In Tuesday’s (8/20) Star Tribune (Minneapolis) Graydon Royce reports, “The Minnesota Orchestra will not record Sibelius symphonies and a Beethoven piano concerto next month as planned. The Sweden-based BIS label was scheduled to ship recording equipment to Minneapolis this week for sessions that were to start Sept. 16. The parties agreed that without a musicians’ contract, it didn’t make sense to send the equipment. ‘We know there is a week that works next spring,’ said Gwen Pappas, the orchestra’s spokeswoman. She acknowledged that no dates have yet been confirmed…. The 2012 release by the orchestra of the second and fifth Sibelius symphonies was nominated for a Grammy award…. Music director Osmo Vänskä said in a letter last April that it was ‘extremely important to make the [Sibelius] recordings in September as planned.’ … ‘We look forward to rescheduling these sessions as soon as a contract resolution is in place,’ [said] BIS executive Rob Suff.” In other Minnesota Orchestra news, Royce reports in Wednesday’s (8/21) Star Tribune that a report will be made public in “ten to fifteen days” containing feedback from a free community forum organized by Orchestrate Excellence, held in Minneapolis on Tuesday evening (8/20).
Posted August 21, 2013