Joyce DiDonato broke her leg last Saturday during an onstage accident at the Royal Opera House in London. She was playing Rosina in Rossini’s Barber of Seville, when she slipped onstage and hurt her leg. DiDonato managed to hobble around stage for the rest of the performance, singing “the rest of the three-hour opera on crutches and in nonstop pain,” according to ArtsBeat.
Her blog recounts the four-hour long visit to the emergency room where she shocked the doctor after telling him she remained on her feet for three hours after sustaining the injury. At the time, DiDonato said she was determined to finish the run of the opera. Check the full article to see how that worked out.
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Royal Opera Singer Breaks Leg Onstage
Misinterprets Common Saying
Boston Symphony Opens Tanglewood
Unless You Count Steve Martin Playing Banjo in June
The BSO will open Tanglewood’s summer 2009 season on Friday, July 3, with James Levine leading an all Tchaikovsky—”blockbuster”—program featuring his Symphony No. 6 Pathetique and Piano Concerto No. 1. The full program for the summer is available here, which I would go into detail about if I were not on 56k dialup at the moment.
New Works by Deak and Sinco Performed in New York
After, Deak Hurries Off to Play Maazel’s Final Performance
NEW YORK, NY — Associate Principal Bassist of the New York Philharmonic Jon Deak came forward, applauding, to shake the hands of musicians led by conductor Thomas Carlo Bo after they completed a performance his composition Lad, a Dog (Part II: The Visitor). The work is a one movement piece, performed by two narrators, violin, clarinet, and piano. Originally, the work featured only the three instrumentalists. They were to narrate the text themselves as per directions in the score. Furthermore, it was chamber music—no conductor required. This performance, however, definitely benefited from both the narrators and the conductor. While I never witnessed the chamber music version, I do think the additions improved the effectiveness of the piece. View Full Article »
NY Times: Ancient Flute Offers Clues to Musical Past
Predates Band Camp By Thousands of years
The New York Times reported that a flute, at least 35,000 years old, was found in a cave in southwest Germany. The flute was created around the same time as the earliest known sculptures—an indication that the two art forms may have evolved simultaneously. This particular bone flute, archaeologists say, is the most complete they have found, possessing five finger holes. Along with other specimens, this flute suggests music may have been a widespread element of human culture around that time period. Until now, examples of instruments had been too scarce to confirm any suspicion on the matter. The Times speculates about the role of the flute—and music itself at the time—citing German archaeologists who said music “could have contributed to the maintenance of larger social networks, and thereby perhaps have helped facilitate the demographic and territorial expansion of modern humans.” Read the article at nytimes.com.
Maazel Conducts Symphony of a Thousand
Lorin Maazel finishes his time with the Phil this week with a run of Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand. Performances are 7:30pm June 24 and 25, 8:00pm June 26 and 27. Get tickets here.
Two Nights Sold Out—Maazel Conducts Symphony of a Thousand
Grammatical Error in Title Goes Unquestioned
Lorin Maazel’s final performances with the New York Philharmonic span the nights of June 24 – June 27. The program is Mahler’s Symphony No. 8—the Symphony of a Thousand. The June 24 and 26 performances are already sold out, so if you’re debating whether to attend, don’t wait too long. Find the event homepage here.
Lorin Maazel Closes NYSE
Finds Gavel Significantly Heavier Than Baton
Lorin Maazel rang the closing bell of the NYSE today in commemoration of his reign over the Philharmonic. You can watch the event take place here.