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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What’s the big deal with Bayreuth?
As the world celebrates the 150th anniversary of one of the most epic opera halls and opera cycles in all of classical music, there has been a wave of journalists exploring just what makes Bayreuth so unique. My top reads: this NYT piece on the superfans who made the pilgrimage this summer: “Wagner is our drug.” And for The Guardian, Flora Willson’s experience sitting through all 23 hours of the new (and highly controversial) AI-powered production of The Ring cycle—literally locked inside the theater in the midst of a heatwave, no less: “At a time when many opera companies are trying to make the art form more broadly inviting, Bayreuth’s determination to cater purely to insiders stands out.”
Want to revisit The Ring from home? Try this fantastic production of the complete cycle at the Zurich Opera House, which comes complete with our very own introductory guide to Wagner’s epic universe and its cast of characters.
Lorenzo Da Ponte in America (NYT)
Did you know that Lorenzo Da Ponte—famous in classical circles as Mozart’s librettist—had a second career as a grocer in Pennsylvania? I certainly didn’t. It turns out that Da Ponte was a colorful character and after winding his way through several major European centers, fled to the US to escape his debts. Stateside, Da Ponte fashioned himself into a veritable cultural ambassador of sorts. This fascinating article in the NYT traces Da Ponte’s immigration story and generations of his American family tree.
The 17th chord change in a 639-year performance of Cage’s ORGAN²/ASLSP (AP News)
Wednesday marked a milestone moment for the John Cage Organ Project Halberstadt: a rare chord change in a projected 639-year performance of Cage’s ORGAN²/ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible) which began in 2001. The chairwoman of the project’s board underlined the importance of providing an alternative to the fast pace of daily life: “As fast as our world is developing, I think it’s a wonderful place to be and to come to yourself and just to be touched by this ‘being there.” The next chord change is scheduled for October 5, 2027, and the finale will take place in September 2640.
Tom Service on the concept of paying to play (The Guardian)
As tech entrepreneur Mandle Cheung prepares for a concert at the helm of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra this month, Tom Service reflects in The Guardian on what it means for the industry that a spot on the podium can be purchased. On the one hand, he writes, “one way of looking at the entire history of orchestral music and opera is that it’s always been an aristocrat’s indulgence” from the royals who employed rosters of musicians at their courts to the modern day philanthropists underwriting today’s ensembles. Yet at the same time, having an amateur on stage, however skilled, “makes a mockery of a meritocracy in classical music.”
Watch the trailer for The Yellow Tie (Classic FM)
We are just a few months away from the release date of The Yellow Tie, a new film about conductor Sergiu Celibidache, and the official trailer has just dropped. John Malkovich stars as the acclaimed Romanian conductor and polarizing figure in this biopic written and directed by Celibidache’s son Serge Ionan.
