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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Riccardo Chailly taken to hospital and performance suspended at La Scala (Gramilano)
Conductor Riccardo Chailly fell ill during the second performance of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at La Scala (production currently available on replay below) and was taken to hospital. The Italian Maestro, who has a longstanding heart condition, had expressed fatigue during the first intermission, which was extended to give him time to recuperate, but Chailly was ultimately unable to continue the performance and an ambulance was called during the second intermission. La Scala staff decided to suspend the performance rather than substitute another conductor. Chailly has been the opera house’s Musical Director for ten years and this is his final season. At the time of the report, he was being treated in hospital.
We streamed the opening night of Lady Macbeth just a few days earlier:
American opera singer Jubilant Sykes fatally stabbed by son (The Guardian)
Grammy-nominated opera singer Jubilant Sykes, 71, was fatally stabbed at his home in Santa Monica, California, after authorities responded to an assault call. Police arrested his 31-year-old son, Micah Sykes, on suspicion of murder—investigation is ongoing. Sykes had a distinguished career, including a 2010 Grammy nomination for his performance in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, and performed widely at major venues such as the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center.
Why did Handel write operas in Italian? (Sophia Galer on Instagram)
My Instagram feed is certainly full of classical music content but I wasn’t expecting to see a video about Handel from one of my favorite linguistics journalists, Sophia Galer. London-based Galer attended a performance of Handel’s Ariodante at the Royal Ballet and Opera last week and took the opportunity to chat about why Handel—a German composer living in London—would write an opera set in Scotland in the Italian language.
New “Dear Maestro” podcast dives into Bernstein’s fan mail
This week I binged the first few episodes of the fantastic new podcast “Dear Maestro,” which came out a few weeks ago. In season 1, musicologists Dr. Flora Willson and Dr. Kate Guthrie (full disclosure: Kate and I were in the same Masters cohort back in the day!) explore “a historic collection of fan mail sent to none other than the Leonard Bernstein – composer of West Side Story, celebrity conductor, and pin-up for a generation of classical music lovers.” A great exploration of classical music’s generally ignored yet deeply fascinating fan culture.
Royal Academy of Music announces £30 million donation (Gramophone)
London’s Royal Academy of Music announced a £30 million donation from philanthropist Mrs Aud Jebsen—the largest in its 203-year history and the biggest gift ever given to a conservatoire outside the USA. The funds will be used to transform the Academy’s facilities in order to enhance teaching, rehearsal, and performance spaces. It will also help maintain the Academy’s museum and collections, which include multiple Stradivari string instruments.
