April 15, 2024

A museum employee snuck his painting onto the walls of a German museum. After it was discovered, the police were called, and he was later fired. Composers, if you're reading this, don't get any funny ideas.

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In this week’s email:

The big idea: The Lord of the Rings Opera gets green light from Tolkien Estate
Premieres: Wynton Marsalis receives thunderous UK premiere
In Memoriam: Soprano, who thrived in Europe despite racism, dies at 104
Laugh of the week
Around the web: Pick-up lines for nerds, guess the population, the best time travel movies, plus more curious internet finds.

CLASSICAL CHARTZ

Weekly selections are based on sales numbers and albums we simply love and think you NEED to hear!

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THE BIG IDEA

The Lord of the Rings Opera Gets Green Light from Tolkien Estate

In an unprecedented move, the Tolkien Estate has given its nod to the first-ever opera based on "The Lord of the Rings".

This news emerges from the depths of Middle-earth and onto the stage, as British composer Paul Corfield Godfrey has been chosen to translate the timeless words of J.R.R. Tolkien into a musical saga.

Decades in the making

Godfrey's quest began nearly six decades ago, with his musical sketches inspired by Tolkien's legendarium. Following his recent completion of a colossal ten-CD series from "The Silmarillion", the composer's lifelong dream to bring "The Lord of the Rings" to operatic life is coming to fruition.

Epic in scale

Godfrey's vision includes a mammoth 30-chapter performance, to be held over six nights, echoing the vastness of Wagner's "The Ring Cycle". The adaptation promises over 15 hours of music, staying faithful to Tolkien's original narrative, including often-overlooked segments like Tom Bombadil and the 'scouring of the Shire'. For fans, the coronation and wedding of Aragorn will receive an elaborate musical celebration.

The cast will be composed mostly of Welsh National Opera professionalism and recorded with Volante Opera. Prima Facie Records plans to release it 2025, following the successful blueprint of their "Silmarillion" project.

My precious

The blockbuster opera is set to enchant audiences on the global stage precisely seven decades after the novel's first appearance. With its blend of familiar themes and new musical explorations, this operatic retelling is not just a tribute to Tolkien's masterpiece, but a revival of his world through the power of music.

Stay tuned for an epic journey! — MV

TOUR DE HEADLINES

Stephen Sondheim scrapbook (Photo: Sondheim Society)

Stephen Sondheim's Personal Effects Are Going to Auction — Stephen Sondheim's personal effects, including Broadway memorabilia and other items, will be auctioned by Doyle Auctions on June 18. | Playbill

A Hidden Sexual-Assault Scandal at the New York Philharmonic Two Musicians Were Fired for Sexual Misconduct. Why Are They Back With the Orchestra? — In a detailed investigation, The Vulture uncovers a hidden sexual assault scandal at the New York Philharmonic, where two musicians were dismissed for misconduct but later reinstated. | Vulture

Now San Francisco Loses Its Music Critic — Joshua Kosman, the influential classical music critic, is retiring from the San Francisco Chronicle after 36 years, marking a significant moment for Bay Area classical music coverage. | Slippedisc

75% of Students Agree, Classical Music Is the Best Soundtrack to Revision — A study reveals that 75% of students are choosing classical music as their preferred studying soundtrack, with film scores and symphonies being the most popular genres. | ClassicFM

Violinist Joshua Bell Extends Academy of St Martin in the Fields Tenure — Violinist Joshua Bell has extended his tenure as music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields until August 2028, continuing his long-standing collaboration with the orchestra that began in 1986. | The Strad

Ticket Buyers Beware: Scammers of the Manitoba Opera — The Manitoba Opera is alerting customers to beware of third-party sellers offering overpriced and potentially fake tickets for the upcoming performance of "Carmen." | CTV

PREMIERES

Wynton Marsalis at the Oskar Schindler Performing Arts Center (OSPAC) Seventh Annual Jazz Festival in West Orange, NJ

Wynton Marsalis Receives Thunderous UK Premiere

On April 11th, Alison Balsom gave the UK premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra with the London Symphony Orchestra. She calls it the “most important piece written for trumpet in 200 years.”

Playing catch-up: The Wynton Marsalis Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra premiered in 2023 by the trumpeter Michael Sachs with the Cleveland Orchestra. It has also been performed in Verbier and with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. This is the first major orchestral work the 62-year-old Marsalis has written for his own instrument. His previous orchestral works include a violin concerto written for Nicole Benedetti and his Pulitzer-nominated jazz oratorio, Blood on the Fields.

Digging deeper: The Marsalis trumpet concerto has been described as a virtuosic pastiche of idioms ranging from jazz to blues to mariachi to classical. It opens with a triumphant elephant call, which you can watch Balsom demonstrate. Though only a year old, Marsalis’ trumpet concerto may be destined to become a staple of the repertoire, alongside obligatory concerti for aspiring trumpeters by Haydn and Hummel. For a little taste, check out Håkan Hardenberg performing it with Christoph Eschenbach at the Verbier Festival last summer. — SS

IN MEMORIAM

Margaret Tynes (Photo (R): Carl Van Vechten)

Soprano Who Thrived in Europe Despite Racism Dies at 104

The African-American soprano Margaret Tynes was little-known for her opera singing in America, where racial prejudice hindered her career. Yet, the soprano thrived in spinto roles in the major houses of Europe.

A bit of history: Born in the American South in 1919, Margaret Tynes attended the Juilliard School. She collaborated with Harry Belafonte, Duke Ellington and on the Ed Sullivan Show, but in American opera, always found herself typecast in roles specified for Black singers. Tynes sang Bess in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess with New York City Opera for six seasons before she moved to Europe, where directors in Vienna, Milan, Prague and Budapest cast her in roles that showcased her formidable capabilities. She received widespread acclaim as Salome, Aida, Tosca, Norma, and Leonora, and returned to America to sing the title role in Jenufa opposite Jon Vickers at the Metropolitan Opera in 1974. Unfortunately, prejudice still tainted her reviews there and she returned to Europe soon after.

Digging deeper: While prominent Black singers including Marion Anderson, Leontyne Price and Grace Bumbry are widely known for their American careers despite racial adversity, Margaret Tynes belongs to a “lost generation” of African-American opera singers. Those unfamiliar with this soprano’s powerful voice might do themselves a favour and listen to her tragically few recordings. I’d start with this gorgeous recording of her as Bess opposite the African-American spinto tenor Levern Hutcherson, or by learning more through the podcast Counter Melody. Just imagine what these two artists sounded like in even meatier repertoire. — SS

GAMES

Nothing says Monday like a mini-crossword .

AROUND THE WEB

📅 On this day: Sergei Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives premieres in 1918.

🌎 Game: Guess which country has the largest population. You might be surprised!

💋 Dating: Nerd Flirt: Pick-up lines for nerds of various kinds.

🎞️ Movie buff: Time travel movies, ranked.

🐶 Awww: Doggie is mesmerized by his own reflection.

LAUGH OF THE WEEK

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