2014_in_classical_music
2014 in classical music
Overview of the events of 2014 in classical music
- January 1 – The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra gives its annual New Year Concert at the Musikverein; Daniel Barenboim conducts a programme that includes Josef Strauss's "Friedenspalmen", in recognition of the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.[1]
- January 14 – The musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra ratify a new contract, ending a 15-month lockout.[2]
- January 23 – English National Opera announces simultaneously that Edward Gardner is conclude his tenure as music director in 2015, and that Mark Wigglesworth is to succeed Gardner as ENO Music Director.[3]
- January 26 – At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards,[4] Maria Schneider's Winter Morning Walks wins two awards.[5]
- February 18 – Violinist Vanessa-Mae competes for Thailand at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.[6]
- March 26 – The Orchestra Haydn announces the appointment of Arvo Volmer as its next chief conductor, effective September 1, 2014, with an initial contract of 3 years.[7]
- April 1 – A 90th birthday concert for Sir Neville Marriner is held by the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields at the Royal Festival Hall, with soloists Joshua Bell and Murray Perahia.[8]
- April 22 – The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra announces that Mariss Jansons is to conclude his chief conductorship of the orchestra after the 2014–2015 season.[9]
- April 24
- Operatic tenor Ben Heppner announces his retirement from opera and concert performance, but continues as a broadcaster.[10]
- The Minnesota Orchestra announces the re-appointment of Osmo Vänskä as its music director, with a 2-year contract.[11]
- April 28 – Julian Lloyd Webber announces his retirement from playing cello and performance owing to a herniated disc in his neck which has reduced the power of his bowing arm.[12]
- May 6 – The Munich Radio Orchestra announces that Ulf Schirmer is to conclude this tenure as its chief conductor at the end of the 2016–2017 season.[13]
- May 13 – Anonymous 4 announces that the 2015–2016 season is to be their final season before disbanding the ensemble.[14]
- May 28 – The Royal Northern Sinfonia announces the appointment of Lars Vogt as its next music director, effective September 2015.[15]
- June 6 – The Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Gustavo Gimeno as its next music director, effective with the 2015–2016 season.[16]
- June 21 – Zubin Mehta receives a lifetime achievement award at the 42nd Istanbul Music Festival.[17]
- July 17 – Roger Wright concludes his tenure as Controller of BBC Radio 3 and Controller of The Proms, with Edward Blakeman becoming interim Controller of The Proms.[18]
- July 22 – Judith Weir formally takes up the post of Master of the Queen's Music, the first woman ever to hold the title.[19]
- August 31 – The Danish National Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Fabio Luisi as its next principal conductor, effective in 2017, with an initial contract through 2020.[20]
- September 1 – The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Susanna Mälkki as its next chief conductor, effective in the autumn 2016, with an initial contract of 3 years.[21]
- September 5
- The I,CULTURE Orchestra announces the appointment of Kirill Karabits as its new artistic director.[22]
- Franz Welser-Möst resigns as Generalmusikdirektor of the Vienna State Opera, with immediate effect.[23]
- September 8 – Han-na Chang resigns as music director of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra with immediate effect, the day after the orchestra's debut at The Proms.[24]
- September 13 – The Last Night of the Proms is held at the Royal Albert Hall, with Sakari Oramo conducting his first Last Night and Roderick Williams as the soloist for "Rule Britannia".[25]
- September 17 – Sinfonia ViVA announces the appointment of Duncan Ward as its next principal conductor, effective in January 2015, for an initial contract of 2 years.[26]
- September 26 – The BBC announces the appointment of Alan Davey as the next Controller of Radio 3, effective January 2015.[27]
- October 3 – The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra announces the appointment of Daniele Gatti as its 7th chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season.[28]
- October 8 – The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra announces that Jacques Lacombe is to conclude his music directorship of the orchestra after the 2015–2016 season.[29]
