Jose Antonio Abreu is the charismatic founder of a youth orchestra system that has transformed thousands of kids’ lives in Venezuela. Here he shares his amazing story and unveils a TED Prize wish that could have a big impact in the US and beyond.
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Today is the 317th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birth. Morning Edition host Bob Edwards uses the occasion to discuss Bach’s passions — in life and music — with Miles Hoffman, a commentator on NPR’s Performance Today and artistic director of the American Chamber Players.
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At 16, he was ‘the pianistic find of the century’. There followed a sparkling two decades before his right hand seized up mysteriously. Now, after a 40-year battle to regain mastery of the keyboard, Leon Fleisher is headlining next month’s Aldeburgh Festival. Lynne Walker hears his extraordinary story.
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The conductor Claudio Abbado has called it “the most important project in the music world in our time.” But only recently, as the meteoric rise of the conductor Gustavo Dudamel aroused curiosity about the unique environment within which his talents blossomed, has it attracted the widespread attention of music lovers.
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It’s a very assured – not to say very brave – young conductor who chooses to make his debut with the London Symphony Orchestra in Sibelius’ notoriously challenging Seventh Symphony. Mighty talents have fallen at this particular fence, defeated by the work’s circuitous evolution and elusive logic.
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When I was asked 12 months ago by the BBC if I’d be interested in making a film on Henryk Górecki (in Poland) and Arvo Pärt (in Estonia) for their Sacred Music series, I said yes, almost immediately. I’d been very impressed by the first series and liked the idea pairing of two composers writing religious music in the communist Eastern Bloc who have become almost cult figures in our secular age.
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Australians played an important role in bringing to life a rare new symphony from Arvo Part, writes Harriet Cunningham. Silence. It has been a recurring theme in the life and music of one of the world’s most revered composers, Arvo Part.
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Hundreds of spectators – Palestinians and Israelis alike – crowded opposite the small stage, where dozens of young female singers (with a few boys among them too) stood excitedly, representing three choirs: the Jasmine Choir of the Magnificat Conservatory, run by the monastery; the Sawa Choir (which means “together” in Arabic) of Shfaram; and the Efroni Choir of Emek Hefer.
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It’s not over ‘til the fat baby sings. Scottish Opera is attempting to reach beyond its normal audiences of middle-aged music buffs by launching a series of concerts aimed at infants, aged between six and 18 months.
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If there’s one reason why Samuel Barber should have lived to be 100, it’s the upside-down irony that his monumental New York flop is Philadelphia’s hottest opera ticket.
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