth noting: New York will soon have two of the most charismatic and recognizable conductors in the world: Dudamel; and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who is the music director of the Metropolitan Opera as well as the music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Metropolitan Orchestra of Montreal.
Here are stories from both sides now: from the West Coast he is leaving and the East Coast he will be going to.
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear recently noticed that the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra has once again scheduled the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky (below) as part of the finale of its Fourth of July concert on the evening of July 6, 2022.
The performance is part of this summer’s FREE Concerts on the Square (COS) by the WCO that run on six consecutive Wednesday nights from June 29 through Aug. 3. Concerts start at 7 p.m. on the King Street corner of the Capitol Square in downtown Madison, and will be conducted by Andrew Sewell.
Which got The Ear to thinking: Should Tchaikovsky’s perennial favorite, the flashy and loud 1812 Overture, be played again this year?
It is a tradition that was started on Independence Day in 1974 by Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops, according to reputable sources.
But this year might be a very different case because of a quandary that might cause organizers, including PBS’ “A Capitol Fourth,” to rethink the program.
It is a choice that will confront many musical groups across the U.S., given the current unprovoked brutality and and war crimes being committed by Russia against Ukraine.
After all, many music groups, including the Metropolitan Opera, have already banned Russian performers who support Russian President Vladimir Putin and his unjustified war in Ukraine (below).
So here’s the question: Is it appropriate to play a favorite work celebrating a Russian military victory while Ukraine, the United States and Western allies, including NATO, are desperately trying to defeat Russian forces?
As you may recall, the overture was inspired by Russia’s victory over the invading forces of Napoleon who was attempting go conquer Russia. Like Hitler and the Nazis, Napoleon failed and the Russians prevailed. That is why, in the work, you hear the French national anthem “La Marseillaise” overcome by the chimes and cannons of the Russian victory hymn. (There was no Russian national anthem until 1815.)
Will the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra or other orchestras as well as radio and TV stations around the U.S. find a substitute piece? Perhaps it could be the Ukrainian national anthem that is performed (as in the BBC Proms concert in the YouTube video at the bottom and as many other orchestras around the world, including the Madison Symphony Orchestra and John DeMain, have done).
What else could the WCO and other groups play — especially since Sousa marches are already usually featured on The Fourth?
Do you have a suggestion?
The Ear will be interested to see how the quandary is solved — with explanations and excuses, or with alternative music?
Meanwhile, as comedian Stephen Colbert likes to say: What do you think?
Should the “1812 Overture” be played on this Fourth of July?
A canceled Russian diva sues the Met. Who should win?
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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.
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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