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.
View author's page
Reading time estimated : 3 min
Jakub Józef Orliński in conversation (BBC)
The BBC released a fantastic interview with countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński, who talks about the vulnerability of being a singer (your instrument is literally inside your body!), the loneliness of a life spent in the practice room, and making space for creativity alongside traditional performance.
Celibidache’s son, on making a film about his father (The Guardian)
Released just this week, The Yellow Tie is a biopic about legendary conductor Sergiu Celibidache, co-written and directed by his son, Serge Ioan Celibidachi, who penned an interesting article in the Guardian talking about the genesis of the film and what he hopes to communicate with it. “I grew up in awe of my father, but I did not agree with all that he did. That distance helped me find the courage to approach a biopic about his life. The goal was never to put him on a pedestal.”
Celibidache was notoriously against recordings but we are lucky enough to have several filmed performances of him in the medici.tv catalogue, like this one from late in his life, conducting the Munich Philharmonic, an ensemble he led for many years.
Filmed in Cologne two years before his death, Sergiu Celibidache, aged eighty-two, conducts “Malagueña” from Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole with the Munich Philharmonic, with all the restrained authority and still-visible strength of an old lion.
Gramophone Award Winners 2026 (Gramophone)
The most prestigious awards in classical music were handed out this week and many medici regulars took home prizes, including Isabelle Faust (Artist of the Year), Alexander Malofeev (Young Artist of the Year), and the Bamberg Symphony (Orchestra of the Year). The full list of winners is available on Gramophone’s website.
How Dudamel conducts Mahler (NYT)
I loved this new video format from the NYT in which classical critic Joshua Barone, annotating a score with a bright red marker, breaks down in detail how Gustavo Dudamel conducts three specific moments of Mahler’s fifth.
The Royal Ballet’s first-ever beauty partner (Gramilano)
The Royal Ballet and Opera announced a new partnership with L’Oréal Paris, who will provide products to the house’s wigs, hair, and make-up teams, and also collaborate with the institution on public-facing events, starting with a beauty-oriented tour that highlights the preparation involved in getting a dancer ready for the stage. Principal dancer Marianela Nuñez has been the face of this campaign so far.
