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Robert Maycock has died
26 January 2012
The arts journalist Robert Maycock died in a car crash yesterday morning. He was the second editor of Classical Music magazine, editing the title from September 1977 to June 1986, before moving to the Independent.
He was a great supporter of contemporary music. His extensive writings include a biography of Philip Glass, published in 2002.
Robert Maycock was known as a quiet, kind and gentle man, blessed with a shrewd sense of humour, and will be very greatly missed in the music community and beyond.
Richard Morrison, chief culture writer on the Times, said that Maycock had given him his first full-time job in journalism, working as his assistant editor on the then Classical Music Weekly. He said: ‘With his quick intelligence and encyclopedic knowledge of music and much else (he had read natural sciences at Cambridge) he could have become a distinguished critic. But not least among his endearing traits was unworldliness; he had not a trace of ruthlessness or cunning. One of the gentlest and most generous men I ever met.’
Opera critic Tom Sutcliffe, president of the Critics' Circle, recalled Maycock becoming a valued contributor on Music & Musicians magazine, adding: ‘Robert was a lover of music, including contemporary music, and an intelligent commentator. He was an asset to us, and gained a deserved reputation for his careful judgment and intelligence. He was also a very polite and friendly and sympathetic individual.’
Robert Maycock leaves his lifelong companion Priti Paintal, founder of the group ShivaNova, and two children aged 11 and five.
Priti Paintal said: ‘He was so supportive of me as a composer and others and always wrote in a positive and encouraging way, especially when it came to new music and young musicians. He was so tolerant of peoples' weaknesses and had such a quiet acceptance of them. He was a wonderful dad and he enjoyed this role so much, especially as it came late in his life - he cherished this even more. He was going to be only 64 this February.’
A tribute will appear in the 11 February issue of Classical Music.
Southbank Centre announces 2012/13 season
23 January 2012
The Rest is Fest: Ross tome inspires year-long festival programmeDavid Michalek
The Southbank Centre and its resident orchestras - the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment - announced their 2012/13 classical season today, offering a number of eye-catching events in a total of more than 200 taking place in and around the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room.
Alex Ross’ The Rest is Noise, the award-winning history of 20th-century music, is the inspiration behind a year-long festival of concerts, talks, films, performances and participation events throughout 2013. The festival is curated in partnership with BBC Four, which will be running a documentary series on 20th-century music in parallel.
Other headline events include:
* A major centenary celebration of Witold Lutosławski led by Esa-Pekka Salonen with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Krystian Zimerman
*Steve Reich world premiere, Radio Rewrite, inspired by Radiohead songs and Reich’s meeting with Jonny Greenwood, commissioned and performed by the London Sinfonietta
*Sir Simon Rattle conducts Mozart’s final three symphonies with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
*Bryn Terfel returns to Southbank Centre in a signature role for a concert performance of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman with the Zurich Opera Orchestra and Chorus
* First ever joint concert by the Russian National Orchestra and the LPO in Vladimir Jurowski’s War & Peace series
*Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Spira Mirabilis, and members of the Berliner Philharmoniker
*The Rite of Spring centenary celebrations with Philharmonia Orchestra to include concert and the return of award-winning RE-RITE digital installation
*Henri Oguike Dance Company world premiere set to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
*Ether, Southbank Centre’s annual festival of innovation celebrates John Cage’s centenary and includes premieres of Bill Morrison film (with Michael Gordon score), Jonathan Harvey, and Julia Wolfe
*
William Christie returns to conduct as part of the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment’s baroque vocal series Queens,
Heroines and Ladykillers
*First
Royal Festival Hall complete performances of Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy and Lehár’s The Merry Widow
*Darbar Festival 2012 to feature 40 Indian classical musicians from the Hindustani, Carnatic and Dhrupad traditions
Southbank
Centre’s newly-appointed head of classical music, Gillian Moore, said:
‘In
the 2012/13 classical music season, Southbank Centre and its resident orchestras
offer audiences an unprecedented entrée into the world of 20th-century
classical music, by staging The Rest Is
Noise and placing 20th-century classical music in its cultural context.
'Elsewhere
the programme continues to offer in-depth encounters with great music and musicians,
with an unrivalled diversity and scale in the UK. Handel arias conducted by
William Christie sit alongside Steve Reich’s Radiohead-inspired world premiere.
This is a programme for all tastes, regardless whether one is new to classical
music or our most loyal concert goer.’
ABO and Rhinegold honour backstage heroes
19 January 2012
Behind the scenes (from left): Sophie Lewis of Sinfonia Cymru, Stephen Lumsden of Intermusica and Paul Keene of Town Hall Symphony Hall Birmingham© Mark McNulty
Three of the music industry’s backstage figures have been honoured at the inaugural ABO/Rhinegold Awards ceremony.
Stephen Lumsden, founder and managing director of Intermusica, was named Artist Manager of the Year; Paul Keene, director of programming at Town Hall Symphony Hall Birmingham, was awarded Concert Hall Manager of the Year; and Sophie Lewis, general manager of Sinfonia Cymru, netted the prize for Orchestra Manager of the Year.
