As medici.tv’s Chief Content Officer I spend a lot of time thinking about classical music—and a lot of time on the internet. Here’s my selection of the top five news items you need to see this week if you want to stay in the know.
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149 “lost” works by Salieri have been found (The Violin Channel)
Good news: new eighteenth-century music just dropped! Four volumes of autograph manuscripts by Antonio Salieri have been discovered in a private home “almost perfectly preserved.” Authenticated by musicologist and Salieri expert Timo Jouko Herrmann, the four small leatherbound red manuscripts were mentioned in Salieri’s will but thought to be lost for centuries. They contain 149 works, which Herrmann will now prepare for publication.
Pioneering artist David Hockney passed away (The Guardian)
British artist David Hockney passed away this week. Hockney was one of the most influential British artists of the post-war era, celebrated for his luminous pool paintings, intimate portraits and constant experimentation across media. Less widely known, but equally significant, was his work in opera, where he brought a painter’s eye for colour, perspective and theatrical illusion to the productions for leading houses including Glyndebourne, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Royal Opera House.
Celebrate his legacy by watching this fabulous production of Turandot at the San Francisco Opera:
Live soundtrack performances a new staple of orchestral programming (NYT)
In the NYT, Sopan Debs wrote about the increasingly common practice of live soundtrack performances, in which an orchestra performs live alongside the projection of a film. Once a rarity in symphonic programming, this kind of concert is now a staple of most orchestra seasons and a key part of many institutions’ strategy to draw in new audiences. Debs spoke to numerous orchestral musicians to understand the specific challenges this repertoire represents: full-length soundtracks are a kind of marathon (and never recorded in one take in the studio), requiring musicians to stay deeply concentrated for long stretches, with virtually no margin for error in terms of timing.
Louise Alder and Roxanna Panufnik among classical stars honored by the King (ClassicFM)
The King’s Birthday Honors list for 2026 was announced this week and two classical stars were celebrated among the UK’s top “community change-makers.” Soprano Louise Alder was awarded an MBE for services to music and composer Roxanna Panufnik was awarded an OBE for services to music and charity (Member and Officer of the Order of the British Empire, respectively). ClassicFM has the full breakdown of classical artists honored this year.
The Washington National Opera filed a $17M lawsuit against the Kennedy Center (NYT)
Here’s the latest update in the ongoing turmoil at the Kennedy Center: Trump’s name has been removed from the front of the building, following a judge’s order, and the Washington National Opera have filed a $17 million lawsuit against the venue. The WNO left the Kennedy Center earlier this year and allege that the center has since refused to release the money, which includes “endowment funds, other donations and income that was collected for the company’s benefit.”
