2013 in classical music

Events

• January 10 – Richard Dare resigns as president of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, following reports of a prior accusation of a sexual offense in 1996 and of exaggerations of his business accomplishments.
• January 16 – The Houston Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Andrés Orozco-Estrada as its next music director, effective with the 2014–2015 season, with an initial contract of 5 years.
• February 18 – The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Edward Gardner as its next principal conductor, effective with the 2015–2016 season.
• March 18 – The Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Stefan Solyom as its next chief conductor, as of the 2014–2015 season.
• April 25 – Santa Fe Opera announces the appointment of Harry Bicket as its next chief conductor, effective 1 October 2013.
• May 19 – James Levine conducts his first concert after an absence of two years, with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
• June 22 – American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton wins the "Song Prize" at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition.
• July 1 – Jaime Martín formally becomes principal conductor of the Gävle Symphony Orchestra.
• August 20 – The Colorado Symphony Orchestra elevates Andrew Litton from its music advisor to Music Director, with immediate effect.
• September 7 – American orchestral conductor Marin Alsop becomes the first woman to conduct the Last Night of The Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
• November 29 – The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announces that Bramwell Tovey is to conclude his tenure as VSO music director after the 2017–2018 season.
• December 10 – La Scala announced the appointment of Riccardo Chailly as its next music director, effective 1 January 2017 through 31 December 2022.

New works

The following composers' works were composed, premiered, or published this year, as noted in the citation.

A

• Hans Abrahamsen – Let Me Tell You, for soprano and orchestra

• Mark Adamo – Aristotle

• John Adams – Saxophone Concerto

• Thomas Ades – Totentanz

B

• Matej Bonin – Mouvements

C

• Benet Casablancas
• Tres Interludios, for orchestra
• Obertura Festiva, for orchestra

D

• Bryce Dessner – Murder Ballads

E

• Brian Elias – Once Did I Breathe Another's Breath

F

• Lorenzo Ferrero – Venice 1976 (A Parody), for flute, clarinet, violin, violoncello, and piano

• Francesco Filidei
• Ballata No. 3, for piano and ensemble
• Due Trascrizioni da Merula e Trabaci, for string quartet
• Poemetto, for ensemble
• Silence = Death (Democracy), for 4 percussionists

• Graham Fitkin – Panufnik Variations

• Cheryl Frances-Hoad – Katharsis

• Gabriela Lena Frank – Karnavalito No. 1

G

• Philip Glass
• String Quartet No. 6
• Two Movements for Four Pianos

• Edward Gregson – Aztec Dances (concerto for flute and ensemble) (2010)

• Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen – Together or Not

H

• David Philip Hefti – Éclairs

I

J

K

• Wojciech Kilar – A prayer to St. Therese the Little Flower, for mixed choir a cappella

L

M

• Missy Mazzoli – Heartbreaker

N

O

P

Q

R

• Steve Reich – Radio Rewrite

• Christopher Rouse
• Symphony No. 4
• Thunderstuck

• Poul Ruders
• String Quartet No. 4 (2012)
• Schrödinger's Cat (2012)

S

• Aulis Sallinen – Five Portraits of Women, Op. 100

T

• Mark-Anthony Turnage – Speranza

U

V

• Ian Venables – The Song of The Severn, Op. 43

• Param Vir – Cave of Luminous Mind

W

• Judith Weir – Blue-Green Hill (2013)

X

Y

Z

Opera

• Gerald Barry – The Importance of Being Earnest: premiere staged performance, 17 March 2013, Opéra national de Lorraine, Nancy

• Terence Blanchard – Champion

• Raymond Deane – The Alma Fetish (2012), concert performance, Dublin, National Concert Hall, 17 September 2013

• Ivan Fischer – The Red Heifer

• Philip Glass – The Perfect American

• André Tchaikowsky – premiere of The Merchant of Venice at the Bregenz Festival, 18 July (opera written 1968–82)

• Å imon Voseček – Biedermann und die Brandstifter

Albums

• Plácido Domingo – Verdi
• Ludovico Einaudi – In a Time Lapse
• Howard Goodall – Inspired
• Tine Thing Helseth – Tine