The awards were presented by music champion Suzi Digby at a dinner held as part of the Association of British Orchestras annual conference last night at the Maritime Museum, Liverpool.
Introducing the awards, Rhinegold Publishing managing director Mark Owens said: ‘There was great enthusiasm for the idea of introducing industry awards. In a celebrity-focused business like classical music, it is important to recognise the incredible work put in by so many people behind the scenes. These backstage figures rarely get to take a bow for their efforts, and the ABO/Rhinegold Awards seek to put them in the spotlight and applaud their achievements.’
The jury included Classical Music specialist correspondents Andrew Green, Andrew Stewart and Simon Tait, along with editor Keith Clarke and ABO chairman Michael Eakin.
In their citations, the judges said ‘The initiative of Stephen Lumsden to build a Creative Development arm at Intermusica has created much to catch the eye in recent years. Three major international touring projects in 2011 particularly impressed the judges.
‘Paul Keene’s work as programme director has given vital artistic life to Symphony Hall’s seasons. Quality, creative ambition, diversity and formidable international partnerships have hallmarked Paul’s time in Birmingham, both at Symphony Hall and at the city’s rejuvenated Town Hall.
‘In 2011 Sophie Lewis secured Arts Council Wales funding for the country to have its first professional chamber orchestra dedicated to young musicians - Sinfonia Cymru … In just a few short years she has led a team building on the vision of the orchestra’s founder and conductor Gareth Jones.'
The full citations will appear in the 28 January issue of Classical Music and the three winners will be profiled starting in the 25 February issue.
RPS and Britten-Pears announce six commissions for celabratory 2013
1 February 2012
Work on the way: Magnus LindbergHanya Chlala/ArenaPAL
The Royal Philharmonic Society and Britten-Pears Foundation have announced a series of six co-commissions from major composers to mark the bicentenary of the RPS and Britten’s centenary in 2013.
The composers – Wolfgang Rihm, Judith Weir, Magnus Lindberg, Per Nørgård, Harrison Birtwistle and Richard Rodney Bennett – have been commissioned to write works for specific different ensembles ‘to reflect the range of Britten’s composition output’. These works will be ‘premiered and performed nationally and internationally’.
Rihm will write a piece to be premiered by the Hallé Orchestra, Weir for the Britten Sinfonia, Lindberg for Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Nørgård for Norway’s Vertavo Quartet, Birtwistle for tenor and piano (Mark Padmore and Till Felner, with words by David Harsent) and Richard Rodney Bennett will write a children’s song cycle.
Magnus Lindberg said he was ‘honoured to be commissioned’ by the two organisations.
Rosemary Johnson, executive director of the RPS, said it was ‘particularly fitting that we celebrate our bicentenary in 2013 and the independent spirit of both Britten and the RPS with these ambitious commissions from some of the world’s finest composers.’
www.royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk/rps_today/news/towards_2013/
Friedrich Cerha wins Ernst von Siemens Music Prize of €200,000
31 January 2012
Friedrich CerhaManu Theobald © Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
Luke BedfordManu Theobald © Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
The 2012 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize has been awarded to the Austrian composer and conductor Friedrich Cerha, writes Toby Deller.
The prestigious award, worth 200,000 euros, is made each year to a composer, performer or musicologist in recognition of their contribution to the world of music. Other composers to have won the prize include Britten (the first laureate), Messiaen, Lutosławski and Ligeti.
Cerha is perhaps best known for completing Berg’s unfinished opera Lulu to produce the version that is most staged today. His own work includes substantial music for the stage, such as Baal (based on a play by Brecht), chamber works and orchestral pieces, notably the seven-part Spiegel. In 1958, shortly after attending the summer school at Darmstadt, he founded the new music ensemble die Reihe with fellow composer Kurt Schwertsik.
The Ernst von Siemens Foundation, which administers the award, has also announced that British composer Luke Bedford is one of the winners of its Composers’ Prize. Since its inception in 1990, over 50 young composers have been honoured, including Thomas Adès, Olga Neuwirth, Rebecca Saunders, Jörg Widmann and Michael van der Aa.
Mr Bedford told CM: ‘It’s a real honour because it really is a major prize and many fine composers are previous winners. What’s wonderful about it is there are no strings attached to it. It means I can support myself much more easily over the next few years. So it’s tremendous, I feel a real freedom.’
The other winners are Zeynep Gedizlioğlu from Turkey and Ulrich Alexander Kreppein from Germany. All three will be presented with 35,000 euros and a portrait CD that will be released as part of a new Ernst von Siemens Foundation CD series.
Both prizes will be presented in June at a ceremony in Munich where the Ensemble Modern will perform music by each of the composers honoured. They are just part of the foundation’s financial support for contemporary music: in 2012 it will be distributing grants totalling around 2.4 million euros to help in the commissioning of new works and to provide funding for concerts, competitions, festivals, academies and other educational projects.
TOBY DELLER
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