Fabio Luisi - music director at the Metropolitan Opera

'Fabio Luisi - guest no longer at Metropolitan' - New York Times wrote in September. And on November 4^th, an additional confirmation appears in the same newspaper: 'James Levine is withdrawing again from the Metropolitan Opera productions'. This summer, the well known conductor James Levine, has suffered an accident necessitating surgery, from which he is recovering, as can be seen, with great difficulty. Fabio Luisi, a guest conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, was appointed principal conductor on September 6^th, 2011, and even more than that, as New York observed: 'Franco Luisi is the music director of the Metropolitan Opera in all but name'. James Levine announced in the beginning of November, that he will no longer conduct the four dramas The Ring of the Nibelungs, scheduled for opening at the Met in April and May 2012, his role having been taken over by Fabio Luisi. Even if he is already a know figure in today's interpretative context, together with this commitment, Fabio Luisi becomes one of the most important names on today's stage. The Italian started his career as a conductor in the German environment: in 2004 he was named conductor of both the Dresden Staatskapelle and the Semperoper, with a contract due to expire in 2012. However, Luisi regisgned in 2010 as a result of a scandal. Luisi accused the opera management that he was not consultedthe moment the institusion signed a contract with the ZDF network for the broadcast of the concert on New Year's Eve with Christian Thielemann as a conductor, a concert you will also have the opportunity of listening to on Radio România Muzical on December 31st, 2011. Starting 2012, Fabio Luisi begins his position as Generalmusikdirektor of the Zurich Opera. How this will allign with his role as a principal director of the Metropolitan Opera in NewYouk, will remain to be seen.

Russia Legends in Cincinnati

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, renowned soloists and conductors will rejoin the Russian Festival in November, event that will take place in Cincinnati, USA. During its two weeks, the event will showcase concerts with programs which reflect Russia's impressive musical legacy. As part of the Masterworks Series, guided by the creative director Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, five concerts which include pieces by Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky will be held. The first program dubbed 'Legends' includes three concerts performed on November 11^th, 12^th and 13^th. It features Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2, performed by the pianist Terrence Wilson and Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade performed by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mei-Ann Chen. Two other concerts will complete the series of events dedicated to the Russian music. The series named 'Voices' features two masterpieces: Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1 and cantata Alexander Nevsky by Prokofiev under the baton of the conductor Pinchas Steinberg on November 17^th and 19^th.

A new project brought to us by the Manchester Camerata

The Manchester Camerata is promoting a new way of listening to concerts. The audience is encouraged to bring their cell phones and cameras to a new series of concerts named UpClose.The events will be held in unconventional places, in an intimate environment where the audience mingles with the musicians, and unwinds with a drink; they are also invited to record the performance and take interviews. Pictures and recordings will be posted on the Orchestra's website. These events also mirror collaboration with guitarist John Hyat, specialized in world music. The first concert of the Up Close series was performed on November 8^th, 2011, at the Anthony Burges Foundation, with performances which included pieces by Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff and Brahms. The Manchester Camerata presents its audience with three classical concerts in November: Mozart interpreted by Nicola Benedetti on November 12^that Royal Hall, Mozart reinterpreted on November 17^that the Coronation Hall in Ulverston and Portrait of an Italian on November 18^that the Royal Northern College of MusicConcert Hall.