- October 20 – The first Metropolitan Opera performance of The Death of Klinghoffer, following protests in the months prior to its production.[30]
- October 22
- The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra announces that Donald Runnicles is to conclude his tenure as chief conductor after the 2015–2016 season.[31]
- The Prague Philharmonia announces the appointment of Emmanuel Villaume as its new chief conductor, effective with the 2015–2016 season, with an initial contract of 3 years.[32]
- October 30 – Conductor and composer Michael Gielen announces his retirement from the concert platform on health grounds.[33]
- November 3 – The Basque National Orchestra (Euskadiko Orkestra) announces the appointment of Jun Märkl as chief conductor with immediate effect, through the 2015–2016 season.[34]
- November 5 – The Berlin Radio Choir announces the appointment of Gijs Leenaars as its next principal conductor, effective August 2015.[35]
- November 8 – Ratification of a new contract by the musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, ending a 2-month lockout.[36]
- December 7 – Violence breaks out on the opening night of the La Scala opera season, traditionally used by political demonstrators to draw attention to their causes. The audience at the performance of Fidelio, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, includes Giorgio Armani, Italy's president Giorgio Napolitano, and prime minister Matteo Renzi.[37]
- December 20 – The Hilliard Ensemble give their final concert at Wigmore Hall before disbanding.[38]
- Michel van der Aa – Violin Concerto
- Matthew Aucoin
- Three Études for solo piano
- The Orphic Moment, dramatic cantata for countertenor, solo violin, and chamber ensemble
- Celan Fragments, violin and piano
- Piano Trio
- Vykintas Baltakas – Redditio 2[39]
- Friedrich Cerha
- Arvo Pärt – Swan Song[42]
- Henryk Górecki – Symphony No. 4[43]
- Philip Glass – String Quartet No. 7
- Martin Schüttler – MEUTEN[44]
- Adam Stern (conductor) – Spirits of the Dead (after Edgar Allan Poe) for narrator and orchestra
- Annesley Black – A Piece That Is a Size That Is Recognised as Not a Size but a Piece[44]
- Christoph Ogiermann – Inner Empire II[44]
- Brice Pauset – Arbeiten[44]
- Hans Thomalla – Wonderblock[44]
- Hannes Seidl – Mehr als die Hälfte[44]
- Peter Gahn – Nachtsicht II[44]
- Jay Schwartz – Delta – Music for Orchestra IV[44]
- Christian Billian – Unwuchten[44]
- Jagoda Szmytka – Empty Music[44]
- Georg Friedrich Haas
- James Horner – Pas de Deux[48]
- James MacMillan – Viola Concerto[49]
- Matthias Pintscher – Idyll for orchestra
- John Tavener
- Simon Holt – Morpheus Wakes[52]
- Gabriel Prokofiev – Violin Concerto[53]
- Jonathan Dove – Gaia Theory[54]
- Benedict Mason – Meld[55]
- Judith Weir – Day Break Shadows Flee[56]
- Gavin Higgins – Velocity[57]
- Kaija Saariaho – Maan Varjot[58]
- Aulis Sallinen – String Quartet No. 6, Op. 103[59]
- Ryan Wigglesworth – Violin Concerto[60]
- Julia Wolfe – Anthracite Fields[61]
- Unsuk Chin – Clarinet Concerto[62]
- January 26 – Breaking Bad – Ozymandias by Sung Jin Hong (based on the television drama series Breaking Bad)[63]
- April 3
- Under Milk Wood: An Opera by John Metcalf[64]
- Through His Teeth by Luke Bedford and David Harrower[65]
- May 3 – Thebans by Julian Anderson and Frank McGuinness[66]
- June 13 – An American Soldier by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang[67]
- June 14 – 27 by Ricky Ian Gordon and Royce Vavrek[68]
- July 19 – Zeisls Hiob by Erich Zeisl and Jan Duszyński at the Bayerische Staatsoper.[69]
- Pierre-Laurent Aimard – Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier
- Nicola Benedetti – Homecoming
- Ludovico Einaudi – Islands
- Benjamin Grosvenor – Dances
- Craig Ogden – Summer Guitar
- Emmanuel Pahud & Christian Rivet – Around the World
- January 6 – H. Owen Reed, American composer, conductor and educator, 103[70]
- January 10 – Aram Gharabekian, Armenian conductor, 58[71]
- January 19 – Udo Kasemets, Estonian-born Canadian composer, 94[72]
- January 20 – Claudio Abbado, Italian conductor, 80[73]
- January 28 – Dwight Gustafson, American composer and conductor, 83[74]
- January 31 – Alexander Ivashkin, Russian cellist, 65 (cancer)[75]
- February 1 – Elisabetta Barbato, Italian soprano, 92[76]
- February 2 – Gerd Albrecht, German conductor, 78[77]
- February 14 – Martha Goldstein, American harpsichordist, 94[78]
- February 15 – Dénes Zsigmondy, Hungarian violinist and music educator, 91.[79]
- February 24 – Nicolae Herlea, Romanian baritone, 86[80]
- March 6 – Marion Stein (Thorpe), British pianist, 87[81]
- April 1 – Anker Buch, Danish violinist, 74[82]
- April 2 – Harris Goldsmith, American pianist and critic, 77[83]
