One of the most highly-regarded pianists of our time, Grigory Sokolov, has refused to accept the Cremona Music Award 2015 because it has previously been awarded to the blogger Norman Lebrecht. A hand-written statement in Italian and Russian on the pianist's website reads:
Sokolov's letter (in Italian)
.
'Dear Mr. Bianchedi, ladies and gentlemen of Comitato Artistico di Cremona Mondomusica e Piano Experience. I refuse to receive the prize, Cremona Music Award 2015.
'According to my ideas about elementary decency, it is shame to be in the same award-winners list with Lebrecht. [Signed] G. Sokolov'
I refuse to post the link since it is so laughably long, but in can be found on the Gramophone website gramophone.co.uk
Bravissimo!
Apparently some awards are not something one wants to receive!
e.g.
The Lysenko Prize for Excellence in Biology
The Stalin Award for Human Rights
The George Armstrong Custer Trophy for Achievement in Military Planning
Quote from: The new erato on September 29, 2015, 03:16:24 AM
I refuse to post the link since it is so laughably long, but in can be found on the Gramophone website gramophone.co.uk
Here (http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/grigory-sokolov-refuses-award-previously-been-won-by-norman-lebrecht).
I approve heartily!
I know Lebrecht is polarizing and is a journalist? Can someone summarize the problem - I write out of ignorance of why Lebrecht is so offensive. I seem to remember someone posting something of his here, but I have long since forgotten.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on September 29, 2015, 05:02:21 AM
I know Lebrecht is polarizing and is a journalist? Can someone summarize the problem - I write out of ignorance of why Lebrecht is so offensive. I seem to remember someone posting something of his here, but I have long since forgotten.
You have done the right thing: the less you remember of what Lebrecht writes, the better — for yourself, and for the world 0:)
Lebrecht is to music journalism, as Donald Trump is to US Presidential politics.
Quote from: karlhenning on September 29, 2015, 05:08:27 AM
You have done the right thing: the less you remember of what Lebrecht writes, the better — for yourself, and for the world 0:)
Lebrecht is to music journalism, as Donald Trump is to US Presidential politics.
Ok. Sometimes it is better not to know! :)
Isn´t Lebrecht the guy who wrote something to the effect that the faster Mozart was forgotten, the better?
Quote from: karlhenning on September 29, 2015, 05:08:27 AMLebrecht is to music journalism, as Donald Trump is to US Presidential politics.
I didn't think it was possible to be rude to Donald Trump.
Good job, Karl!! :laugh:
Quote from: karlhenning on September 29, 2015, 05:08:27 AM
Lebrecht is to music journalism, as Donald Trump is to US Presidential politics.
That's as good an analogy as any!
I have done similar things so I applaud him!
I look forward to Lebrecht's response.
Quote from: karlhenning on September 29, 2015, 05:08:27 AM
Lebrecht is to music journalism, as Donald Trump is to US Presidential politics.
So, he has a really corny looking comb-over? ???
Quote from: Scion7 on September 29, 2015, 10:38:41 AM
So, he has a really corny looking comb-over? ???
It's more of a Poofy Monk haircut.
(http://zeneakademia.hu/documents/10608/46123/Norman_Lebrecht-450.jpg)
^ hair-earmuffs
Quote from: mc ukrneal on September 29, 2015, 05:02:21 AM
I know Lebrecht is polarizing and is a journalist? Can someone summarize the problem - I write out of ignorance of why Lebrecht is so offensive. I seem to remember someone posting something of his here, but I have long since forgotten.
I consider him to be a very talented writer of fiction.
Quote from: Pat B on September 29, 2015, 01:02:43 PM
I consider him to be a very talented writer of fiction.
Nicely played.
I haven't read any Lebrecht since he declared classical music dead - that was about twenty years ago.
I never agreed with him, but he was good for getting the argumentative juices flowing, and refining the reasons why I disagreed.
Has he gotten even worse since then?
Quote from: SimonNZ on September 29, 2015, 03:41:58 PM
I never agreed with him, but he was good for getting the argumentative juices flowing, and refining the reasons why I disagreed.
One might make the same "justification" for Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and Michael Moore . . . .
Quote from: karlhenning on September 30, 2015, 04:40:34 AM
One might make the same "justification" for Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and Michael Moore . . . .
Ah no, that's a leap. I'm not trying to make any "justification" at all. And I'm very interested to hear how he's gone from being the Golden-Era nostalgic reactionary (and there's a lot of that about) of two decades ago to someone that might be compared to Rush Limbaugh. Possibly i only saw an unrepresentitive fraction of his writings at the time.
If you know (and it seems you do) then I really want to hear - or from anyone. I won't be playing council for the defence.
I'll read the link above first chance I get.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CP5Tm1qW8AA-Xd8.png)
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2015/09/grigory-sokolov-refuses-cremona-music.html (http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2015/09/grigory-sokolov-refuses-cremona-music.html)
One of the few cases where I think that I might have actually broken the story (after the letter was pointed out to me by a musician who also finds Lebrecht offensive and generally beyond the pale).
