It is rather rare that we ever hear anything about the private lives of classical musicians who must lead – according to the media at least – if not exemplary at least rather boring lives.

That has changed this week with two international conductors performing center stage… of a different kind, that is. We just learned that the famous pianist and conductor Mikhaïl Pletnev has been charged with raping a 14-year-old boy in a Thai beach town. He was released on a $9,000 bail but must report to the court every 12 days and could face up to 20 years in jail and a fine of up to $1,200 if found guilty. The Canadian Press article…

Meanwhile, in Munich, Music Director for the Bavarian State Opera Kent Nagano will not extend his contract as a result of internal strife, the American conductor announced on Tuesday.  “Because of cultural policy developments in the last months in Munich – at the State Theater at Gärtnerplatz and at the Munich Philharmonic – and their results, I have decided not to be available for a contract extension as Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera after the summer of 2013,” he said in a statement. This may play a role in his negociations with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. A story to follow… An article from The Local.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 at 9:08 pm and is filed under In the news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.