May 6, 2007

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

The Cincinnatti Symphony Orchestra has extended music director Paavo Jarvi’s contract through the 2010-2011 season—and will be renewed automatically after that by mutual agreement.  The “evergreen” contract is the first for any music director in the orchestra’s century-long history.Jarvi said, “it’s one of those situations where, when something works, you want to make sure there’s longevity and continuation”.

The Philadelphia Orchestra played live in six different places simultaneously, from the university of Pennsylvania to Portugal and Denmark on a Sunday afternoon recently.   The orchestra experimentesd with a live multicast using the fiber optic broadband educational network known as Internet2.  orchestra officials hope to offer open to the public live transmissions during the 2007-2008 season—similar to 5he Met opera’s recent live simulcasts.  Music director Christoph Eshenbach wants to bring the rehearsal process to the public—he said, “people will see how music is made; it will give them a look into the kitchen…”

Philadelphia audiences just about wore Evgeny Kissin out at a recent concert at kimmel hall—demanding—and getting—ten, some said 11 encores.  After the printed program of Beethoven, Chopin and Brahms Kissin played for another hour for the enthusiastic crowd, including miniatures by Chopin and brahms.

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