On the ionarts-site is also the official Cremona response and the laughable response of Lebrecht's.
And this link should be read by any thinking person interested in (classical) music:
http://www.overgrownpath.com/2015/09/churnalism-is-destroying-classical-music.html (http://www.overgrownpath.com/2015/09/churnalism-is-destroying-classical-music.html)
Erm...I've read all the links here and a few others elsewhere and I still haven't had it explained to me specifically what the problem with Lebrecht is.
Overgrownpath (who I usually have a lot of respect for) talks briefly about "churnalism", but offers no examples from Lebrecht.
I'm actually starting to feel that the onus is on Sokolov to explain his position - at least to try and have others avoid future supposed Lebrecht-isms in their journalism - and that it was actually sloppy and undignified of him not to have offered better explanation to the Awards people. Until he does so I can't join the chorus praising him for his moral high ground.
Can someone please shine some light on this matter for me?
Quote from: SimonNZ on October 01, 2015, 01:51:59 AM
Erm...I've read all the links here and a few others elsewhere and I still haven't had it explained to me specifically what the problem with Lebrecht is.
There are a few articles that go into more detail in this tag (http://www.overgrownpath.com/search/label/norman%20lebrecht). Worth scrolling down as far as you feel like.
Quote from: amw on October 01, 2015, 03:17:13 AM
There are a few articles that go into more detail in this tag (http://www.overgrownpath.com/search/label/norman%20lebrecht). Worth scrolling down as far as you feel like.
In addition, the Overgrown Path link to the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/20/arts/music/20lebr.html) captures a lot of Lebrecht's negative influence. It's about how one of his books was withdrawn and destroyed by the publisher over a chapter filled with misinformation and fiction about Naxos. (In it the Naxos CEO is quoted as saying that Lebrecht interviewed him, but did not take any notes.)
Here is one very choice paragraph:
"Heymann [CEO of Naxos] also said Mr. Lebrecht had falsely accused him of stealing ideas from labels Naxos distributed; incorrectly said he had recorded the conductor Dennis Russell Davies and produced works in Slovenia; invented the detail that a PolyGram executive, seeking to buy a stake in Naxos, flew to Hong Kong with suitcases of cash; and wrongly wrote that performers were listed in small print on the back of CDs. (They are also on the front.) He said Mr. Lebrecht had also confused downloading with streaming, and recording copyrights with music publishing copyrights."
I'm disappointed in Lebrecht's response. I guess not every response is loved by everyone.
Quote from: Todd on October 01, 2015, 07:30:24 AM
I'm disappointed in Lebrecht's response. I guess not every response is loved by everyone.
Todd, is there a link? Please and thank you. :)
Quote from: ChamberNut on October 01, 2015, 08:49:32 AM
Todd, is there a link? Please and thank you. :)
Check Jens' link in response #21.
Norman Lebrecht, Provider of Snackable Content
Quote from: karlhenning on October 01, 2015, 09:58:55 AM
Norman Lebrecht, Provider of Snackable Content
Did you mean
Snackable Contempt? 8)
Snarkable Contempt!
Why does Sokolov refuse to play in the UK?
I mean I know Elgar is played everywhere there, but still.
Quote from: Ken B on October 02, 2015, 05:09:48 AM
Why does Sokolov refuse to play in the UK?
I mean I know Elgar is played everywhere there, but still.
From the comments section of a Slipped Disc post:
QuoteGrigory Sokolov does not 'refuse to play in the UK'. Quite the opposite – he has appeared in many sell-out recitals on the South Bank and at other major concert venues. It was when the so-called 'UK Border Agency' insisted that Sokolov would not be allowed into Britain unless he flew to Moscow (where he is not domiciled) to have his fingerprints taken first, that Sokolov decided he would not be treated as a criminal, and thus refused to cooperate with these jackbooted goons. On a point of law, he is domiciled in Italy, and therefore entitled to present himself at the British Consulate there – with no need to fly to Moscow. In fact he had already lawfully obtained a British Visa from the Consulate in Italy prior to being forced to cancel his RFH concert. Mysteriously the British Consulate in Italy were deemed incompetent in their issue of his visa by the UK Border Authority. Sokolov is quite ready to play in Britain if he can be given a visa at the UK Consulate in Milan or Rome.
This is the same UKBA that once sent the cellist of a string quartet home (but not the other three players) because the quartet's plan to play a free, unpaid performance, for fun, at a private event, constituted "work" and the cellist did not have a work visa.
http://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2010/nov/17/musicians-uk-border-agency-rules
EDIT: There's a gem buried at the bottom of the story, which is that UKBA chastised the event organizers for not first trying to find a British string quartet that was willing to play Taneyev for free.
Bureaucracy, bureaucracy . . . .
Quote from: North Star on October 02, 2015, 05:18:06 AM
From the comments section of a Slipped Disc post:
Wow. Good for him.
Thanks.
Another misleading claim by Lebrecht.