- April 18 – Brian Priestman, conductor (Denver Symphony Orchestra), 87[84]
- April 24 – Konstantin Orbelyan, Armenian composer and conductor, 85[85]
- May 6 – Antony Hopkins, British composer, conductor and pianist, 93[86]
- May 7 – Sir George Christie, manager of Glyndebourne Opera, 79[87])
- May 19 – Franz-Paul Decker, German-born Canadian conductor, 90[88]
- June 3 – Elodie Lauten, French-born minimalist composer, 63[89]
- June 8 – Ivo Vinco, Italian operatic bass, 86[90]
- June 9 – Gerd Zacher, German organist, composer and author, 84[91]
- June 11 – Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Spanish conductor and composer, 80 (cancer)[92]
- June 16 – Pierre D'Archambeau, Belgian-born American violin virtuoso and pedagogue, 87[93]
- June 26 – Julius Rudel, Austrian-born American Grammy Award-winning conductor and director, 93[94]
- July 1 – Oscar Yatco, Filipino conductor and violinist, 83[95]
- July 9 – Lorenzo Álvarez Florentín, Paraguayan composer and violinist, 87[96]
- July 13 – Lorin Maazel, French-born American conductor, violinist, composer and music director, 84[97]
- July 24 – Nataša Danilović, Serbian composer, author of the orchestral piece Horror Vacui, 45[98]
- July 25 – Carlo Bergonzi, Italian operatic tenor, 90[99]
- August 7 – Cristina Deutekom, Dutch coloratura soprano opera singer, 82[100]
- August 8 – Peter Sculthorpe, Australian composer[101]
- August 13 – Frans Brüggen, Dutch conductor, recorder player and baroque flautist, 79[102]
- August 15 – Licia Albanese, Italian-born American operatic soprano, 105[103]
- September 19 – Francisco Feliciano, Filipino composer and conductor, 73[104]
- September 24 – Christopher Hogwood, English conductor, harpsichordist, writer, and musicologist, 73
- October 4 – Konrad Boehmer, German-born Dutch composer and writer, 73[105]
- October 11
- Anita Cerquetti, Italian operatic soprano, 83[106]
- Mats Rondin, Swedish cellist and composer, 54 (heart attack)[107]
- October 20 – Pavle Merkù, Slovene composer, 87[108]
- October 21 – Stephen Paulus, American composer, 65[109]
- October 31 – Ian Fraser, English composer and conductor, 81[110]
- November 3 – Augusto Martelli, Italian composer, conductor, arranger and television personality, 74[111]
- November 5 – Manitas de Plata, guitarist, 93
- November 11 – James Erb, US composer, arranger and musicologist, 88[112]
- November 20 – Arthur Butterworth, English composer and conductor, 91[113]
- November 21 – Wang Kun, Chinese opera singer and educator, 89[114]
- November 25 – Petr Hapka, Czech composer, 70[115]
- December 1 – Mario Abramovich, Argentine violinist and composer, 88
- December 5 – Manuel De Sica, Italian composer, 65 (heart attack)[116]
- December 8
- Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, Indian carnatic vocalist, 87[117]
- Knut Nystedt, Norwegian orchestral and choral composer, 99[118]
- December 9 – José Feghali, Brazilian pianist, 53 (suicide)[119] (body discovered on this date)
- December 11 – Hans Wallat, German conductor and music director, 85[120]
- December 14 – William Stokking, American orchestral cellist, 81[121]
- December 15
- Chakri, Indian film composer and playback singer, 40 (heart attack)[122]
- Janis Martin, American opera singer, 75[123]
- Ray Steadman-Allen, British composer and Salvation Army officer, 92[124]
- December 23 – Jerzy Semkow, Polish conductor, 86[125]
- December 27 – Claude Frank, American pianist, 89[126]
- December 30 – Patrick Gowers, British composer, 78[127]
- December 31 – Michael Kennedy, British music critic and writer, 86[128]
Grammy Awards
- Best Classical Contemporary Composition – Maria Schneider, Winter Morning Walks
- Best Orchestral Performance – Osmo Vänskä (conductor) and the Minnesota Orchestra, Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4
- Best Opera Recording – Adès: The Tempest
- Best Choral Performance – Tõnu Kaljuste (conductor) (with Tui Hirv & Rainer Vilu; Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir; Sinfonietta Riga and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra; Latvian Radio Choir & Vox Clamantis), Pärt: Adam's Lament
- Best Classical Vocal Solo – Dawn Upshaw, Winter Morning Walks
- Best Classical Instrumental Solo – Evelyn Glennie, Corigliano: Conjurer – Concerto for Percussionist & String Orchestra
- Best Classical Compendium – Christoph Eschenbach, Hindemith: Violinkonzert; Symphonic ; Konzertmusik
- Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance – Roomful of Teeth
Avery Fisher Prize
- Vienna Philharmonic website: The New Year's Concert. Accessed January 12, 2014
- "New Music Director for ENO" (Press release). English National Opera. January 23, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Jon Weisman, Grammy Awards Set for Jan. 26, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2013
