April 29, 2007

It’s this week in classical music, an update on what’s happening in the classical music world, I’m Randy Kinkel.

Cellist and Conductor Mstislav Rostropovich has died.  The 80-year-old celebrated musician died in a hospital in Moscow after a long illness.  Known not only for his masterful Cello playing and insightful conducting, but also for his fight for artistic freedom under Soviet Rule, Rostropovich sheltered dissident writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn during his battles with the Soviet government in the 1970s.  He spoke up in defense of Solzhenitsyn and Andrei Sakarov when they came under attack, leading authorities to revoke his citizenship 30 years ago.   The Kremlin Restored his citizenship in 1990.  Rostropovich earned over 50 awards in his lifetime, including a Grammy award and the Polar Music prize.  He leaves behind dozens of recordings, and hundreds of thousands of music fans who were touched by his artistry and humanity.

The New York Philharmonic has decided to divide up its leadership into 2 positions—Music director, and Principal Conductor. Philharmonic president Zarin Mehta said in the new restructuring a music director would serve the usual 12-14 weeks conducting, but the Principal Conductor would come in for another 8-10 weeks .  the music director will control hiring  and have ultimate decision on music matters, with input from the principal, who would aid in fund raising and community involvement and lead tours.  Mehta said, “we just thought that more than one person would be a better idea from a musical standpoint.”

A german composer working on his doctorate at Columbia has won the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s first Emerging Composers Competition.  Carl Christian Bettendorf, a native of Hamburg, Germany, won a $3000 cash prize for his composition, “Palimpset for Ensemble”.

For more information on these and other items and events, go to the KBAQ website at KBAQ-dot-org.… be listening every week at this time for another update, and join me at noon every weekday for the Mozart Buffet, an hour of music by Mozart and his contemporaries, … I’m Randy Kinkel, for KBAQ’s  “This week in Classical Music”…  on 89-five KBAQ, K-B-A-Q Phoenix, a service of Rio Salado College and Arizona State University