November 25, 2024

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The big idea: The Canadian singer behind Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue
Talking points:
— Metropolitan Opera general manager pens guest essay in New York Times
— Yo-Yo Ma records final album with collaborator of forty years
Around the web + Laugh of the week

CLASSICAL CHARTZ

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THE BIG IDEA

The Canadian Singer Behind Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue

Organizations, orchestras, and even city mayors are marking the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue (1924). A favourite amongst music and Disney-fans alike, the work has felt omnipresent since F. Scott Fitzgerald penned in 1927 that it captured the youthful zeitgeist of the Jazz Age.

Omitted from these celebrations is mention of the French-Canadian singer responsible for the commission of Gershwin’s seminal work - Éva Gauthier (1885-1958).

Wait, who?

If you haven’t heard of her, mezzo-soprano Éva Gauthier was a pioneer in both ethnomusicology and classical crossover music. Born in Ottawa in 1885, Gauthier studied singing in Paris with support from Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier and his wife Zoë. Gauthier toured with fellow-Canadian Emma Albani before marrying the Dutch importer Frans Knoote and moving to Java, Indonesia in 1910.

Cultural appreciation or appropriation?

In Java, Éva Gauthier was entranced by folk music and the unique sounds of the Javanese gamelan. She studied Javanese folk traditions, upon which she hoped to capitalize when returning to the West. After moving to New York City in 1914, Gauthier made a name for herself performing Javanese music in Indigenous costumes. She became friends with composers Maurice Ravel, Érik Satie, and Igor Stravinsky, and premiered their own Far East homages including Stravinsky’s Trois poésies de la lyrique japonaise. When Gauthier tired of these, her friend Ravel suggested she try singing another popular idiom of the time - jazz.

Classical crossover comes to New York

Gauthier took to jazz. In the 1920s, she performed hybrid recitals with the young pianist and composer, George Gershwin (1898-1937). Impressed by Gershwin’s compositions, Gauthier featured his music in a controversial recital at New York’s Aeolian Hall that also included pieces by Jerome Kern and Irving Berlin alongside classical works. The bandleader Paul Whiteman was in attendance, who commissioned Gershwin to compose Rhapsody in Blue.

Gauthier’s historical erasure

While Rhapsody in Blue remains one of the canon’s most beloved works, Gauthier’s contributions to its creation have been largely forgotten. Warner Bros. omitted Gauthier from its 1945 Gershwin biopic, Rhapsody in Blue. And while the New York Times wrote about Gauthier’s death in 1958, the Canadian press stayed quiet.

There’s no denying the groundbreaking creativity of Éva Gauthier, who could be considered a co-creator of some of the 20th century’s seminal works. Let’s ensure she isn’t forgotten.— SS

TOUR DE HEADLINES

🎶 Coachella goes classical? Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic are set to perform at the 2025 Coachella Festival, bringing Beethoven to the desert alongside Beyoncé. In a bold move to bridge the gap between pop and classical, Dudamel aims to introduce symphonic sounds to festival-goers more accustomed to synths than symphonies. Could this mashup be the key to making classical music cool again? Read more

🎭 Opera's dramatic remix: Met Opera GM Peter Gelb is stirring the pot with a fiery New York Times editorial, taking aim at critics clinging to tradition. Gelb argues it's time to make opera new again, embracing innovation to lure in younger audiences. With attendance dwindling, he's betting that bold changes—not stuffy staples—will keep the curtains rising. Read more

🎻 Lost and found: French cellist Ophélie Gaillard is all smiles after being reunited with her stolen €1.3 million Goffriller cello. The priceless instrument was snatched but, in a twist worthy of a concerto's climax, safely returned. Looks like happy endings aren't just for fairy tales—or finales. Read more

MORE CLASSICAL NEWS TO KNOW

🕵️‍♂️ China's cracking down: The State Administration of Market Regulation launches inquiries into Shen Yun Performing Arts Group, known for its extravagant shows and links to the banned Falun Gong movement. Read more

🗿 Statue for a composer: Classic FM's Zeb Soanes kicks off fundraising to erect a Benjamin Britten statue on Lowestoft seafront, aiming to celebrate the famed composer's roots and inspire a new generation. Read more

🚚 Opera on the move: The English National Opera is packing its bags for Manchester, establishing an out-of-London base after funding cuts. The bold relocation aims to reach new audiences and spark creativity, proving that sometimes a change of scenery is just the overture needed. Read more

TALKING POINTS

Peter Gelb (courtesy photo)

Metropolitan Opera General Manager Pens Guest Essay in New York Times

Last week, the Human Rights Federation protested the music director-designate of the New York Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel. The conductor has been called a “puppet and henchman” for Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Driving the news: Last week, the Human Rights Federation (HRF) held protests against Gustavo Dudamel outside the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The Venezuelan Conductor-designate of the New York Philharmonic Gustavo Dudamel was conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Dudamel has been criticized for his silence over the human rights violations of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, from whom Dudamel receives millions of dollars in off the books payments. Dudamel leads El Sistema, a Venezuelan state-run music education program that also serves as a propaganda tool for the Venezuelan government.

Digging deeper: Nicolás Maduro has served as president of Venezuela since 2013. As president, he has been accused of corruption, violent repression of civil society, economic collapse, mass exodus, and for recently stealing an election from Edmundo Gonzalez. Maduro is currently being investigated by the International Criminal Court.

In a letter to LA Philharmonic concertgoers, the HRF wrote that while Dudamel occasionally criticizes Maduro in public, he serves as an unofficial ambassador for the regime in private. Dudamel has stayed silent over the recent election results, in which Venezuelans voted overwhelmingly for Gonzalez, and refuses to condemn the Maduro regime’s human rights violations. — SS

Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott (Video still)

Yo-Yo Ma Records Final Album With Collaborator of Forty Years

Scotland's oldest surviving cello will make its public debut after nearly 250 years of silence. The rare baroque instrument, crafted in 1726 by John Simpson, was discovered in an Edinburgh basement.

Details: The historic cello will be played publicly for the first time since the 18th century at Edinburgh's St Cecilia's Hall on April 25. The instrument was recently restored by renowned Scottish luthier David Rattray after being found in the basement of Edinburgh University's Reid Concert Hall. The performance will feature baroque cellist Robert Irvine playing period-appropriate music.

Digging deeper: The cello represents a crucial piece of Scottish musical heritage. John Simpson, its maker, was Edinburgh's first professional violin maker and helped establish the city's tradition of instrument crafting. The instrument's survival is remarkable given that most cellos from this period were either destroyed or modified to meet changing musical standards.

The restoration process, led by Rattray, took particular care to maintain the cello's original baroque specifications, including gut strings and a shorter fingerboard typical of the period. The instrument's preservation offers rare insights into 18th-century Scottish musical practices and craftsmanship. — MV

GAMES

Nothing says a new week like a mini-crossword .

AROUND THE WEB

📚 On this day: 1900: Alexander Scriabin's Symphony No. 1 in E minor premiered in Saint Petersburg, Russia, conducted by Anatoly Lyadov.

👀 Interesting: Check out these surprising facts about the Hollywood Sign as it celebrates its 101st birthday.Thrillist

🧮 That's cool: Explore the evolution of calculators from the 19th century to modern times, showcasing 20 unique designs.

🔢 Game: Challenge yourself with this interactive number sequence puzzle that tests your speed and accuracy.

🐾 Aww: Behold this adorable “cat tree”.

LAUGH OF THE WEEK

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