- 56th Annual Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees, January 27, 2014
- Chadband, Ian (February 18, 2014). "Vanessa-Mae slowest in giant slalom..." The Telegraph. London. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
- "Arvo Volmer ist der neue Chefdirigent des Haydn Orchesters" (Press release). Orchestra Haydn. March 26, 2014. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- Academy of St Martin in the Fields – Sir Neville Marriner's Birthday Celebration Concert. Accessed September 10, 2014
- "Mariss Jansons bids farewell", Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra announcement Archived April 24, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- "Canadian Tenor Ben Heppner Announces Retirement From Singing", Opera News, 24 April 2014. Accessed November 7, 2014
- "Osmo Vänskä to return as Minnesota Orchestra music director" (Press release). Minnesota Orchestra. April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Mark Brown (October 18, 2014). "Julian Lloyd Webber 'devastated' over end of cello career". The Guardian. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
- "Ulf Schirmer verlässt 2017 den Bayerischen Rundfunk". Abendzeitung München. May 6, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- Tom Huizenga (May 13, 2014). "Anonymous 4: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (But They're Doing It)". National Public Radio. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- "Royal Northern Sinfonia announces Lars Vogt as new Music Director ahead of Sage Gateshead's 10th birthday season" (Press release). Royal Northern Sinfonia. May 28, 2014. Archived from the original on December 19, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- "42nd Festival Honours Gülsin Onay and Zubin Mehta" Archived November 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed November 7, 2014
- Andrew Clements (July 17, 2014). "Start of Proms marks end of Roger Wright's tenure as director". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- "DR SymfoniOrkestret får ny italiensk chefdirigent". Danish Broadcasting Corporation. August 31, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- "Susanna Mälkki appointed Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra" (Press release). Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. September 1, 2014. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- "Kirill Karabits Appointed Artistic Director of I,CULTURE Orchestra" (Press release). Harrison Parrott. September 5, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- "Welser-Möst tritt als Musikdirektor der Staatsoper zurück". Der Standard. September 5, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- "BBC Two – BBC Proms, 2014 Season, Last Night of the Proms – Part 1". BBC. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- "Rising Star Takes Up the Baton With Sinfonia Viva" (Press release). sinfonia ViVA. September 17, 2014. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- "Arts Council chief Alan Davey to run BBC Radio 3". BBC News. September 26, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Ronni Reich (October 8, 2014). "Music director Jacques Lacombe to leave New Jersey Symphony Orchestra". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- "Donald Runnicles to become BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's Conductor Emeritus" (Press release). BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. October 22, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Raymond Johnston (October 22, 2014). "PKF – Prague Philharmonia names new conductor". Prague Post. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- "Michael Gielen beendet Dirigierkarriere". Klassik.com. Accessed January 11, 2015
- "Jun Märkl named chief conductor of the Basque National Orchestra" (Press release). Basque National Orchestra (Euskadiko Orkestra). November 3, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- "Gijs Leenaars named as new Principal Conductor of Berlin Radio Choir" (Press release). Berlin Radio Choir. November 5, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2015.[permanent dead link]
- "Police and protesters clash in Milan as La Scala opera season opens", The Guardian, 8 December 2014. Accessed December 10, 2014
- "Kölner Philharmonie programme listing, 7 February 2014". Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Southbank Centre website. Accessed January 12, 2014
