May 22, 2023

A YouTube TV glitch showed a repeating Little Mermaid ad instead of the end of an NBA playoff game, infuriating millions of fans who felt a pang of cord-cutting regret.

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In today's email:

The big idea: The Leonard Bernstein film: what we know so far
Industry: Andy Warhol, Prince, and AI: a copyright showdown
Report: Music and hearing aids: finding solutions
Photo of the week
Around the web: A virtual ecosystem, the fairy butter recipe of your dreams, a free sheet music archive, plus more curious internet finds.

CLASSICAL CHARTS

THE BIG IDEA

The Leonard Bernstein Film: What We Know So Far

The buzz around the upcoming Leonard Bernstein film, Maestro, has been gathering interest over the past few weeks. Most recently, photos of Hollywood A-lister Bradley Cooper portraying America’s former classical music poster boy were leaked online. The resemblance is uncanny.

Here's what we know about the movie so far:

Bradley Cooper and an all-star cast

Bradley Cooper is not only leading the cast as Bernstein but also donning the director's hat. Cooper will share the screen with Carey Mulligan, who will portray Bernstein's wife, Felicia Montealegre, while Golden Globe-winning actor Matt Bomer will bring to life the clarinetist David Oppenheim. Other big names in the star-studded cast include Maya Hawke as Bernstein's eldest daughter, Jamie, and Sarah Silverman as Bernstein's sister, Shirley. The film also boasts big-name producers like Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

Shots, sets, and symphonies

Filming began in May 2022 in various locations, such as Tanglewood, New York City, and the majestic Ely Cathedral in England. Cooper has revealed that there will be a scene where he conducts Gustav Mahler's Resurrection Symphony with a massive chorus and orchestra at Ely Cathedral.

What people are saying

Bernstein's children have expressed excitement about the project. “It’s about something very specific and very personal for [my siblings and I],” Jamie Bernstein told Classic FM. “We’re really struck by the fact that this was the aspect of the story that Bradley decided to focus in on and we’re very excited about Carey Mulligan as our mother Felicia; I promise you she is going to send it to the moon in a rocket.”

The Facebook “Gustav Mahler Group” has been busier than usual debating the merits of the film. Many comments express the potential for the film to draw in new audiences to classical music, echoing Bernstein's own legacy of broadening musical horizons.

Not everyone is happy about the idea…

…There has been some criticism surrounding Cooper's use of a prosthetic nose to portray Bernstein, with arguments that a Jewish actor should have been cast in his place. The casting of Carey Mulligan, who is British, as the Chilean-American Felicia Montealegre has also been critiqued, particularly by the Latine community.

Looking ahead: The film is set to give Bernstein's illustrious career and contribution to music a global platform on Netflix. By extension, the anticipation for Maestro speaks volumes about the ongoing impact of Bernstein's work and the growing appeal of classical music in popular culture.

As we wait for the final release date sometime in 2023, we’ll keep our fingers crossed that the film strikes the right chord.

TOUR DE HEADLINES

(Photo courtesy of New York Philharmonic/Facebook)

Dudamel Gets 7-Minute Ovation After 1st NY Philharmonic Concert Since Music Director Decision. He conducted a performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony at David Geffen Hall. | Associated Press

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Fires Back at Nathalie Stutzmann Comment in New York Times. The MET was upset about her comment about the orchestra being stuck in a "cave for four hours". | Operawire

Boston Symphony Picks New Leader From Los Angeles Philharmonic. Smith presently serves as the CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a role he has held for the past four years. During this time, he has collaborated with Gustavo Dudamel to establish and develop several orchestral initiatives while also expanding their audience reach. | New York Times

Daniel Barenboim Makes Important Announcement at Concert. During a spontaneous address at a Berlin Staatskapelle Academy orchestra concert, Barenboim revealed that although he had been unwell for the previous year, his health had significantly improved. Following his announcement, he led the orchestra in performances of Wagner's Siegfried Idyll and Mozart's Jupiter Symphony. | Berliner Morgenpost

