Newsletter – Page 63 – Seen and Heard International

Geoffrey Newman in conversation with conductor Gerard Schwarz

28/11/202307/10/2023 by Geoffrey Newman

American conductor Gerard Schwarz talks to Geoffrey Newman

The career of conductor Gerard Schwarz stretches over five very productive decades. He currently serves as Music Director of the Palm Beach Symphony, the Mozart Orchestra of New York and the Eastern Music Festival. He also heads a distinguished All-Star Orchestra for educational concerts designed for public television. He is Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival and Distinguished Professor at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, where he also conducts the university orchestra.

Gregor Tassie in conversation with mezzo-soprano Gergana Rusekova

28/11/202306/10/2023 by Gregor Tassie

The Bulgarian mezzo-soprano Gergana Rusekova talks to Gregor Tassie

Among the outstanding performances of the 2023 Wagner Festival in Sofia were those of the Brünnhilde in Die Walkure and the Kundry in Parsifal given by the young mezzo-soprano Gergana Rusekova. In my review of Die Walküre, I wrote, ‘Immediately, we are aware of the striking vocal gifts and personality of Gergana Rusekova, ‘Vater! Vater! Sage, was ist dir?’ And a couple of weeks later, in Parsifal, she was even more impressive, ‘The Kundry of Gergana Rusekova was world-class in both singing and characterisation – every word was clear and beautiful at times when revealing her plight and in other scenes of her lustful desire.’

Gregor Tassie in conversation with conductor Constantin Trinks

28/11/202316/09/2023 by Gregor Tassie

The German conductor Constantin Trinks talks to Gregor Tassie

The Sofia Opera and Ballet company’s Wagner Festival staged seven operas during July this year; six of which including the Ring cycle were conducted by Constantin Trinks, over just six days! This workload would break many musicians, yet Trinks took it all in his stride despite the often-intensive heatwave which hit Bulgaria this summer – often temperatures were touching 37ºC outside. Despite all of this, he directed outstanding performances achieving the maximum results from his singers, chorus and musicians.

Creative Scotland declines to fund this year’s Lammermuir Festival

28/11/202315/09/2023 by AUTHOR

Lammermuir Festival faces future challenge head-on as Creative Scotland turns it down for funding in 2023

Lammermuir Festival has been turned down by Creative Scotland’s Open Fund for funding towards this year’s festival. Over a period of 40 weeks the festival lodged three applications having been strongly encouraged by Creative Scotland officials to re-apply twice. Each application was strongly recommended for funding by the Music Department at Creative Scotland, particularly as a key part of a network of festivals across the country including East Neuk, Paxton, Cumnock Tryst and St Magnus. Each application has been turned down by assessment panels, the last notification being on 22 August, just sixteen days before the 2023 festival opened.

Japan Society’s upcoming concert series: ‘John Cage’s Japan’

28/11/202313/09/2023 by Daniele Sahr

Japan Society’s John Cage’s Japan In 2012, the world celebrated John Cage’s hundredth birthday. ‘World’ is a vague term that risks meaning North America and Europe when used with bravado from a Western musical perspective. But it is no exaggeration to say that John Cage held worldwide notoriety far beyond the New York City of post-World … Read more

Gregor Tassie in conversation with soprano Iordanka Derilova

28/11/202306/09/2023 by Gregor Tassie

Gregor Tassie talks to Sofia Opera’s Iordanka Derilova about her career and her return to performing in Bulgaria

One of the highlights of the recent Sofia Ring cycle was the outstanding performance of the dramatic soprano Iordanka Derilova – both for her superb vocal talents and her complete characterisation as Brünnhilde. I had seen her Brünnhilde before in the Blu-ray recording of the first Sofia Ring in 2013, of which I wrote, ‘Derilova as Brünnhilde displays extraordinary stamina and vocal strength, and acting make her the star of the show.’ I was surprised that I had not heard her before, yet the Kammersängerin – who is the leading soprano in Dessau, has been singing on some of Europe’s finest theatres since 1998.

Gregor Tassie in conversation with tenor Daniel Ostretsov

28/11/202323/08/2023 by Gregor Tassie

Gregor Tassie talks to Sofia Opera’s Daniel Ostretsov about his career and opera in Bulgaria

My first acquaintance with the singers of the Sofia Opera was watching films of the first Ring cycle from 10 years ago, and apart from the innovative and often sensational staging by Plamen Kartaloff, one of the singers that I noticed was in Das Rheingold. ‘Daniel Ostretsov’s Loge is brilliant in voice and acting with a suitably apt costume.’ I was recently fortunate to meet up with Daniel between his Ring performances and The Flying Dutchman, the concluding opera of the 2023 Sofia Wagner Festival.

The International Chamber Music Academy at Ochsenhausen comes up gold at Bad Buchau’s Goldener Saal

27/08/202331/07/2023 by Laurence Vittes

Germany Second International Chamber Music Academy at the Landesakademie in Ochsenhausen [3]: in partnership with the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Faculty members Matthias Buchholz (viola), Hillel Zori (cello), Zora Slokar (French horn), Elina Gotsouliak (piano), and students. Goldener Saal, Bad Buchau, 16.7.2023. (LV)

Leonid Surkov, Kylie Tan, Itamar Gadol and Matthias Buchholz play Britten © Saxton Rose

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