por AdminTyBarts | Sep 19, 2025 | News
Boris Giltburg delivered yet another extraordinary performance to open the Essen Philharmonic’s season. The audience responded with overwhelming enthusiasm and Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung gave a glowing review:
“Boris Giltburg showed no trace of strain [notwithstanding the immense technical challenges for the soloist], sitting calm and composed at the Steinway – hands flying – and, to the delight of the audience (two encores!), managed to combine the sensitivity of touch with pianistic bravura and elemental percussive force.”
Giltburg’s exquisite blend of precision, expression, and virtuosity set a high standard for the season ahead, confirming his status as one of today’s most thrilling pianists.
por AdminTyBarts | Ago 26, 2025 | News
Elmar Lampson’s new opera Wellen, based on Eduard von Keyserling’s 1911 novel, has received outstanding praise following its world premiere at Theater Bremen in May. In a major review for leading opera magazine Opernwelt, critic Volker Tarnow writes that “Elmar Lampson delivers an opera that defies contemporary triviality.” From the “intricate, harmonically dense overture” that evokes a sense of elemental threat, to “delicate textures—fragile echoes of a long-lost Romantic era,” Wellen offers a musically and emotionally charged portrait of a fading world. Lampson draws “striking motifs from the prosody and speech melody of short phrases,” weaving them into a “vibrant, polystylistic score” that reimagines traditional elements like the pentatonic scale with striking originality. As Tarnow concludes: “This piece will undoubtedly ripple through many opera houses.”
Critics have responded enthusiastically to the musical language of Wellen. Andreas Schnell of Kreiszeitung praised the “iridescent score,” while Wolfgang Denker in Der Opernfreund spoke of “passages of unearthly beauty.” Christine Gorny (Bremen Zwei) observed that “Elmar Lampson’s music remains constantly in flow, carrying the action forward.” Ute Schalz-Laurenze in Neue Musikzeitung emphasized the score’s expressive range: “Lampson’s music holds nothing back: it moves between wild and tender, between major and minor, with numerous pentatonic touches and hugely demanding ensemble sections. . . . it repeatedly manages to create completely unexpected constellations and confrontations. The percussion formations positioned on both sides of the stage are thrilling.”
Jürgen Gahre from Opera UK also gave a glowing review, praising the captivating music “that is as poetic as it is exciting”, with music that is “in constant motion and shimmers in many colours” and “Orchestral interludes … [that] provide a deep insight into people’s psyches…” Gahre similarly ends inviting “other companies … [to] take up this rich and rewarding opera”.
One can only hope that other opera houses will follow suit and take up this rich and rewarding work, letting its waves travel far beyond Bremen.
por AdminTyBarts | May 26, 2025 | News
Artist manager and CM subscriber Thomas Yaksic Beckdorf offers his view on the existential threat declining music education in the UK presents to the pipeline of future musicians – and their audiences
At a time when orchestras are struggling financially and music education in state schools has been in steady decline, it is remarkable that the UK still boasts several outstanding orchestras and extraordinary musicians. Credit must be given to the dedicated management teams and musicians who have fought to keep these institutions alive. But let’s not be blind to reality – we are still reaping the benefits of a system that no longer exists.
Many of the British musicians who perform in our orchestras today developed their talent under an educational system that once nurtured music in state schools. While world-class conservatoires such as the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music continue to attract local talent, the reality is that without good music education in state schools, only those who have attended private schools with strong music programs will have a real chance of applying. The numbers already reflect this shift – conservatoires are now seeing a higher proportion of applicants from private schools than in previous generations.
If the concern were merely for the dearth of classical musicians, one might rest assured that, as in other sectors of the economy, the UK could import talent, so that a lack of local artists would not preclude the existence of local orchestras. Some countries are well-positioned for this, investing heavily in music education, ensuring a steady pipeline of world-class performers. Take China, for example, which is home to over 80 professional orchestras, and sees millions of children study music from a young age.
The real concern is the dearth of creative talent altogether. We should remember that classical music education is central to developing other brilliant music genres and crossover styles, and that many popular artists, like Elton John, were trained in classical music.
This brings us, moreover, to the issue of education and taste. If children and young people aren’t exposed to classical music, they won’t develop an appreciation for it. And if future generations don’t value classical music, there will be no audiences, no policymakers advocating for its survival, and no sponsors willing to invest in it.
Furthermore, we don’t study music solely because we want to be musicians, much the same way as we don’t study maths to be mathematicians. Music and music education foster valuable skills including cognitive development, emotional expression, cultural awareness, social skills, discipline, creativity, well-being, and lifelong opportunities.
Having lived in London for almost four years, I have noticed a stark absence of classical music outside the bubble of concert halls and festivals. I almost never hear classical music in pubs, parks, or public spaces. Yet classical music has long been part of Britain’s cultural capital, producing legendary composers, musicians – and audiences.
We need cities that breathe music – much like Vienna or Munich, where classical music is part of everyday life. Last year, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) performed over 25 concerts in public spaces of the city in one week, including on trams, where principal conductor Kazuki Yamada played the keyboard for passengers. These initiatives break classical music out of its traditional bubble, making it accessible, pedestrian – and relevant.
We need more of these ideas. Perhaps pubs could make use of their old upright pianos for intimate recitals; players could visit schools to inspire the next generation; home concerts could make a comeback, just as they were once central to British musical life; communities could dust off old instruments from attics and donate them to schools; shops could play classical music, reintroducing it into the urban soundscape.
Classical music belongs to everyone, and if we are serious about its survival, we must embed it back into our daily lives. We need more classical music. Before it’s too late.
Thomas Yaksic Beckdorf (pictured above, © Ignacio Sanhueza) Artist manager and CM subscriber Thomas Yaksic Beckdorf offers his view on the existential threat declining music education int he UK presents to the pipeline of future musicians – and their audiencesis a lawyer with a background in music studies and an MSc in Social Anthropology from LSE, who developed his career as artistic manager, producer and casting director in opera theatres in Chile and Brazil. He has acted as jury member of international music competitions, and has been invited as guest speaker, appeared in the media and written columns to discuss artistic programming, arts education, and sustainable management of performing arts institutions. He founded TYB Arts in 2023.
por AdminTyBarts | May 19, 2025 | News
Boris Giltburg has been honoured with the German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik), the most prestigious recording prize in Germany for classical music.
This award, presented by the Association of German Record Critics, adds to the exceptional acclaim Giltburg has received for his complete Rachmaninov recordings on the Naxos label.
por AdminTyBarts | May 13, 2025 | News
TYB Arts was invited by the Abu Dhabi Festival to produce a ballet gala as part of its prestigious annual festival.
On April 22, 2025, TYB Arts presented an extraordinary evening of ballet at the NYU Abu Dhabi Theatre, featuring principal dancers from some of the world’s most renowned ballet companies. The carefully curated program celebrated the rich tradition of ballet, showcasing works from the classical, romantic, and contemporary repertoire.
The exceptional cast included:
- Léonore Baulac and Mathieu Ganio, Étoiles from the Paris Opera Ballet
- Elisa Badenes and Martí Paixà, Principals of the Stuttgart Ballet
- Emma Hawes and Aitor Arrieta, Lead Principals of English National Ballet
- Madison Young and Jinhao Zhang, Principals of the Bayerisches Staatsballett
Thomas Yaksic Beckdorf, Managing Director of TYB Arts, commented in Aletihad newspaper: “The city is a meeting point for people from all over the world, bringing together audiences with varied artistic sensibilities and deep appreciation for global cultures. This diversity elevates the experience, making the performance not only a display of extraordinary talent but also a celebration of dance as a universal language that transcends borders.”
