May 27, 2007

This week in classical music 5-27-07

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

Composer Steve Reich received the prestigious Polar Music Prize at a ceremony on Monday at the Stockholm Concert Hall.  The polar music prize, sometimes called the Nobel Prize of Music, is Sweden’s biggest music award and it comes with a $147,000 prize for each winner.  The award is typically split between classical and pop or jazz musicians.  Reich received the award alongside Jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins.

The Cleveland orchestra has been looking for a principal trombonist for 2 years now.  It’s not for lack of applicants—since the job’s been open, 27 musicians have tried out for the post with no success, and one that got the job moved back to his old home  and orchestra.  Conductor Franz Welser-Most is apparently pretty picky-- Orchestra executive Director Gary Hanson said, “One of Franz’s Strengths is that he’s not easily satisfied—he’s patient.”  The latest to audition is Massimo LaRosa from La Fenice opera house in Venice, who will play Brahms and Berg with the band in concert as the final stage of the audition process.

Scientists in Britain are trying a little classical mood music to get a pair of Sharks to mate.  Bloodnose, a 20-year-old male brown shark has been spurning the advances of 15-year-old Lucy since they were introduced a year ago at the Blackpool sea life center. Studies have shown that fish can listen and process melodies like Humans can.  Supervisor Carey Duckhouse said “we want to play them the kind of soft and emotional music that inspires powerful emotions in Humans… we hope it’s going to put them in a passionate frame of mind.”  The sharks will be serenaded with Beethoven, Mozart and Puccini after the scientists first  tried and failed to arouse the sharks with soul singer Barry White.

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