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Fort Worth Symphony Musicians Authorize Strike

It looks like the negotiations have all but come to a standstill between the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and their musicians' union. According to the latest gossip news updates, the 65 fulltime symphony members balked at signing a contract that would see an 8.4 percent reduction in the wages. Word has it that after a 13.5 percent pay cut 5-years ago, the Symphony members not only demand their pay remain the same in 2016 -- they want to be guaranteed a raise over the next 3 seasons as well.
By Shane Jordan

  • Ches Smith Rings 'The Bell' for Debut Trio on ECM Records (REVIEW)

    Chamber music of the highest order, 'The Bell' (ECM) starts out with exactly that. Recorded in New York City, drummer Ches Smith performs on timpani and vibraphone before he ever even hits the skins. The esoteric, atmospheric 9:29 title tune melts into "Barely Intervallic" where Craig Taborn on piano and Matt Maneri on viola(!) serve as the most laid-back front line you're ever likely to hear. But wait.
    By Mike Greenblatt

  • Rare Beethoven Sketch Leaf of the 'King Stephan Overture' Discovered in Connecticut

    The handwriting of Beethoven can be indentified by its furious and sloppy appearance. Hardly meant for future generations to admire, notation was an inconvenience to Beethoven---a means to capture music as quickly as it came to him. To composers and appraisers like Brendan Ryan, Beethoven's handwriting is, as he put it, "unmistakable", but for homeowners who might not know the value of their basement treasure troves, his handwriting could easily be dismissed as worthless chicken scratch. In the case of a Greenwich, Connecticut homeowner, who had originally hired Ryan to appraise furniture and miscellaneous items, fortune stumbled their way as Ryan unexpectedly glanced upon a Beethoven sketch leaf of the King Stephan Overture (König Stephan) hanging on their wall.
    By Steve Nagel