Archive for the ‘A Rich Possession’ Category

The Ziering-Conlon Initiative at the Colburn School

Thursday, January 9th, 2014

By James Conlon As readers of Musical America may know, I have long been an advocate for the works of composers whose lives and musical legacies were damaged through their suppression by the Third Reich.  Last month this mission experienced a moment of great promise with the announcement of a gift of $1 million from […]

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VIVA VERDI

Thursday, October 10th, 2013

By James Conlon Today the world is marking the two-hundredth birthday of Giuseppe Verdi. It started already last night (he may have possibly been born in the evening of October 9). In either case, it really has been going on all year, and well it should. Verdi has been with me my entire life, since […]

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BACK TO WORK

Tuesday, September 17th, 2013

By James Conlon Done! My convalescence officially came to an end last Thursday when I started rehearsing Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Metropolitan Opera. Having recently come through surgery to correct damage from repeated bouts of diverticulitis, the fragility of life is on my mind. In general, I write rarely about myself […]

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BRUNO BARTOLETTI

Wednesday, June 19th, 2013

By James Conlon Several great classical musicians have passed away in recent months.  Van Cliburn, Henri Dutilleux and Sir Colin Davis have each left an enormous mark on our world, and their passing, in keeping with their international status, has been rightly observed on several continents. Today I offer a personal homage to the conductor […]

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THE REGENERATION GAP

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

By James Conlon A few months ago I wrote about two extraordinary projects in Rome that introduce children, from five to eighteen years of age, to opera. Performances of The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni were presented to thousands of young people by two completely separate entities:  the Rome Opera and the Tito Gobbi Foundation. […]

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LEIPZIG JOURNAL: PART 2

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

By James Conlon I had intended to submit this entry on December 15, the day after the terrible events in Newtown, CT. I found it impossible to think about anything else, and felt it was inappropriate, if not disrespectful, to publish it on that day. I have kept it for the New Year and offer […]

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LEIPZIG JOURNAL

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012

By: James Conlon The Gewandhaus Orchester was the first to play the Prelude to Die Meistersinger, conducted by the composer, on November 1, 1862. The orchestra traditionally observes important anniversaries of works that were premiered there. The honor (and pleasure) fell to me last week to open the program with the Prelude before moving on […]

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Depth Perception

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012

For people who don’t happen to read the Los Angeles Times, I would suggest clicking here for an excellent article posted on October 21 by Neal Gabler. It is headlined, “Hollywood’s perception of value versus real value [my italics]: America emulates Movieland’s way of measuring the worth of things, which teaches us to place the […]

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A Roman Candle

Monday, June 18th, 2012

by James Conlon About a week ago I witnessed a heart-warming spectacle in Rome. Imagine 750 kids between the ages of five and twelve, screaming, giggling, squealing with delight, singing, dancing while running on and off the stage of a theater. It lasted about an hour and ten minutes in all.  They were grouped together […]

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Cavalleria Rusticana: Easter in Rome

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

“There is no disputing taste,” “fashions change,” “to each his own,” and “vive la difference.” Certain pieces come in and out of the classical music repertory, while others never get a foothold; still others seem omnipresent. Classical music institutions today have to grapple with balancing repertory over the course of years, to make sure everything that […]

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