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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Arrangement of Florence Price waltz criticized as erasure (The Guardian)
The 2026 Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year concert included a piece by Florence Price this year, a move many applauded as a huge step for diversity and inclusion in one of classical music’s most watched (and traditional) events. But in recent weeks, the tone has shifted after it emerged that Wolfgang Dörner’s orchestration of Price’s “Rainbow Waltz” took significant liberties with the work Price originally wrote for piano. Musicologist John Michael Cooper argued it erased Price’s distinctive harmonic language in favour of generic Viennese style, while others—including the concert’s conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin—defended the arrangement as a means of exposure. The episode has triggered reflection industry-wide about representation, authenticity, and the posthumous treatment of marginalized composers.
What happened with Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra?
A few weeks ago the Boston Symphony Orchestra announced their intention to part ways with Andris Nelsons and both the change in leadership, as well as the way this major decision was rolled out have exposed a profound internal rift over the orchestra’s future. Officially framed as a misalignment of “vision,” the move shocked musicians, who strongly supported Nelsons and complained they were largely excluded from the decision. Reports point to a deeper rift between board-led ambitions for structural change—addressing financial pressures, declining audiences, and community engagement—and a more traditional artistic approach centred on core repertoire. The Guardian wonders whether Nelsons’ busy, international schedule played a role, while the Boston Globe gets down to brass tacks: “BSO leadership clearly had a vision for the future when it ousted Andris Nelsons. Why don’t we know what it is?”
Can Bluey save classical music? (The Guardian)
In the Guardian, Tom Service looks for inspiration in one of the most-streamed programs of the moment: Australian kids’ show, Bluey, arguing that it may offer an unlikely blueprint for classical music’s future. “What’s so brilliant about Bush’s music… is that Bush isn’t introducing classical music in the same way that you try to introduce broccoli into your child’s diet. It’s simply because he’s finding the right tunes for the right dramatic situation, and playing with them, recomposing them, rearranging them, and making them fit for Bluey’s purpose.”
Lise Davidsen on starring as Isolde with newborns at home (NYT)
As a twin mom myself, I was fascinated by this New York Times interview with Lise Davidsen, who is currently starring as Isolde at the Metropolitan Opera—and also dealing with a pair of infants at home. Davidsen talks about her fears that pregnancy would change her voice (not an unfounded worry: “vocal crises” are among the many physical changes induced by pregnancy) and what it’s like taking on one of the most demanding roles in all of opera just months after giving birth.
Isolde may be a new role for Davidsen, but she has been singing Wagner magnificently for years. Here she is in an excerpt from Tannhaüser, alongside Andris Nelsons and the Vienna Philharmonic:
How do you get fake blood out of an opera costume?
Opera productions can be gory affairs but have you ever once thought about how to get a (fake) blood stain out of a costume? I certainly hadn’t, so I was thrilled to see this Instagram post from the Canadian Opera Company giving us a glimpse into the magical world of the costume department during a run of Bluebeard’s Castle.
