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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Pop superstar Rosalía drops a new classically-inspired single
The biggest news of the week is undoubtedly the fact that classical music hit the mega mainstream this week thanks to popstar Rosalía’s new opera-infused single, “Berghain,” which has racked up over 15 million views in less than a week. Check out our breaking news article from a few days ago for more info.
German orchestra cancels world premiere of a new violin concerto (Bachtrack)
The Essen Philharmonic Orchestra and soloist Caroline Widmann were set to premiere a new violin concerto by Clara Iannotta at the end of October but the piece was suddenly dropped from the program just days beforehand. Statements from the various parties involved paint different pictures of what exactly happened and how the decision was made, but the extended performance techniques the piece called for seem to be at the heart of the issue. On social media, Iannotta wrote that the orchestra members asked for additional fees (which is not uncommon in this kind of situation), but that the considerable amount requested was “effectively an obstruction.” The Italian composer also lamented “a profound lack of curiosity…” However, in a public statement, the orchestra responded that Iannotta had deviated from agreed-upon conditions, including the delivery deadline, which made a “professional performance” impossible…
Grocery shopping for La Bohème (NYT)
It truly takes a village to create the magic that you see on stage at the opera and I loved this profile of Met Opera staff member Rex Marquez, who has an important job so specific I bet most opera-lovers would never even have dreamed it existed. Marquez is responsible for sourcing and preparing all of the real food items that hit the stage in Franco Zeffirelli’s beloved production of La Bohème, and the New York Times followed him for a day as he bopped around town shopping for items like Whole Foods croissants, Popeye’s fried chicken, and hibiscus tea (sourced at Target, of course), which he steeps overnight as a stand-in for red wine.
Ireland makes its Basic Income for the Arts program permanent (The Conversation)
Ireland’s government is turning its pilot scheme, the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA), into a permanent program, perhaps paving the way for similar initiatives in other countries. The pilot, which was launched in 2022, paid 2,000 artists and creative workers €325 per week, and early research found improved wellbeing, increased creative output, and generated a return of €1.39 to society for every €1 invested.
The great Maria João Pires retires (Classic FM)
Classic FM has reported that iconic Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires announced her retirement this week, after over six decades of concert performance. Earlier this spring, Pires shared that she would need to step away from the stage for a while after suffering from a stroke. The retirement announcement came during an award ceremony in Lisbon, where Pires was accepting an award. “in a process of radical change, in a search for truths.”
Pires is one of the world’s most respected pianists—and she also stars in one of the most famous social media posts in the classical industry, an excerpt of a 1999 concert in which Pires, a last-minute replacement, realizes the orchestra has begun playing a different concerto than the one she had prepared…
