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New York Philharmonic receives $2.4 million to digitize the orchestra’s archives

New York Philharmonic receives $2.4 million grant from the Leon Levy Foundation to digitize 1.3 million pages of the orchestra’s archives. Leonard Bernstein’s marked conducting scores will be first material released, according to www.leonardbernstein.com . “I’ve been here 25 years, and this is life-changing,” said Barbara Haws, the Philharmonic’s archivist to The New York Times . “Access is one thing, but since we’re digitizing these documents, you’ll also have the ability to see details you’ve never been able to see: a score marked by Mahler in 1909 and used by Bernstein in 1959, a conductor making marks in the heat of the moment, some old and faded, can now be enlarged, which is just magical. On a single page there are multiple experiences reflected over time.” A tad off topic, but this is Bernstein conducting Wagner:

The Road to the LA Ring

According to the Los Angeles Opera , the first " Road to the Ring " events have set a path to the Festival and garnered enthusiasm from participants across the region. Search lights brought people from miles away to view Charles Sherman's Ring of Inclusion sculpture on Sunset Boulevard August 28. In mid-September, artists from the California Art Club gathered downtown at California Plaza and in Pasadena at Maranantha High School to paint models enacting scenes from the Ring in plein air. In anticipation of the September 26 opening of LA Opera's first-ever production of Siegfried, the Speakers Bureau has been on the road lecturing about the opera at public libraries throughout Los Angeles. James Conlon, LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, discussed Wagner's monumental work at the Broad Stage on September 24. Achim Freyer, Ring Director/Designer, conversed with journalist Matthew Gurewitsch at the Goethe Institut on September 29th.

James Conlon on the Ring cycle

As part of the " Road to the Ring ," you can enjoy a rare "up-close" encounter with Maestro James Conlon, the Music Director of LA Opera, at the Broad Stage , Thursday 24 September 7:30PM 2009. The Ring cycle, one of the most influential works of Western art, follows the adventures of gods, heroes and mythical creatures struggling for posession of a magic ring that grants domination over the entire world. Renowned for his interpretations of Richard Wagner's repertoire, Maestro Conlon will conduct his first Ring cycle in the United States as part of LA Opera's 2009/10 Season. This lecture is free and open to the public. Reserve seats on the Event page The Broad Stage 1310 11th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401

Final Schenk Rings at Metropolitan

This spring is your last chance to experience "Otto Schenk's landmark production" of Der Ring des Nibelungen, as the Metropolitan Opera calls it. I have one or two reservations about the "landmark" statement, but if I had been over there, I sure would have liked to see it live. It is of course available on DVD . RING CYCLE 1 Rheingold, Das - Saturday, March 28, 2009 - 1:00 PM Walküre, Die - Saturday, April 11, 2009 - 12:00 PM Siegfried - Saturday, April 18, 2009 - 12:00 PM Götterdämmerung - Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 12:00 PM RING CYCLE 2 Rheingold, Das - Monday, April 27, 2009 - 8:00 PM Walküre, Die - Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - 6:30 PM Siegfried - Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 6:00 PM Götterdämmerung - Saturday, May 2, 2009 - 6:00 PM RING CYCLE 3 Rheingold, Das - Monday, May 4, 2009 - 8:00 PM Walküre, Die - Tuesday, May 5, 2009 - 6:00 PM Siegfried - Thursday, May 7, 2009 - 6:00 PM Götterdämmerung - Saturday, May 9, 2009 - 6:30 PM If you want to experience Iréne The

Parsifal and Kundry reborned – Kiseljov's Parsifal in Brno

I have received information about a pantomime production of Parsifal in Brno and would like to share it with you: "Vladimir Kiseljov, the 25 years-old Czech director, stage designer and President of Richard-Wagner-Society Brno, had on 20. April 2008 in the theatre Reduta Brno in Czech republic fulfilled his dream – to show on stage his concept of the whole Richard Wagners Parsifal as a pantomime – initiation mysterium. The performance was consulted and recommended by Hans Schavernoch and is probably the first realisation of whole Wagners Parsifal as a pantomime on the complete recording of Wagners score played from 6 loudspeakers around audience, which create in some places of this stage mystery an effect of voices from the heaven, slowly moving up above the audience. This staging presented two actors of Parsifal (1. young and 2. reborned "Erlöser" in Act 3) and 3 actresses of Kundry, because we see them in long time distance in the circulation of their incarnations, til