January 16, 2023
The University of Aberdeen has issued a trigger warning for patrons attending the school's production of Stravinsky’s Petrushka regarding the death of... a puppet.
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In today's email:
- The big idea: Top classical music performances and composers of 2022
- Report: Two-thirds in the UK say they 'could not live without music'
- Meet a company that builds amphitheatres entirely from old pianos
- Lizst: 5 nursery rhymes with surprisingly dark origins
- Meme of the week
- Around the web: Glenn Gould plays the Covid Variations, slang terms from the 1910s, and an 11-year-old piano prodigy, plus more curious internet finds.
CLASSICAL CHARTS
THE BIG IDEA
Top Classical Music Performances and Composers of 2022
A new report from Bachtrack.com compiled from their extensive events data has named the top classical music composers, operas, and performers in 2022.
According to Bachtrack’s recent statistics report, there were a total of 27,124 classical music events held worldwide in 2022.
Here are some highlights from the report:
- Conductors are getting younger, with the average age of top 10 conductors shifting from 61 in 2010, to 46 in 2022.
- Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet–Séguin, and Paavo Järvi were the top three busiest conductors.
- There were 12 women among the top 100 conductors, including Elim Chan, Gemma New, and Barbara Hannigan.
- Top three pianists were Yuja Wang, Daniil Trifonov, and Yefim Bronfman.
Now, let’s talk about some of the composers mentioned in the report.
- Mozart and Beethoven, as expected, topped the list as the most performed composers. J.S. Bach and Brahms followed closely behind, proving that the old warhorses are still as popular as ever.
- However, Bachtrack also found that contemporary composers are gaining ground, with Arvo Pärt, John Williams, Anna Clyne, and John Adams, all appearing in the top 10 most performed contemporary composers list.
- Mozart takes four of the top ten spots in the most-performed operas in 2022, with Le nozze di Figaro at number one.
- Philip Glass enjoyed a banner year as a top contemporary opera composer with performances of Akhnaten, Orphée, Les Enfants Terribles and Einstein on the Beach at The Met, Teatro Real, across France, Belgium and Germany.
Overall, it looks like a healthy mix of both old favourites and new voices being heard — particularly women. While there was a lot to be concerned about, it also shows that classical music is still chugging along just fine despite the pandemic.
THE LATEST
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Opera: Opera star Placido Domingo faces new accusations of misconduct.
Culture: A new wave of people is getting interested in classical music on streaming platforms.
Sound art: 'Decomposing piano' in Northern Ontario invites people to experiment with sound.
For sale: Rare violin made by 'Scottish Stradivari' appears on eBay with $620K price tag.
Musical Theatre: Joker: Folie à Deux, the highly-anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed film Joker, will be a musical.
Profile: Julian Haylock interviews violinist Daniel Pioro.
Composer: John Williams walks back retirement plans following a personal plea from Steven Spielberg.
REPORT
Two-Thirds in UK Say They 'Could Not Live Without Music' — As Musicians Struggle
Help Musicians, a UK-based charity, released the findings from a recent survey that says 67%, or two-thirds, of people in the United Kingdom “couldn’t live without music”. At 45%, just under half believe it is “part of their DNA”.
Help Musicians is dedicated to assisting working musicians at all stages of their careers, and the organization regularly researches the field.
Younger respondents rated it even higher — 83% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 said they couldn’t live without music, and 89% said it was an “important part” of their lives.
Musicians and inflation
Another report released in November 2022, however, charts the dire straits many musicians in the UK find themselves in. With a rocketing cost of living among the major underlying causes, however, it’s a situation musicians all over the globe can relate to.
According to that report:
- 60% report being worse off financially as compared to a year ago;
- 78% say they earn less income from music than before the pandemic (March 2020);
- Over 80% are concerned about meeting basic mortgage or rent expenses;
- 90% say that their mental health has deteriorated, and it has affected their careers;
- 91% say their financial struggles include the inability to purchase music-related equipment.
As a result, nearly half of the more than 500 professional musicians across the UK who responded to the survey said they felt they will be forced to leave music as a profession in the near future.
“Music has a power that we must not underestimate,” said James Ainscough, chief executive of Help Musicians in a release quoted by The Strad. “It is a force that brings people together and is intertwined with their very identity. In recent years we have all become even more conscious of how music calms our souls, lifts our spirits, and binds together communities. How ironic then that musicians themselves are facing the most brutal conditions seen for decades.”
Help Musicians has a plan in place, with an estimate that it will take up to £8m from the organization’s reserves this year to provide support to individual musicians.
STORY
Image courtesy of Pranodrome
Meet a Company That Builds Amphitheatres Entirely From Old Pianos
When you think about concert halls, you think of buildings made of brick, concrete or steel, but how about pianos?
It looks like the world of concert venues is about to get a whole lot greener. A company in the UK called Pianodrome had found a unique way to repurpose old pianos that have been discarded in landfills.
Here’s the rundown:
- They rescue pianos from landfills and give them a new lease on life by turning them into the world’s first functional concert venue made entirely from recycled pianos. .
- Each piano is gutted for parts and used as materials to build the venue
- The end result is a fully functioning concert venue that can be used for music performances, lectures, and even film screenings. The first opened in 2018, and received 18,000 visitors at the Royal Botanic Garden for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Win-win
Not only are they saving pianos from a fate worse than being stuck playing “Chopsticks” for the rest of eternity, but they’re also providing a sustainable solution for event spaces.
But let’s not forget the true star of the show here: the pianos themselves. These instruments have been around for centuries and have played a crucial role in music history. And now, they’re getting a chance to take center stage once again.
LIZST
5 Nursery Rhymes With Surprisingly Dark Origins
Nursery rhymes have been a part of our childhood for generations, but did you know that many of these innocent-sounding rhymes have dark and twisted origins?
From plagues to execution, these rhymes were not always meant to be sung to children.
Here are five nursery rhymes with dark origins that may surprise you.
"Ring Around the Rosie" - This nursery rhyme originated as a song about the bubonic plague, with the "ring around the rosie" representing the rash that appeared on the skin of those infected, and the "ashes, ashes" indicating the funeral pyres that burned the bodies of the dead.
"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" - This nursery rhyme is a reference to Mary I of England, who was known as "Bloody Mary" for her persecution of Protestants during her reign.
"Rock-a-bye Baby" - This nursery rhyme originated as a song about a baby dying, with the "cradle" representing a coffin and the "boughs" referring to a tree from which a baby's cradle-coffin would be hung.
"Humpty Dumpty" - This nursery rhyme is about King Richard III, who was killed in battle and his body left unburied for several days.
"Jack and Jill" - This nursery rhyme is thought to be a reference to King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, who were both executed during the French Revolution.
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AROUND THE WEB
📅 On this day: Symphony No. 3 (A Pastoral Symphony) by Ralph Vaughan Williams premieres in 1922
🎤 Video: Watch Marcus Felsner, the founder of Munich’s Felsner Artists, join host Zsolt Bognar for an interview in the latest episode of Living the Classical Life.
😂 Funny: 20 hilarious slang terms from the 1910s
🎹 Cartoon: Glenn Gould plays the Covid Variations
🤯 Wow: Meet an 11-year-old piano prodigy some people are comparing to Mozart
MEME OF THE WEEK
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