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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Pedro Pascal stars as a cellist in new feature film (ClassicFM, Vanity Fair)
The trailer for “Behemoth!”—the latest entry in the recent slate of films about the classical music world—came out this week. Pedro Pascal stars as a cellist-composer who returns to LA to work on a film score. Pascal took extensive cello lessons in preparation for the role and told Vanity Fair that it was “literally the hardest, hardest, hardest thing I’ve ever had to learn to do. Being in a gladiator arena or hanging from a harness—that stuff pales in comparison to learning how to play the cello and making it look convincing.”
A deep dive into “L’affaire Andris” (Boston magazine)
The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s decision to not renew maestro Andris Nelson’s contract—and in particular the way this decision was made, explained, and announced—has led to some thought-provoking discussions across the orchestra world in recent months. Boston Magazine’s long-form exploration of the situation is a great starting point and a fantastic piece of journalism: “It’s a story about many things, including music and money; excellence and equity; tradition and change. But mostly it’s about two questions: What should an orchestra be in a city like Boston in 2026? And even more important: Who gets to decide?”
Gustavo Dudamel and New York Phil make surprise appearance at the World Cup Final
Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic joined an astonishingly eclectic group of performers at the halftime show of the World Cup Final this weekend. Performing alongside The Muppets (!) and a large cast of dancers, the world-renowned orchestra and their new Music Director performed The White Stripes’ hit song and beloved soccer crowd chant, “Seven Nation Army” (!!):
Anne Hathaway cites Maria Callas as inspiration (Buzzfeed)
Unexpected classical music name drop on the red carpet: speaking to Buzzfeed as part of her press circuit promoting new film, The Odyssey, Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway cited Maria Callas as her inspiration, praising in particular Callas’s ability to create a crystalline, intimate moment—and instantly pivot into a performance of fury.
University Challenge classical quiz stumps students from Oxford and Cambridge
Some of the UK’s smartest students were completely shut out of the classical music category on an episode of beloved quiz show University Challenge—let’s try not to read too much into what that says about the state of music education!
