BERLIN — The Berlin Philharmonic has dropped out of the Salzburg Easter Festival, effective in 2013, and is moving its annual springtime festival to Baden-Baden instead.

Peter Alward, who took over as executive director of the Salzburg Easter Festival just last year, and Managing Director Bernd Gaubert were informed late Friday of the Philharmonic’s withdraw (a press statement was released at 10:30 p.m. Central European Time).

For many, teenagers playing tinny music to each other on public transport on their mobile phones can be intensely irritating. Why do they do it?

BOLOGNA — “Germanico del sig. Hendl.” Since 1929 the catalog of the Conservatorio Cherubini in Florence (section “Opere teatrali”, p. 143) has listed a Handel title –”Germanico”– not mentioned in any other sources. In autumn 2009 Handel scholars* in both Europe and the U.S. got word that a Bond Street jeweler was circulating a copy of the manuscript in London, attempting to confirm its authenticity. On behalf of whom, we wondered? That mystery was partially solved when, on 18 May, Sony Classical announced on its website that an important press conference would be held on June 6, 11:30 am, at La Scala’s gift shop in Milan.