News
Gramophone exclusive: Lang Lang signs to Sony
Chinese pianist Lang Lang has signed to Sony Music. The 27-year-old moves from Deutsche Grammophon, the label he joined in 2003. In the years since, his virtuoso talent and media appeal have propelled him to the status of one of classical music’s highest-profile stars, not least in China where he has become a figurehead for the country’s burgeoning enthusiasm for classical music.
26th Jan 2010
The great pianist Earl Wild has died
Earl Wild was one of the greatest pianists in history. In many ways he may be said to be unique. His omnivorous repertoire took in the works of more composers than almost any other pianist – from Buxtehude, Bach and Mozart through all the great pianist-composers of the 19th century (and a few more besides) to Hindemith, Copland, Menotti, Creston and Gould.
25th Jan 2010
Anne Sofie von Otter joins Naïve
Anne Sofie von Otter has signed a deal with French label Naïve. The Swedish mezzo-soprano leaves Deutsche Grammophon, which this month releases her album of Baroque arias, entitled “Ombre de mon amant”, on its Archiv label. Von Otter’s first album for Naïve will be a jazz collaboration with Brad Mehldau, including jazz standards, jazz versions of Beatles songs and some pieces specially composed for her by Mehldau. The programme will be based on repertoire which can be heard at Wigmore Hall on June 2.
25th Jan 2010
The Sixteen launch their 10th anniversary Choral Pilgrimage
The Sixteen, directed by Harry Christophers, will be setting out on The Choral Pilgrimage in February, a tour that takes in cathedrals and churches throughout England, Wales and Scotland. The programme features three leading Tudor composers, William Byrd, Thomas Tallis and John Sheppard. As Christophers says in his introduction to the Pilgrimage "All three composers lived through decades of religious turmoil in sixteenth-century England and expressed in different ways their devotion to the Catholic faith."
21st Jan 2010
Simone Dinnerstein signs to Sony
Simone Dinnerstein, who rocketed to fame in 2007 with her Goldberg Variations recording for which she had raised the money herself, has been signed by Sony Classical. The New York-based pianist was previously signed to Telarc, who released both the Bach and her follow-up disc “The Berlin Concert”. Both recordings reached No 1 on the US Billboard Classical chart.
14th Jan 2010
Conductor Otmar Suitner has died, aged 87
Otmar Suitner, one of the unsung masters of the baton, died in Berlin on January 8 at the age of 87. The Austrian conductor could seduce his listeners with his elegant, warm-hearted Mozart or inspire awe with his handling of a Bruckner symphony, and happily for us he left fine recordings of both. Suitner studied piano at the Innsbruck Conservatory and, during the Second World War, at the Salzburg Mozarteum. He also studied under Clemens Krauss, whose feeling for precisely the “right” phrase or tempo was an obvious influence.
14th Jan 2010
Yundi signs to EMI for Chopin marathon
The Chinese pianist Yundi, formerly known as Yundi Li, has signed an exclusive recording contract with EMI. The contract embraces recordings of Chopin’s complete solo piano works and the first disc, to be issued in March, will be of the complete Nocturnes. Yundi, who made a number of well-received recordings for DG, shot to prominence when he won the 14th International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2000 – he was the first pianist in 15 years to be awarded the First Prize and, at 18, also the youngest.
13th Jan 2010
BBC Four broadcasts a Christopher Nupen film season
A season of composer films by Christopher Nupen starts on BBC Four this Friday (January 15) and runs for eight weeks at 7.30pm on Friday evenings (and on the BBC iPlayer for a week after original transmission).
12th Jan 2010
February 2010 issue of Gramophone on sale now!
The February 2010 issue of Gramophone is now available - we interview the Pavel Haas Quartet and ask: are they the most exciting string quartet today? Elsewhere in the issue we explore the serious side...
11th Jan 2010
Midem Classical Awards 2010 – the nominations
The Midem Classical Awards will be presented at a gala event in Cannes on Tuesday, January 26 (to be broadcast live from the Palais des Féstivals by radio stations in France, Luxembourg and Poland). Below is...
11th Jan 2010
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