The general musical director of the Vienna State Opera, one of the most prestigious positions in classical music worldwide, announced his resignation on Friday with immediate effect.
Franz Welser-Moest, 54, whose glittering career has included conducting the world-famous Vienna New Year’s Concert last year, cited “long-held conceptual differences in artistic matters” for his decision.
The Austrian’s immediate departure leaves the opera house’s French head Dominique Meyer without a conductor for a string of planned performances in the 2014-2015 season, including two opera premieres.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
Welser-Moest trained as a violinist before a car accident turned him to conducting, working with orchestras around the world including in London, Berlin, Zurich, Philadelphia and New York.
Last year he pulled out of conducting a three-year cycle of Mozart operas at the Salzburg Festival, saying that a start-time of one performance at 11:00am meant the singers would have to wake up at 3:00am “to be ready.”
(AFP)
維也納國家歌劇院藝術總監週五宣布辭職且辭呈即刻生效。這是全世界古典樂界最具名望的職位之一。
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
現年五十四歲的指揮家弗朗茲‧威爾瑟─莫斯特以「對藝術細節觀念不同」為由，決定辭職。威爾瑟─莫斯特輝煌的職涯成就，包括去年指揮世界著名維也納新年音樂會等。
這位奧地利人的閃辭，讓該歌劇院的法籍院長多明尼克‧梅爾面臨二０一四年到二０一五年樂季沒有指揮的窘境。該樂季已安排有一連串音樂會節目，其中還包括兩齣歌劇首演。
威爾瑟─莫斯特原是小提琴家出身，但在一場車禍後讓他轉戰指揮台，合作的樂團遍及世界各地，包括倫敦、柏林、蘇黎世、費城與紐約。
去年他退出指揮薩爾茲堡音樂節為期三年的一系列莫札特歌劇，他表示一場上午十一點開演的演出，意味著聲樂家要在凌晨三點起床為發聲「做好準備」。
（法新社／翻譯：林亞蒂）
You’re sitting in class when a classmate asks to borrow a pencil. It seems like a small favor, so you agree without hesitation. The following week, the same classmate asks to share your notes. Later, they request help with a group project. You agree each time — after all, you helped out the first time — but before you know it, it has become automatic. This scenario demonstrates the “foot-in-the-door technique,” a psychological concept that shows how agreeing to small, acceptable demands makes it easier to accept larger ones later on. The name for this strategy comes from door-to-door
A: The four-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend begins Friday and will run until Monday. Are you going to sweep your ancestors’ tombs? B: I did in advance last weekend, so I can go to Kaohsiung to see the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” A: Wow, is “Phantom” touring Taiwan again? It debuted in 1986, so this year marks the 40th anniversary of the show. B: And it’s not just touring Kaohsiung starting March 31, but also Taipei starting April 21 and Taichung starting May 26. A: “Phantom” is one of the world’s Four Major Musicals. I’ve seen all of them, except “Les
A: Apart from the musical The Phantom of the Opera, off-Broadway classic “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” and musical-themed concert “Broadway Hits Live” are also touring Taiwan. B: Musical-themed concert? That sounds interesting. A: Set for April 18 and 19, the show will feature a group of Broadway vocalists and dancers — with British singer Keala Settle as a special guest. B: So the audience can enjoy all the timeless hits from various shows at one concert. . . I like that. A: And there’s more: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musical Jesus Christ Superstar will finally visit Taiwan for the first time
Despite being a basic tool, pens come in a wide variety of forms. Classic styles include fountain pens, which deliver liquid ink smoothly through metal tips. Another common type is the ballpoint pen, which is easy to use. There are even special felt pens that are especially popular among artists. __1__ They have a small hole at the top. So why is it there in the first place? Could it actually be a design flaw? __2__ Since 1991, companies such as BIC have been producing ballpoint pens with holes in their caps for two main reasons: quality control
RSS