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La Scena Online is the digital magazine of La Scene Musicale.Contents: News, Concert reviews, CD reviews, Interviews, Obituaries, etc; Editor: Wah Keung Chan; Assistant Editor: Andreanne Venne
ISSN: 1206-9973

Video of the Day – Bamberg Symphony New Year’s Concerts – On Two Continents!

By Paul E. Robinson on 2 February 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

It is a sign of the times that symphony orchestras are seeking new audiences as never before – and finding them. Each year the great Cleveland Orchestra plays fewer concerts at home in Cleveland and more in places such as Miami, Vienna and Lucerne. In early March it will take part in the Menuhin Competition in Austin, Texas. The Philadelphia Orchestra is developing a residency in Beijing, and the New York Philharmonic a permanent presence in Shanghai.What these new patterns have in common is a need for the orchestras involved to serve more people and balance their budgets. But it is significant…

Video of the Day – Claudio Abbado In Memoriam (1933-2014)

By Paul E. Robinson on 24 January 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

Claudio Abbado’s passing last week was not unexpected – he had been seriously ill for some time – but it came as a heavy blow to those who had known him and admired his work. In that number were thousands of young people who had played in orchestras he had created. And there were many older musicians too who had been devoted to Abbado and his kind of music-making.Abbado was a shy but dedicated and determined man for whom music came first. He was not interested in personal glory, only in serving the music he loved. In that respect and…

Video of the Day – Minnesota Orchestra Musicians Reach Settlement with Management

By Paul E. Robinson on 18 January 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

Finally, some good news from Minneapolis. The musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra have reached a settlement with their management. Concerts will resume in February.But there is one big unanswered question. When the dispute was at its height music director Osmo Vanska resigned. Will he be asked to return? Will he want to come back?The Minnesota Orchestra is one of the best symphony orchestras in the country. No doubt about it. But how much should its musicians be paid? That was the main issue in the conflict. On its side management pointed to a deficit that was huge and growing larger. It…

Video of the Day – Abbado Conducts Mendelssohn

By Paul E. Robinson on 13 January 2014 Orchestral, Romantic, Video of the day

Claudio Abbado has been in the news lately for his ill health. He has not conducted a concert since last September and his future schedule is very uncertain. In recent years he has drastically cut back his conducting activities due to serious intestinal issues. His main activity has been to lead the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in August every year, give a few concerts and make recordings with Orchestra Mozart, and appear annually with the Berlin Philharmonic.Now comes word that Orchestra Mozart has suspended operations. Both Orchestra Mozart and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra were created expressly for Abbado and would probably…

Video of the Day – Pioneers in Canadian Musical Life

By Paul E. Robinson on 4 January 2014 Canadian Music, Video of the day

We need to pause every once and a while to remember the men and women who contributed so much when Canadian musical life was still in its infancy. Much of the most important work was done by a handful of Germans and Austrians who arrived in Canada against their will during World War II and stayed on to make the country their home.Eric Koch (1919-) was one of them, and in a remarkable series of videos posted on YouTube he has articulated very well what it was like to be transplanted into a foreign country, and then to make it one’s…

Video of the Day – Hannigan Sings and Conducts Ligeti

By Paul E. Robinson on 27 December 2013 Art Song, Video of the day

Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan is an extraordinary artist, and is rapidly becoming internationally renowned. Here she is both singing and conducting the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre. Is there any other performer who could have pulled this off?Hannigan is so good it is going to be hard to decide whether she is more gifted as a soprano or as a conductor. Not to mention her remarkable talents as an actress.She has already given over 75 premieres, and just over a week ago gave the first performance of the Hans Abrahamsen song cycle Let me tell you…

Video of the Day – Christmas at King’s College

By Paul E. Robinson on 23 December 2013 Choral, Video of the day

From the great tradition of Christmas at King’s College, Cambridge, here is John Rutter’s arrangement of O Holy Night. The carol was composed by Adolphe Adam (1803-1856), the man who also wrote the score for the ballet Giselle.Paul E. Robinson

Video of the Day – Celibidache Conducts Enesco

By Paul E. Robinson on 16 December 2013 Orchestral, Video of the day

I first saw Sergiu Celibidache conduct in 1969. It was at the Helsinki Festival with the Swedish Radio Symphony. I was amazed at his ability to control every detail of the music he conducted. And he was a charismatic figure, especially in the encores. He danced, he shouted, he did everything but stand on his head. As the years went by he became less flamboyant but his tempi got slower and slower. His demands for extra rehearsal time became more and more outrageous, to the point where few orchestras would hire him. It didn’t help that he talked incessantly during…

Mahler: Symphony No. 6

By Paul E. Robinson on 11 December 2013 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic

Mahler: Symphony No. 6Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Jaap van ZwedenDSO Live DSOL-5***** This is the latest release from the Dallas Symphony on its own label. It dates from March 2013 during a week of highly acclaimed live performances of the work at the Myerson Symphony Center. Shortly afterwards, van Zweden and the DSO embarked on a European tour; again the Mahler Sixth was prominently featured. This recording documents the best of both orchestra and conductor. After several seasons as music director in Dallas, van Zweden has been able to add some first-class musicians to the band and to shape the ensemble to…

Video of the Day – Rattle and the BPO Play Britten’s War Requiem

By Paul E. Robinson on 11 December 2013 Choral, Contemporary, Orchestral, Video of the day

November 22 was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Britten. During his lifetime Britten was recognized as one of the foremost composers of the Twentieth Century. Since his death his reputation has grown even more. The operas are performed regularly in most of the world’s leading opera houses and his vocal music is often heard in recitals and in churches.Britten developed a style that was contemporary but never academic. He had a great lyrical gift and a talent for expressing the meaning of words through music.In this 100th anniversary year his music is being celebrated throughout the world.…

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