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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Paris’s Palais Garnier to close for longer than expected (Operawire)
The Opéra de Paris announced this week that the planned two-year closure set for 2027-2029 will now be extended through 2032 in order to address lead contamination in the building. This news comes as a blow for one of France’s most visited attractions and one of the cultural sector’s most high-profile institutions. This extension will delay planned work at the Opéra de Paris’s other venue, the Opéra Bastille, which is set to close for its own two-year renovation after the Palais Garnier.
Sir Anthony Hopkins signs with Decca as a composer (BBC)
Celebrated actor—and lifelong musician—Sir Anthony Hopkins is releasing his first album as a classical composer next month. Working with Decca Classics, Hopkins’s music was recorded by Gustavo Dudamel and the Philharmonia Orchestra. The first single, 1947: Suite for Solo Piano and Orchestra, is already available:
Can you imagine a world without Wagner? (The Guardian)
In the Guardian, Tom Service works through a thought experiment, imagining how the world of classical music may have evolved if Wagner hadn’t existed. Would Liszt or Brahms have taken on even more important roles? What would Debussy and Stravinsky have sounded like without Wagner to rebel against? An interesting read as we gear up for the 150th anniversary of both Bayreuth and Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle this August!
Hungarian public radio to broadcast only classical music for a time (Classic FM)
Many parts of life in Hungary are set to change as the country changes leadership, including the content and management of its public radio system. Hungary’s Kossuth Rádió announced a massive overhaul this week and that during this time of transition, all stations will play exclusively classical music. The country’s public radio system was tightly controlled by longtime leader Viktor Orbán; new Prime Minister Péter Magyar has said the change marks the “end of propaganda broadcasting” of state news.
Have you ever heard Vivaldi performed on a daburka?
“Unexpected instruments performing classical music” is one of my favorite categories of content on social media and this video percussionist Omar Kattan adding a daburka line to a recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is an utter delight:
