It is with great regret that we must announce to our faithful readership (sorry, Mom) that stewardship of this website has been transferred to an American corporate entity, which by terms of our contract must remain unnamed. This occurred in spite of fierce competition from foreign international groups seeking to diversify from their main interests (primarily pharmaceuticals and adult entertainment).

At this point, our new patrons have not fully clarified how this will impact upon the subject material, quantity and quality of this authoritative classical music review website. We hasten to assure you that, fortunately, no staff have been requested to oboe out of service, and the caretakers have not been asked to return either major or minor keys to our new ownership. While we anticipate that the tone of this blog may shift incidentally, rest assured that the theme of music will remain in full measure. Our reportage may be more varied than in the past. Our present dissonance with our new commission should dimuendo rather than crescendo, although a few accidentals and sharp words will pass, and a few f-durs will fall flat.

Until then, we kindly ask you, gentle reader, to bear with us. Your regular programme will return in a brief minuet.

Well, the video for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra’s performance at Carnegie Hall has finally been posted! On a Friday evening, in great need of entertainment (and perhaps enlightenment), there I went, with much anticipation of good music and good spirits.

Let me preface my comments by saying that this is a noble venture to broaden the appeal of classical music to the great masses. Certainly the orchestra will reach many around the world; maybe its contents will be appealing to new listeners. But it is not for refined palates.

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra will not be replacing professional orchestras, live concerts or professional recordings any time soon. Its problems are fourfold. First, the programming is questionable. The concert started a lacklustre piece that was supposedly written by Brahms, then some very odd 20th century percussion piece played on plastic bins, and then around the world. Second, the players, while reasonably adept for amateurs, are not professionals. At best their sound was sluggish and inoffensive. They lack the crisp timing and the general quality of instruments required in a serious orchestra. Their rendition of Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkryies’ conjured images of fat lolling women around a TV, rather than the fierce thundering warrior-maidens of Germanic legend. However, this is not the fault of the musicians; a few more days of rehearsal would have been helpful. Third, the sound quality fell below concert-level expectations. For an ensemble of 96, they should have produced a deafening sound. Instead I found myself straining to hear the grating of the strings, then wincing when I heard the false notes.

Fourth, and most disappointing, the production quality was amateur as well, with jerky animations and miscued video clips. In one instance, YouTube viewers were left staring at the darkened image of the conductor’s head, and missed out completely on another, soundless video which the conductor was watching. Given the hype and the backing institutions, I would have thought that more emphasis and thought would have been put into the production. Sadly, the production flaws detract from this marvellous convergence of so many musicians from different places. Ultimately all that was produced was a very well promoted YouTube video with a symphony orchestra.

Update: Here is the New York Times review on the YouTube Symphony Orchestra.

Here’s a link to a story in The Economist newspaper about the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death. It seems a little odd to celebrate a composer’s death (as compared to, say, the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth). Handel’s music wasn’t that bad.

On May 2 at 10PM, the Emmy Award winning PBS series INDEPENDENT LENS will air the television premiere of Daniel Anker’s critically acclaimed, joyous, and inspiring documentary, MUSIC FROM THE INSIDE OUT
The intersection of art and life are at the core of MUSIC FROM THE INSIDE OUT, a musical journey featuring the 105 musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra. The film focuses on the mystery and magic of music itself, creating a mosaic of the stories, ideas and experiences that form the heart of these musicians lives inside and outside the concert hall.

This should be interesting!

[From: PBS. Thanks Mary]

Encore! with James Conlon is a documentary that will air on PBS starting Sunday, April 2, 10:30pm (A six part series). The program will explores how musicians connect with and indentify with the music. The program follows six finalists from the twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition while exploring contrasting themes of inspiration.

[From: PBS via Kera]

I can’t say that I follow the Grammy Awards very closely but it is worth mentioning that The Emerson String Quartet has been nominated (again) for Best Classical Album and Best Chamber Music Performance. This time they are on the list for their epic recording “Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets” (Sämtliche Streichquartette) on Deutsche Grammophon.

This is a brilliant recording that shouldn’t be missed, and would be an exciting buy for the listener not yet familiar with Mendelssohn’s lesser known string quartets. Incidentally ESQ also includes a recording of the Octet in E flat, Op.20 recorded in two seperate sessions

If they win, it will be the seventh Grammy for the group.