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.
Dudamel and the New York Phil to premiere a never-performed piece by Ravel (Bachtrack)
This March, Gustavo Dudamel and the New York Philharmonic will give a world premiere performance over a century in the making. As part of Ravel’s 150th anniversary celebrations, the ensemble will be the first to perform the Prélude et danse de Sémiramis, the opening to a partially-lost cantata from 1902. Ravel composed the cantata as a student, one of his multiple unsuccessful bids to win the prestigious Prix de Rome. Ravel’s sketches have been available for public consultation since 2000 and the new performance score, edited by Ravel Editions, will be on display in New York as part of a larger Ravel exhibit.
Celebrate the legacy of a true original with new releases, specially produced features, and deep dives into his music with medici.tv. Discover Ravel at 150 here.
Conductor Edward Gardner apologizes for calling Italian singers Mafia (BBC)
Edward Gardner apologized this week for comparing the chorus of the Teatro San Carlo to “rival Mafia families”—comments that angered many including the mayor of Naples. Gardner explained to the BBC: “I was informed that two members of the chorus had a public fight just outside the theatre resulting in one person being hospitalised. I was very surprised by this… However I did not intend to suggest that the choir were members of the Mafia, and I am more than happy to retract that allegation.” Gardner expressed regret for his remarks and praised the choir’s professionalism and talent.
Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées evacuated mid-performance due to kitchen fire (Diapason – in French)
Roughly 1,500 concert-goers were evacuated from Paris’s celebrated Théâtre des Champs-Elysées during a performance of Lully’s Persée on Friday after a small fire broke out in the kitchens of a restaurant beneath the venue. Luckily no one was seriously injured. Diapason magazine reports that members of the choir tried to make the best of a bad situation and sang for the waiting audience members for some time outside the theater.
Fallout continues at the Kennedy Center as Renée Fleming resigns (Operawire)
After announcing last week that he intended to take over the Kennedy Center, Trump officially became Chair of the Board of the iconic American institution this week, triggering a wave of public resignations from renowned artists including opera singer Renée Fleming, who has served as the center’s Artistic Advisor for nearly a decade. Other major resignations include singer Ben Folds and producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes.
On “the Joys and Pains of Adult Ballet” (Glamour)
I loved this heartwarming feature article in this week’s Glamour magazine, which dives into the world of adult ballet learners. The Washington School of Ballet (associated with the Washington Ballet) is one of the only premier dance companies to offer a dedicated curriculum for adults and they’ve clearly struck a chord with the community: enrollment ballooned in 2024 to over 8,000 students. Many interviewed describe the school’s positive, welcoming environment—a stark contrast from the strict codes that have dominated ballet teaching—as revolutionary: “For students like myself who grew up with ballet, taking ballet classes as an adult can feel like a reclamation over our bodies, many of which were deemed ‘unsuitable’ for ballet.”
