http://showpopr.com/bookmarks/classical A website that enhances the concert experience. en-us Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim and his orchestra of Arab and Israeli musicians say they are canceling performances in the Middle East this weekend because of fighting between Israel and Hamas. Instead, they will play in the German capital. Barenboim says they are canceling the shows in Qatar and Egypt amid concerns for the musicians' safety. ghostny Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:08:23 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/ArabIsraeli_Orchestra_Stops_Shows_in_Qatar_Egypt http://www.showpopr.com/ArabIsraeli_Orchestra_Stops_Shows_in_Qatar_Egypt At the end of Giacomo Puccini's "La Rondine," an enamored woman jilts her ardent but poor lover, saying she can't give up her old life as a rich man's mistress. And, she says, she doesn't want to financially ruin her soulmate. But on New Year's Eve, after the Metropolitan Opera's gold curtain fell, there was a second ending: The two lovers went off together into the Manhattan night. slowandsteady77 Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:44:19 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Alagna_Gheorghiu_ring_in_the_new_year_at_the_Met http://www.showpopr.com/Alagna_Gheorghiu_ring_in_the_new_year_at_the_Met German director Juergen Flimm was chosen Monday to become the general manager of Berlin's Staatsoper opera house in 2010. Flimm, currently artistic director of the prestigious Salzburg Festival in Austria, will replace Peter Mussbach, who left the Staatsoper in May due to differences over programming. Berlin's city government said Flimm will take the job Sept. 1, 2010, with a five-year contract. arienette1981 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:33:55 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Juergen_Flimm_to_manage_Berlin_opera http://www.showpopr.com/Juergen_Flimm_to_manage_Berlin_opera Oscar-winning French composer Maurice Jarre will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Berlin International Film Festival, which runs from February 5-15. Jarre, 84, is best known for his work with British director David Lean. He won three Oscars with arrangements for Lean films: "Lawrence of Arabia," "Doctor Zhivago" and "A Passage to India." The composer will receive his Golden Bear at a ceremony on February 12, and the Berlinale will screen a series of films featuring Jarre's work. slowandsteady77 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:53:18 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Composer_Maurice_Jarre_set_for_Berlin_festival_honor http://www.showpopr.com/Composer_Maurice_Jarre_set_for_Berlin_festival_honor It's a story as old as marriage, and it was told delightfully Saturday in a new production of Richard Strauss' "Intermezzo." Praise to the composer first for squeezing 2 1/2 hours of entertainment from a plot that appears too thin for substantive opera. memphisrains Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:21:36 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Strauss_opera_strong_musically http://www.showpopr.com/Strauss_opera_strong_musically It's easy to spot Trans-Siberian Orchestra musical director/guitarist Al Pitrelli backstage after the band's late-November concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. He's the one wearing a bulky knee brace and hopping around on metal crutches. lydiash Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:17:13 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Tis_the_season_for_TransSiberian_spectacle http://www.showpopr.com/Tis_the_season_for_TransSiberian_spectacle Richard Van Allan, a British bass-baritone who was a commanding presence on the world's opera stages, has died at age 73. Van Allan died Dec. 4 in London, according to the National Opera Studio, which he directed from 1986 to 2001. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago, The Guardian newspaper reported. His roles included Pooh-Bah in Jonathan Miller's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Mikado" at English National Opera. pietrocrespi Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:08:23 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Operatic_bass_Richard_Van_Allan_dies_at_73 http://www.showpopr.com/Operatic_bass_Richard_Van_Allan_dies_at_73 Conductor Steven Reineke (RYE'-nuh-kee) has been named music director of The New York Pops, the nation's largest independent pops orchestra specializing in popular music. Reineke is an established symphonic composer and associate conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. His new job begins Oct. 1, 2009. He succeeds New York Pops founder and former NBC music director Skitch Henderson, who died in 2005. memphisrains Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:23:48 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/The_New_York_Pops_gets_new_music_director http://www.showpopr.com/The_New_York_Pops_gets_new_music_director As Gustavo Dudamel tried to coax more force from children playing Beethoven, the young Venezuelan conductor resorted to an original tool: his hair. "Do you remember the hair movement? It is very important!" Dudamel told the kids from rough South Los Angeles, his head of thick, springy curls bobbing to make the point. Who knew a classical music rehearsal could be so much fun? lydiash Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:22:07 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/LA_youth_learn_of_music_life_with_young_maestro http://www.showpopr.com/LA_youth_learn_of_music_life_with_young_maestro Critical reaction to the gala premiere at La Scala can be summed up in one word: Boring. The last-minute decision to swap the "Don Carlo" tenors created a tension that spurred many in the audience to open rebellion against conductor Daniele Gatti, emitting whistles and catcalls at his every entrance. A critic for Corriere della Sera called the level of hostility "almost scary." heavensent Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:24:03 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/La_Scalas_Don_Carlo_fails_to_excite http://www.showpopr.com/La_Scalas_Don_Carlo_fails_to_excite The late Swedish soprano Birgit Nilsson will be commemorated through the establishment of a $1 million classical music prize. The Birgit Nilsson Foundation said Friday the prize is being created according to the singer's wishes and is the largest in classical musical history. The first Birgit Nilsson prize winner will be announced in 2009. Nilsson picked the first winner herself; the name is being kept in a sealed envelope. eleanorpryor Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:30:43 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/New_classical_music_prize_established_in_Sweden http://www.showpopr.com/New_classical_music_prize_established_in_Sweden Spending the holidays with your family can be a bit trying-- to say the least-- if you'd rather not revisit a treasure trove of bad memories. But if your flock consisted of a bunch of Canadian folkie legends, some cool young kids who make some fine music of their own, and an extended crew including Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Emmylou Harris and that Jimmy Fallon joker, your Yule season might be a tad bit merrier, yes? heavensent Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:21:30 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Rufus_Wainwright_Talks_Family_Christmas_Show_Opera http://www.showpopr.com/Rufus_Wainwright_Talks_Family_Christmas_Show_Opera Celebrated Romanian jazz singer Anca Parghel, who fought a highly publicized battle with ovarian cancer, died early Friday, a doctor said. She was 51. Dorel Sandesc, head of Intensive Therapy at a hospital in Timisoara, said Parghel died hours after she was admitted to the hospital unconscious. The diminutive singer with flashing dark eyes was one of Romania's best known musicians and was compared to the legendary opera diva Maria Callas. lydiash Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:57:53 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Celebrated_Romanian_jazz_singer_Anca_Parghel_dies http://www.showpopr.com/Celebrated_Romanian_jazz_singer_Anca_Parghel_dies System of a Down’s Serj Tankian is collaborating on Prometheus Bound, a new rock-based musical from Spring Awakening lyricist and book writer Steven Sater. Tankian hinted at the collaboration to Rock Daily back in August. The musical is now in the workshop phase at Cambridge’s American Repertory Theatre, with a full production planned for the 2009-10 season. memphisrains Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:53:12 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Serj_Tankian_At_Work_On_New_Rock_Musical_Prometheus_Bound http://www.showpopr.com/Serj_Tankian_At_Work_On_New_Rock_Musical_Prometheus_Bound Julie Andrews is succeeding Walter Cronkite as host of the Vienna Philharmonic's annual New Year's Day concert on PBS. Cronkite had anchored the "Great Performances" telecast in the United States for the past 24 years. gyaeger Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:25:52 +0000 http://www.showpopr.com/Andrews_to_succeed_Cronkite_on_PBS http://www.showpopr.com/Andrews_to_succeed_Cronkite_on_PBS