Perlman Cancels after Emergency Medical procedure;
JoAnn Falletta on Women Conductors.
It’s “This Week in Classical Music”, an update on what’s happening in the classical Music world; I’m Randy Kinkel.
Violinist Itzhak Perlman has cancelled a series of recitals in Florida and other concerts for the first few weeks of March.
An undisclosed emergency medical procedure undergone by Perlman forced the cancellation of his performances. Details of Perlman's medical issue were not revealed.
A tour with Perlman and Argentinian piano virtuoso Martha Argerich scheduled to start on 13 March in Los Angeles was also cancelled with the pianist citing ‘family and health problems’.
The Affected Venues say they will reschedule the concerts and honor existing tickets for them and will also offer refunds. Perlman has won more than 20 Grammy Awards - plus four Emmy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In related news, an itzhak Perlman Film is debuting this week. This feature-length documentary uses interviews and archive footage to look at the violin virtuoso’s life, from early struggles with polio and lifelong disability, his parents’ emigration to Israel and his subsequent success. The film, titled “Itzhak” is directed by Alison Chernick who has previously made films about the artists Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein and others.
The film opens in New York on March 9th and Los Angeles on the 16th . More info at www.itzhakthefilm.com
Are female conductors finally arriving in the classical music world?
JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, says, “yes”.
“I think they are, and, in some ways, it happened suddenly… For some of us … we were thinking that it would just open up gradually and be a crescendo of women appearing. But now it seems that orchestras are open to looking at women, at young women, at young conductors in general.
It’s a time when people are saying, ‘Maybe we can change the way we think about programming and, hopefully, presentation.’ And it’s not as if women aren’t ready…the women stepping into these roles come from solid backgrounds.”
“The presence of women composers on symphonic programs is still so small,” she says
Falletta doesn’t see conscious bias on the part of orchestras--
“They just don’t think of it,” she says. “They are intrigued when it’s on a program, but it’s not the first thing they think of, and most of the music we have by women is contemporary, and that is doubly where-do-we-fit-that-in-the-jigsaw-puzzle? But people are really loving these pieces.”
For more on these and other items and events, go to the website, K-B-A-C-H dot org; Be listening each week at this time for another update. Follow us on Facebook and twitter, and also listen every weekday at Noon for the Most Wanted Hour with Linda Cassidy, playing your top 100 classical hits. I’m Randy Kinkel for KBACH’s “This Week in Classical Music”; Member supported 89.5 KBAQ Phoenix and HD, a service of Rio Salado College and Arizona State University.
