Norman’s News, 8/21/11

As you’ll see from today’s postings, Norman Lebrecht has a lot of news from the opera world for us today, and some more with a local connection!

1) As I write today’s entry, Norman Lebrecht is at the Glyndebourne Festival with one of his daughters, where they’re checking out the new production of Benjamin Britten’s opera “The Turn of the Screw”. Norman notes that will be streamed live on the Guardian website at 5:45 PM UK time (12:45 PM Eastern Time) on The Guardian’s website. However, if you missed it, that’s OK, since it will be available there for the next 21 days. (Warning: not for the squeamish or for small children; some of it is pretty scary!) Here’s a photo of Miah Persson as the Governess.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) A controversial new staging of Rossini’s opera “Moses” at the Rossini Festival in Pesaro, Italy draws objections from Italian Jews and Christians (and others inside and outside Italy!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, contrary to Italian press reports, an Israeli soprano clarifies that she didn’t drop out of Rossini’s “Moses” …since she was never part of the cast and is in another opera at the festival! Hila Baggio shares her impressions of the production at Slipped Disc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) It’s not just EMI’s Eric Dingman who is moving on; it looks like one of the founding partners at Universal Music Classical is gone, and there are other changes as well. Why is he on the outs now? And where will soprano Anna Netrebko go now, with all the changes at Universal Classical? Or will she go anywhere else?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) And from our own backyard (or at least in WJNY’s coverage area): Is David Van Hoesen, just retired from the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, the longest-serving orchestral player in history? (He was also principal bassoonist with the Rochester Philharmonic, and taught at Eastman, Oberlin and the Cleveland Institute of Music over the years.) Could be! Norman has more about him, and if you know of any orchestral player with a longer career, he invites you to share the details at Slipped Disc. (He may have some company to judge from Slipped Disc responses, but he’s certainly well up in the standings!) Our best wishes to Mr. Van Hoesen for a happy retirement, and our thanks to him and other long-serving players in the music world!