RATTLE IN BERLIN: Simon Rattle takes over the Berlin Philharmonic podium later this year. The Berlin Phil is possibly the world's most prestigious orchestra. But is it possible the orchestra needs Rattle more than he needs it? "Perhaps it will send a signal that the times are indeed changing and that the symphonic music business needs to get with the times in order to maintain some relevance. It signals a dramatic shift in the mythology and mystery surrounding the role of the conductor - from an unapproachable, distantly enigmatic, eccentric figure to a proactive, hands-on, engaging human being that musicians and the public can relate to!" Christian Science Monitor 03/01/02

BROKEN ON PURPOSE: Recording companies are starting to produce CD's that can't be played on computers or players that can copy them. Consumers are protesting, but an industry spokesperson says: "If technology can be used to pirate copyrighted content, shouldn't technology likewise be used to protect copyrighted content? Surely, no one can expect copyright owners to ignore what is happening in the marketplace and fail to protect their creative works because some people engage in copying just for their personal use." The New York Times 03/01/02

SAMPLE THIS: It wasn't that long ago that musicians were railing against rappers sampling their music to make new songs. The practice is a staple of hip hop. Then the practice became highly regulated (and lucrative). "Now more than ever, it's the sellers who are actively trying to get established and up-and-coming musicians interested in picking up a beat, a musical fragment, or a snippet of lyrics. Yet the selling price of samples has some artists saying they're not in the market to buy anymore. ''It's costing too much to get clearances, and sometimes it's easier to just do your own music'.'' Boston Globe 03/03/02

BROOKLYN MUSICIANS LOCKED OUT? The Brooklyn Philharmonic is on shaky financial ground since September 11. Accordingly, the orchestra replaced some planned concerts with solo piano recitals instead. The musicians union - the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) - has complained that the orchestra has "locked out" its 77 orchestra members by making the program change... Backstage 02/25/02

IN SEARCH OF WOMEN: "Even now at the start of the 21st century, decades after the dawn of the contemporary feminist movement saw a rise in women's orchestras and gender-based musicological studies and long after the inclusion of a single piece by a female composer on a concert program has ceased to be remarkable, a whole concert of music by women, performed by women, still feels unusual. It remains an exception to the classical music norm, which is a concert of music written entirely by men." The New York Times 02/26/02

CAPITAL IDEA: The city of Bruges, Belgium begins its year as the European Union's Capital of Culture (sharing the honor with Salamanca, Spain) by opening a new concert hall and an ambitious festival. Andante 02/25/02

COOPERATING THEIR WAY OUT OF DEBT: The St. Louis Symphony has been facing major money problems. In response, the orchestra's musicians have come forward as partners with management. Perhaps here is a model for other orchestras. "It was clear right away that we had to move from arguing over how to cut up the pie to how to keep the boat from sinking. We all had to start bailing. We've already decided it's not merely to show up and play the notes on the page. But what is it? We're not fund-raisers, we don't plan the musical program, but we can contribute in those areas and in many others. I wasn't trained to do anything more than play the instrument, but that's not enough anymore." The New York Times 02/25/02

PRODUCER AS CREATIVE ARTIST: Music recording and editing software has become so sophisticated that producers have become an indespensible part of the musical creative process. "It's sort of the same as the difference between a typewriter and a word processor. The computer-based systems allow you to do the kind of editing that you do with a word processor, but with sound." Los Angeles Times 02/24/02

CITY OPERA AT WTC? New York City Opera is talking to other New York cultural institutions about building a major new arts center on the site of the World Trade Center. "City Opera officials caution that their planning is in its early stages and that they have not made a decision to go forward. But they have attracted interest from the Joyce Theater, the Chelsea-based home of contemporary dance, in becoming involved in the project, which in one configuration would include a 2,200- seat opera house for itself, a 900-seat dance space and possibly a museum." The New York Times 02/28/02

BROKEN ON PURPOSE: Recording companies are starting to produce CD's that can't be played on computers or players that can copy them. Consumers are protesting, but an industry spokesperson says: "If technology can be used to pirate copyrighted content, shouldn't technology likewise be used to protect copyrighted content? Surely, no one can expect copyright owners to ignore what is happening in the marketplace and fail to protect their creative works because some people engage in copying just for their personal use." The New York Times 03/01/02

By Deborah Kravetz

I hadn't intended making a trip to the Orient this year, but this concert of work by Chinese composers working in America brought it to me with The Best of East and West, featuring guest artists Jiebing Chen, erhu, and Wu Man, pipa, in pieces new to Philadelphia, and one world premiere commission.

The Spell (1999) by Jing Jing Luo casts a suitable spell with aggressive low piccolo, plucked celli strings, and throbbing vibraphone that leaves tones ringing in the air long after intoned, and with shivering strings creating a scene-setting spell. A quiet celli duet and flute/piccolo duet soften the effect. Sounds imitate eastern instruments and let us know we're not in Philadelphia any more.

Spirit of Chimes (2000) by Zhou Long evokes the sounds of ancient instruments as a trio scored for violin, cello and piano demonstrating the harmonics of various bells and whistles. A usually unison melodic middle section evokes an ancient dance. The third section continues exploration of sounds applied to modern and Western instrumentation, with strings as winds and piano as percussion.

Shih-Hui Chen introduced her Fu II (1999) as an ensemble expansion of Fu I written for solo pipa. Fu means ambush, and in this context means the technique of abruptly stopping the instrument's strings after violently striking them. The pipa is also strummed here, while cello and violin play long notes and plucks, bass clarinet imitates a string bass and alto flute sounds just like a flute. Vibes provide a layer of resonance.

Jiebing Chen has arranged music for the traditional story of Butterfly Lovers, a Chinese variation on Romeo and Juliet composed originally as a violin concert , into theme and variations played here by cello and erhu, a Chinese version of a violin with no fingerboard and only two strings that is played with the bow between the strings. The cello plays the melody, while the erhu improvises in unison and embroiders the theme.

?as like a raging fire? (2002) is a world premiere of a Network for New Music commission by Chen Yi conducted by Jennifer Higdon. The composer explained that these are impressions of internal and external fire of nature and spirit, scored for violin, cello, piano, flute and clarinet. 

After a fast and furious opening tutti, the piece focuses briefly and individually on varying instruments. Piano and cello are used intensely and percussively at both extremes of range; less dense moments reveal flute and clarinet more fully.

Other than the recognizably oriental Butterfly Lovers theme, it turns out 
that the most Oriental of the music was expressed by non-Oriental instruments in Spirit of Chimes.

The big classical winner in the 44th Grammy Awards was the London Symphony Orchestra's recording of Berlioz's Les Troyens, conducted by Sir Colin Davis, which won both Best Classical Recording and Best Opera Recording awards. The recording is among the first from the ground-breaking LSO Live label, which is owned by the London Symphony Orchestra and was launched in 2000. Christopher Rouse’s Concert De Gaudí For Guitar And Orchestra was the Best Contemporary Composition award and ECM’s Manfred Eicher was named Producer of the Year in the classical category. Here’s a complete list of winners.

SEQUENZA/21/ is published weekly by Sequenza/21 
Publisher:  Duane Harper Grant  (212) 582-4153
Editor:    Jerry Bowles   (212) 582-3791
Contributing Editors: Armando Bayolo, Sam Bergman, Joshua Cohen, Karina Cristina Demitrio, Deborah Kravetz 
(C) Sequenza/21 LLC 2000