Musical films

• A Late Quartet

Deaths

• January 10 – Franz Lehrndorfer, German organist and composer, 84
• February 3 – Oscar Feltsman, Russian composer, 91
• February 8 – James DePreist, US conductor, 76
• February 15 – Antonín Kohout, Czech cellist, member of the Smetana Quartet, 93
• February 22 – Wolfgang Sawallisch, German conductor and pianist, 89
• February 27 – Van Cliburn, US pianist, 78
• February 28
• William Bennett, American oboist (San Francisco Symphony), 56 (cerebral hemorrhage)
• Armando Trovajoli, Italian film composer and pianist, 95
• March 1 – Rafael Puyana, Colombian harpsichordist, 81
• March 9 – Tengiz Amirejibi, Georgian pianist. 89
• March 21 – Jean-Michel Damase, French composer, pianist, and teacher, 85
• April 4 – Tommy Tycho, Hungarian-born Australian composer, arranger and orchestra conductor, 84
• April 10 – Thomas Hemsley, English opera singer, 85
• April 13 – Stephen Dodgson, composer, 89
• April 14 – Sir Colin Davis, British conductor, 85
• April 15 – Jean-François Paillard, French classical conductor, 85
• April 22 – Lalgudi Jayaraman, Indian violinist, 82
• April 25 – Jacob Avshalomov, Chinese-born American conductor and composer, 94
• May 6 – Steve Martland, British composer, 53
• May 8 – Delia Rigal, Argentine operatic soprano, 92
• May 9 – Michael Earl, British opera and ballet actor, 84
• May 15 – Albert Lance, Australian-born French opera singer, 87
• May 17 – Harold Shapero, American composer and pianist, 93
• May 20 – Anders Eliasson, Swedish composer, 66
• May 22 – Henri Dutilleux, French composer, 97
• June 1 – Paul Olefsky, US cellist (Philadelphia Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra), 87
• June 2
• Mario Bernardi, Canadian conductor and pianist, 82
• Keith Wilson, US classical musician, teacher and conductor, 96
• June 3 – Arnold Eidus, US violinist, 90
• June 9 – Bruno Bartoletti, Italian conductor, 86
• June 16 – Richard Marlow, English organist and choral director, 74
• June 27 – Henrik Otto Donner, Finnish composer and music industry executive, 73
• August 1
• John Amis, British broadcaster, classical music critic and opera singer, 91
• Toby Saks, American cellist, founder of the Seattle Chamber Music Society, 71 (pancreatic cancer)
• August 11 – Lamberto Puggelli, Italian stage and opera director, 75
• September 4 – Dick Raaymakers, Dutch composer, theater maker and theorist, 83
• September 13 – Peter Aston, English composer, 74
• September 16 – Ratiba El-Hefny, Egyptian opera singer and director of Cairo Opera House, 82
• September 25 – Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, German choral conductor, 84
• October 7 – Patrice Chéreau, French film and opera director, 68
• October 19 – Mahmoud Zoufonoun, Iranian traditional musician, 93
• October 21 – Gianni Ferrio, Italian composer, conductor and music arranger, 88
• October 29 – Rudolf Kehrer, German classical pianist, 90
• November 8 – Arnold Rosner, American composer, 68
• November 12 – Sir John Tavener, English composer of religious music, 69
• December 4 – Robert Allman, Australian operatic baritone, 86
• December 6 – Tom Krause, Finnish opera singer, 79
• December 8
• Hung Sin-nui, Chinese Cantonese opera singer and actress, 88
• Sándor Szokolay, Hungarian composer and professor, 82
• Edward Williams, English composer, 92 (Life on Earth).
• December 9 – Barbara Hesse-Bukowska, 83, Polish classical pianist, 83
• December 12 – Zbigniew Karkowski, Polish composer, 55
• December 19 – Winton Dean, English musicologist, 97
• December 21 – Lars Edlund, Swedish organist and composer, 91
• December 29 – Wojciech Kilar, Polish composer, 81

Major awards

Classical Brits

• International Artist of the Year – Lang Lang
• Breakthrough Artist of the Year – Amy Dickson
• Composer – Hans Zimmer
• Female Artist – Nicola Benedetti
• Male Artist – Daniel Barenboim
• Critics' Award – Jonas Kaufmann
• Album of the Year – André Rieu, Magic of the Movies

Grammy Awards

• Best Orchestral Performance: "Adams: Harmonielehre & Short Ride In A Fast Machine" – Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
• Best Opera Recording: "Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen" – James Levine & Fabio Luisi, conductors; Hans-Peter König, Jay Hunter Morris, Bryn Terfel & Deborah Voigt; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
• Best Choral Performance: "Life & Breath – Choral Works By René Clausen" – Charles Bruffy, conductor (Matthew Gladden, Lindsey Lang, Rebecca Lloyd, Sarah Tannehill & Pamela Williamson; Kansas City Chorale)
• Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: "Meanwhile" – Eighth Blackbird
• Best Classical Instrumental Solo – "Kurtág & Ligeti: Music For Viola" – Kim Kashkashian
• Best Classical Vocal Solo: "Poèmes" – Renée Fleming (Alan Gilbert & Seiji Ozawa; Orchestre National De France & Orchestre Philharmonique De Radio France)
• Best Classical Compendium: Penderecki: Fonogrammi; Horn Concerto; Partita; The Awakening Of Jacob; Anaklasis – Antoni Wit, conductor; Aleksandra Nagórko & Andrzej Sasin, producers
• Best Classical Contemporary Composition: "Meanwhile – Incidental Music To Imaginary Puppet Plays" – Stephen Hartke, composer

Other national awards

• Spanish National Music Prize: Award for Composition: "Darkness visible – Nocturne for Orchestra after Milton/Pessoa" – Benet Casablancas, composer

References