- Zachary Woolfe (February 23, 2014). "Ominous Stirrings In a Fitful Realm". The New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- David Kettle (May 16, 2014). "Tectonics festival, Glasgow, review: 'bewilderingly diverse'". Telegraph. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Hughes, Glyn Môn (November 16, 2014). "Samuelsen Duo, RLPO, Petrenko, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool: Revamped concert hall and new concerto launch a delayed Philharmonic season". The Arts Desk. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- Southbank Centre: LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 2013/14. Accessed January 12, 2014
- George Hall (July 24, 2014). "Prom 7: BBCSO/Bělohlávek review – Tavener, Shostakovich and Bartók". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- George Hall (August 5, 2014). "Prom 25: Tallis Scholars/Phillips review – sheer sonic beauty". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Andrew Clements (July 28, 2014). "Prom 14: BBCNOW/Fischer review – virtuosity pushed to the limits". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Tim Ashley (July 30, 2014). "Prom 16: Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic/Goetzel – review". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- George Hall (July 29, 2014). "Prom 15 BBCSO/Pons review – harmonic and orchestral sophistication". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Benjamin Grosvenor (August 29, 2014). "Proms 2014: when Benjamin Grosvenor met Judith Weir". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Tim Ashley (September 14, 2014). "The Last Night of the Proms review – Oramo is the perfect maitre d'". The Guardian. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- "Maan varjot « Kaija Saariaho". saariaho.org. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
- "Kimito Island Music Festival 8.7.2014 Kimito church. Sonja Korkeala, Katinka Korkeala (violin), Hariolf Schlichtig (viola), Samuli Peltonen (cello)". Archived from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- Oteri, Frank J. (April 20, 2015). "Julia Wolfe Wins 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Music". NewMusicBox. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- Hughes, Hilary (January 27, 2014). "Everything You Wanted to Know About the Breaking Bad Opera". Esquire. Retrieved June 11, 2014
- Taliesin Arts Centre (2014). Under Milk Wood: An Opera. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- Richard Fairman (April 6, 2014). "Through His Teeth, Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, London – review". Financial Times. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Midgette, Anne (June 15, 2014). "WNO's 'An American Soldier' by Huang Ruo performs its mission honorably". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- Bayerische Staatsoper (2014). "Cast list: Zeisls Hiob" on Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) website, accessed February 1, 2015. (In German).
- Brother H.O. Reed Passes at 103 Archived January 7, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- "Udo Kasemets". Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
- "Claudio Abbado obituary". the Guardian. January 20, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
- Musica, morta Elisabetta Barbato Archived February 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)
- Elhunyt Zsigmondy Dénes Archived February 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Fidelio, February 16, 2014. (in Hungarian)
- Nicolae Herlea obituary (in Romanian)
- "Anker Buch obituary (The Strad)". Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
- Obituary in The Guardian, accessed May 22, 2014
- Italian bass Ivo Vinco dies at 86 Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- Fallece el gran violinista Lorenzo Álvarez (in Spanish)
- Preminula naša koleginica Nataša Danilović (in Serbian)
- "Obituary: Australian composer Peter Sculthorpe". ABC News. August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- Componist Konrad Boehmer (73) overleden (in Dutch)
- Cellisten och dirigenten Mats Rondin död Archived October 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine (in Swedish)
- Poslovil se je Pavle Merkù (in Slovene)
- William Yardley (October 21, 2014). "Stephen Paulus, Classical Composer Rich in Lyricism, Dies at 65". The New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- Folk Vocalist Wang Kun Dies, 89 Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- Knut Nystedt er død (in Norwegian)
- Hans Wallat starb mit 85 Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (in German)
- David O'Reilly (December 21, 2014). "William Stokking, 81, Phila. Orchestra cellist". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 8, 2015.