February 19, 2024

A US district judge in California has dismissed claims by authors alleging that ChatGPT has illegally trained copies of their books without their permission. The central argument is that “In the style of" is not protected under copyright.

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In this week’s email:

The big idea: English National Opera fires artists during performance
Conductor Moves: Music festival cancels performance by conductor with Russian ties
Opera: Opera Philadelphia places signature festival on hold
Laugh of the week
Around the web: Advice for laid-off ENO artists, the original Wilhelm scream has been found, how to vacuum properly, plus more curious internet finds.

THE BIG IDEA

English National Opera Fires Artists During Performance

In a moment that could have been scripted in a dystopian scene from "The Handmaid’s Tale", the English National Opera (ENO) issued layoff notices to artists during the intermission of the opera's final performance.

According to Slipped Disc, musicians and cast members were alerted to their impending job losses via email during the final performance break of "The Handmaid’s Tale." Equal parts shocked and horrified — many were unsure whether to leave mid-performance or carry on performing.

What happened?

The ENO has been experiencing serious financial difficulties, exacerbated by a significant cut in its annual grant. The decision was made by ENO management to deliver redundancy notifications via email but failed to consider that the artists would be performing.

Despite the shock, the ensemble's commitment shone through as they completed the performance, earning acclaim from an unsuspecting audience.

Voices of Discontent

Reaction to the move has received widespread disapproval from the public.

Navigating Troubled Waters

Just before the layoffs, the musicians at the English National Opera voted to cancel their planned strike following a settlement with the management regarding the proposed reductions in staff.

The decision for the strike was due to the ENO's announcement of its intention to reduce their employment to just six months per year and to eliminate 19 out of the 69 positions in the orchestra.

In that same period, the renowned opera company was compelled to move its headquarters from London after Arts Council England (ACE) revised its funding strategy. ACE threatened to withdraw its annual grant of £12 million unless the opera company relocated. Since then, the funding agency has started to reinstate financial support.

While considering cities such as Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, and Nottingham for its new location, ENO ultimately chose Manchester as its primary location starting in 2029. — MV

TOUR DE HEADLINES

Hervé Boissière (Photo courtesy of Medici TV)

The Verbier Festival Appoints a Co-CEO — The Verbier Festival appoints Hervé Boissière, founder and CEO of Medici TV, as co-CEO, promising continuity and growth for the festival. | Gramophone

S.F. Ballet Receives $60 Million Donation, the Largest in Its History — The San Francisco Ballet received a record-breaking $60 million anonymous donation to fund new works and expand its repertoire. | San Francisco Chronicle

Manchester City’s Nathan Aké Partners With Casio to Donate Pianos to Disadvantaged Schools — Manchester City footballer Nathan Aké has partnered with Playing for Change and Restore the Music to donate ten digital pianos to six disadvantaged Manchester schools. | MusicTech

Paris's Centre Pompidou to Close for €420 Million Renovation Project — The Centre Pompidou in Paris is set to undergo a €420 million renovation from 2025 to 2030, expanding into new spaces and adding cinemas and exhibition areas. IRCAM, its music and acoustics research institute, will remain operational throughout the project. | Violin Channel

Las Vegas Philharmonic Announces Leonard Slatkin As Artistic Consultant — Leonard Slatkin has been appointed as the Artistic Consultant for the Las Vegas Philharmonic, starting in the 2024-2025 season. He is aiming to enhance the orchestra's programming, community outreach, and educational efforts as part of their 25th Anniversary celebrations. | OperaWire

New National Opera to Launch Next Year — Iceland is set to launch a new National Opera next year, operating under the National Theatre of Iceland and performing in various venues, including the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavík. | Iceland Review

CONDUCTOR MOVES

Teodor Currentzis (Photo: Alexandra Muravyeva)

Music Festival Cancels Performance by Conductor with Russian Ties

The Wiener Festwochen festival in Vienna has cancelled a performance by the Greek conductor Teodor Currentzis with his Russian ensemble Musicaeterna. Currentzis has faced scrutiny over his Russian ensemble’s financial reliance on a state-owned Russian VTB Bank, as well as his reported closeness with Putin.

Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv, who will also conduct at the festival, called featuring Currentzis and Musicaeterna insensitive to the suffering of Ukrainians at the hands of Russia.

Catch-up: The Wiener Festwochen isn’t the first Viennese institution to cut ties with Currentzis. In March 2023, the Wiener Konzerthaus announced the cancelling of performances by Currentzis due to his alleged closeness to Putin. Currentzis has also been blacklisted by Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and Cologne’s Kölner Philharmonie.

Digging deeper: Despite the Wiener Festwochen and Konzerthaus’ refusal to showcase Currentzis, other reported friends of Putin still frequently perform in Vienna. Soprano Anna Netrebko has returned to the Vienna Staatsoper and Konzerthaus on frequent occasions since the war began to mixed audience responses.

Netrebko has expressed frustration at being expected to comment on the war in Ukraine, leading some to call her a singer without a conscience. — SS

OPERA

We Shall Not Be Moved, Opera Philadelphia, Festival O, 2020 (Photo: Dave DiRentis)

Opera Philadelphia Places Signature Festival On Hold

On February 13th, Opera Philadelphia announced its 50th anniversary season. The season includes an American premiere by Missy Mazzoli, a little-known work by the 18th-century Black composer Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Noticeably missing was the company’s signature Festival O, which traditionally opens Opera Philadelphia’s season. Instead, announcements about the festival will be shared in spring 2024.

Why it’s happening: Opera Philadelphia’s director, the Toronto-born David B. Devan, has been tightening budgets at the company ever since pandemic-related difficulties led to two $800,000 deficits in recent seasons.

Devan has now adopted what he calls a strategic slowness technique when it comes to programming, allowing the company to adapt as their budget allows.

Big picture: Large opera companies program seasons years in advance in order to book top-level singers, directors, and to budget for productions. Following Covid-19, productions were rescheduled, postponed and cancelled indefinitely, sending the opera world into disarray.

As composer Missy Mazzoli, whose work will be featured next season, put it, “As long as it’s not cancelled, right?” Fingers crossed this company’s innovative festival returns. — SS

QUIZ

Nothing says Monday like a mini-crossword.

AROUND THE WEB

📅 On this day: György Kurtág was born 1926.

🤯 How to: Someone sets the record straight on how to Vacuum properly.

😱 Really?: The original recording of the "Wilhelm scream," a ubiquitous sound effect featured in numerous movies and television series, has been rediscovered]. The direction given for this sound in the 1951 movie Distant Drums was for a man getting bitten by an alligator.

✏️ Blog: Advice for the English National Opera performers, made redundant mid-performance.

🐢 Awww: This turtle is all about lettuce.

LAUGH OF THE WEEK

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