Feb 04

Cairo cancels Umm Kulthoum tribute concert due to ‘situation’

Posted on February 4, 2013 by lebrecht

Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the death of Umm Kulthoum (Oumm Kalthoum), the most powerful and popular singer in the Arab world and a significant icon on posters in Tahrir Square during Cairo’s Arab Spring.

There will be a number of broadcasts and meetings to mark the date, but we hear that a commemorative concert has been cancelled due to recent anti-government unrest, known as ‘the situation’.

Read the full story HERE.

Umm Kulthum / Oum Kalthoum / Umm Kalsoum – Egyptian singer at height of her career being interviewed 11 November 1967 before her concert performance at the Olympia, Paris.
© RA/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Umm Kulthum / Oum Kalthoum / Umm Kalsoum – performing at the Olympia, Paris.
© RA/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Jan 28

PICTURE OF THE DAY: Russian pianist Sviastoslav Richter and Benjamin Britten by Brian Seed

Posted on January 28, 2013 by lebrecht

Russian pianist Sviastoslav Richter discussing his forthcoming performance of Mozart’s piano concerto in B flat major at the June 1965 Aldeburgh Festival with its conductor, Benjamin Britten. Their location is Blythburgh church, Suffolk. Photographer: Brian Seed.

Jan 17

PICTURE OF THE DAY: Natalie Clein playing cello

Posted on January 17, 2013 by lebrecht

Natalie Clein playing cello during rehearsals at the Turner Sims Concert Hall in Southampton, Hampshire, England by Gerry Walden.

Click HERE for the full set of images.

Jan 08

David Bowie releases new single and announces first album in a decade

Posted on January 8, 2013 by lebrecht

Legendary British musician, actor and producer David Bowie celebrated his 66th birthday this morning by releasing a brand new track “Were Are We Now?” and revealed plans to have a full album out on March 11th entitled “The Next Day”.

Click HERE for an exclusive selection of images of Bowie’s career.

Rod Stewart and the Faces on tour in America. David Bowie watching. 1 April 1975
© Mirrorpix/Lebrecht Authors

David Bowie, legendary singer songwriter and actor, performing on stage, London 27 October 1995.
© Mirrorpix/Lebrecht Authors

Phoenix Festival, David Bowie performing on stage, 1996.
© Toby Jacobs/Lebrecht Music & Arts

David Bowie portrait in pastels.
© Zsuzsi Roboz/ Messum Fine Art/Lebrecht

David Bowie performing at the Isle of Wight Festival, UK, 2004.
© Mike Russell/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Jan 04

BBC Sound of 2013 winners announced

Posted on January 4, 2013 by lebrecht

American trio Haim top the BBC Sound of 2013 list.

The folk-rock band whom recently supported Florence And The Machine at the O2 Arena in London has been announced this morning to take the highest spot on the famous BBC Sound of… poll which in the past has spotted number 1 artists like Adele, Ellie Goulding, Jessie J, Keane, 50 Cent, etc before they became superstars.

We have some exclusive images of Haim performing at the London Calling Festival in Amsterdam in November last year.

© Carolina Faruolo/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Dec 12

Obituary pix for Ravi Shankar

Posted on December 12, 2012 by lebrecht

Ravi Shankar, Indian sitar player who performed with Yehudi Menuhin and taught Beatle George Harrison how to play this instrument, passed away yesterday aged 92. (born 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012). He was described as one of the best known contemporary Indian musicians. His two daughters, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar, are also successful musicians.

© David Farrell/Lebrecht Music & Arts

© F. Henderson/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Ravi and Anoushka Shankar playing sitar at a concert at Barbican London 18th May.
© M. Peric/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Silhouette of Ravi Shankar playing the sitar at the World Sacred Music Festival in Fes, Morocco, 4 June 2005.
© RA/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin playing sitar and violin together.
© Norman Perryman/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Dec 11

Obituary pictures of Galina Vishnevskaya

Posted on December 11, 2012 by lebrecht

Russian soprano opera singer who was married to cellist Mstislav Rostropovich – born 25 October 1926 – died 11 December, 2012 . She was named People’s Artist of the USSR in 1966. They left the Soviet Union in 1974.

In her long career she sang many great operatic roles including Violetta, Tosca, Cio-cio-san, Leonore and Cherubino. Benjamin Britten wrote the soprano role in his War Requiem (completed 1962) specially for her.

More photographs by Nigel Luckhurst of Vishnevskaya and Rostropovich at Aldeburgh available on our website at www.lebrecht.co.uk

© Nigel Luckhurst/Lebrecht Music & Arts

© S.Lauterwasser/Lebrecht Music & Arts

© Lebrecht Music & Arts

© S.Lauterwasser/Lebrecht Music & Arts

© Nigel Luckhurst/Lebrecht Music & Arts

Dec 11

Charles Rosen video in Paris

Posted on December 11, 2012 by lebrecht

A short video of Charles Rosen, taken in Paris in March 2005 at the Ecole Normal Superieure by the photographer Marion Kalter (on her phone, it was all she had to hand), in which the great musical analyst gives a three-minute discourse on the making of Pierre Boulez.

He’s speaking fluent French, and you don’t need to understand that language in order to grasp the effortless authority that Charles exerted over an audience, any audience, whether as pianist, speaker or writer.

Dec 10

Medée premiere pix at Theatre des Champs Elyseés 10 December 2012

Posted on December 10, 2012 by lebrecht

The opera Médée by Luigi Cherubini, premiered at Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, on 10 December 2012. Nadja Michael in title role. Photographs by Marion Kalter.

Nadja Michael as Médée in Médée – opera by Luigi Cherubini.