January 6, 2008

It’s This Week in Classical Music, an update on what’s happening in the classical music world, I’m Randy Kinkel.

Edo De Waart will be the new Music Director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Succeeding Andreas Delfs, who plans to leave at the end of the 2008-2009 season.  De Waart is slated to conduct 12 of the orchestra’s 18 Subscription concerts in the 2009 season.  De Waart is also conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic and becomes Principal conductor of the Santa Fe Opera next season.  Milwaukee is a great fit for De Waart because his wife and her family is from nearby Middleton, and the Couple made the Wisconsin town their home base a year and a half ago as a good place to raise their two young children.  De Waart is pleased with the musicians in Milwaukee; He Said,  "The rehearsals in Milwaukee reminded me of what a joy it is to work with musicians who are fast on their feet and absorb not only what I give them but also respond to their colleagues around them. I didn't know this orchestra, I didn't know what kind of shape they were in. I was incredibly, happily surprised."

The Biggest selling Classical album of the 21^st century?  Well, in Britain, it was the breakthrough album from new-zealand-born singer Hayley Westenra.  Westenra, now 20, released the album “Pure”, when she was 15.  the list of the top ten best-selling albums in Britain was compiled by the UK Charts Company for Classica FM.  Westera is backed by the Royal Philharmonic for the recording, which includes two songs in her grandfather’s native maori language.   The rest of the top ten list is vocal music as well, including recordings by Russell Watson and others. “Classical music is alive and kicking in 21st century Britain, with the sales of many of these albums rivaling those in the pop charts," said Classic FM's managing director Darren Henley.

Jose Carreras says The Three Tenors will not be re-forming with a third singer after Luciano Pavarotti’s death. “"For Placido (Domingo) and myself to do something would betray the memory of Luciano, I don't think that would be ethical," Carreras said in Sydney  recently. Carreras said the Three Tenors helped fuel a commercialisation of classical music that was not always beneficial. Young singers were being pushed into the spotlight too soon, with the expectation of big profits.   It seems that ... you're successful nowadays only when you have sold two million records, and this is not true," the singer said.

For more information on these ansd other items and events, go to our website at kbaq.org, be listening at this time each week for another update, and join me every weekday at noon 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 Phoenix, a service of rio salado college and Arizona State University.