Sydney Opera House Points Spotlight at Sails Illumination Guidelines. The Sydney Opera House has conducted its first review in a decade of its illumination guidelines amid increased frequency of its sails being lit up, primarily at the behest of the former NSW government. The review balances heritage, creative, community, and operational priorities with rising illumination requests from diverse groups. | The Sydney Morning Herald

Violin Soloist Handles a Nightmare Bow Break With Sheer Professionalism and Style. Last week, during a performance with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, American violinist Stefan Jackiw broke his bow on stage. | Classic FM

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Creates New Principal Conductor Position for Jazz and Pop. Enrico Lopez-Yañez has been appointed as the inaugural holder of the newly established Principal Conductor position for the Dallas Symphony Presents series by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO). This position, named after Nancy A. Nasher & David J. Haemisegger, focuses on diverse genres such as popular songs, jazz, Latin, and Broadway music. | The Violin Channel

INDUSTRY

Andy Warhol, Prince, and AI: A Copyright Showdown

Last week, the Supreme Court dropped a bombshell: the late Andy Warhol infringed a photographer's copyrights with his portraits of the late Prince. This case, stretching back to the 1980s, has implications that ripple into the music industry and even the world of artificial intelligence.

The legal copyright issue surrounds Warhol’s use of photos of Prince by Lynn Goldsmith for his artwork. The court wasn't convinced by the Warhol estate’s claim that his art was "transformative" enough to be considered fair use. The decision was 7-2 in favour of Goldsmith, much to the surprise of many.

The stakes are high

This case goes beyond a little squabble about pop art. The decision challenges some ideas around 'transformative use' in copyright and could have consequences for how AI is used in music and other creative fields.

The US Copyright Office doesn't offer protection to art solely created by AI. They are, however, looking into copyright issues raised by AI technology
Some artists are suing AI companies, claiming that their works are being used without permission to train AI models.
The Warhol case raises questions about when an act of creation begins, and what constitutes fair use for AI models trained on copyrighted works.

The music industry is cheering for the decision…

…They believe it prevents an expansion of the fair use defence based on claims of transformative use and allows them to better protect their works from unauthorized uses, especially in the age of AI.

We're in a new age, folks.

SCIENCE

L-R: Image by S K (CC0C/Pixabay); Image by Mary Theresa McLean (CC0C/Pixabay)

Music and Hearing Aids: Finding Solutions

Hearing aids are effective devices for navigating everyday life with hearing loss; when it comes to music, results are less straightforward.

A 2020 study revealed that about two-thirds of hearing aid users have trouble listening to music, including distortion, poor sound quality, and a flat, inexpressive sound that cuts in and out.

Hearing Aids And Music

Hearing aids come with built-in limitations that affect how they process music. They are designed with a focus on speech. In environments where there is both music and speech, even the most sophisticated programs may not be able to separate them efficiently.

A device that allows users to manually switch between music and speech often works best in those situations.

The frequency spectrum, as well as the dynamic range, differs from speech vs music.

Speech:

approximately 250-8,000 Hz, with most falling somewhere around the middle between 1,000-4,000 Hz
dynamic range is about 50 dB

Music:

approximately 50 Hz (a deep bass) to 16,000 Hz (the overtones of a cymbal or bell)
dynamic range is about 120 dB

Hearing loss itself differs from person to person, while the solutions are not necessarily tailored to individuals. Sometimes, simply removing the hearing aids and listening naturally can greatly improve the quality of the experience.

Read the whole story [here].

AROUND THE WEB

📅 On this day: In 1813, Richard Wagner was born at 3, the Brühl, Leipzig, Germany.

🐟 Cure Boredom: The cool virtual ecosystem allows adding elements, observing their progress over time.

🎧 Cool: Someone made a site that lets you relax to classical music (and other music) while virtually walking around different cities.

🎼 Useful: Free sheet music, royalty free & public domain music archive.

🧚 How to: Learn to make fairy butter, a colonial American delicacy with an amazing backstory rooted in folklore.

🐶 Aww: And now, this little guy is living his best life.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Annotation of the people depicted in the painting "Franz Liszt Fantasizing at the Piano" by Josef Danhauser.

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