ISCM in Bucharest

The ISCM Romanian section will host a World Music Day on 26 September at the Auditorium Hall. Pro Contemporania, conductor Iurie Florea, will perform Illusion of time by Walter Schraeyen (Belgium), Intimacy by Vladimir Scolnic (Israel), Aksak by Theo Loevendie (Netherlands), A la recherche by Jean-Luc Darbellay (Switzerland), L'arrivee a Cythere by Thomas Beimel (Germany) and Terra incognita by Gabriel Valverde (Argentina).

Welsh National Opera tour

In Cardiff during October Welsh National Opera will perform Poulenc's The Carmelites (2, 7, 20), Mozart's Don Giovanni (12, 16, 22), and Verdi's Rigoletto (21, 23). Thereafter they tour these operas to Southampton (26-30 October), Bristol (2-6 November), Belfast (9-13 November), Birmingham (16-20 November), Liverpool (23-27 November), and Oxford (7-11 December). Info www.wno.org.uk. 

Danielpour Première

The illustrious Guaneri String Quartet, which has a residency at the University of Maryland, is to première a Concerto for string quartet and orchestra by Richard Danielpour with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin at Washington's Kennedy Center on 13,14,and 15 January 2000 then in New York at Carnegie Hall on 25 January.

and previously published news ...

Scotland's Youth

Scotland shortly hosts two youth orchestra festivals: the Edinburgh Festival of British Youth Orchestras and the Glasgow Festival of British Youth Orchestras, running concurrently 16 August to 5 September. Thirty orchestras are involved embracing a highly diverse range of music from Mahler Symphony 5 (Hertfordshire County Youth Orchestra) to a commissioned The Duegar's Revelry from our contributor Patric Standford (Yorkshire Youth Orchestra).

Info from admin@nayo.org.uk

Berliner Mahler-Fest

The complete works of Mahler will be performed at the Berliner Mahler-Fest, throughout September. Info: www.berlinerfestspiele.de .

Soile Isokoski at Symphony Hall

The opening concert of Birmingham's Symphony Hall season is a visit of the Bavarian State Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta on 7 September in an all Richard Strauss programme. Soile Isokoski will sing the Last Four Songs between Don Juan and An Alpine Symphony. Other visiting orchestras include the Bournemouth Symphony (25 Sept), the Russian State Philharmonic (30 Sept), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (6 Oct), Leipzig Gewandhaus (14 Oct), Slovenian Philharmonic (16 Oct), and Czech Philharmonic (17 Oct).

International Penderecki Competition

The International Krzysztof Penderecki Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music will be held in Kraków, Poland, 14-17 September. Info: sks@friko3.onet.pl or +48 12 412 7540.

Rootham Première

The Broadheath Singers' annual concert will feature the world première of Cyril Rootham's The Lady of Shalott, Edgar Bainton's The Blessed Damosel, La belle dame sans merci by Armstrong Gibbs and the Elegy In memoriam William Morris by Gustav Holst. 18 September, 8pm at Eton College School Hall, Eton, Berkshire, UK. Info from conductor Robert Tucker on +44 (0)171 638 0672.

Master Singers

The following Britten-Pears School Masterclasses at Aldeburgh, UK this autumn are open to the public: Elisabeth Söderström (Sibelius and Richard Strauss) 18-26 September (concert on 27 September); Nelly Miricioiu (Italian opera) 30 September-8 October (concert on 9 October); Thomas Allen (Mozart and Britten) 13-20 October (concert on 21 October); Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Ian Partridge (Bach) 23 October - 1 November (concert on 2 November). Email: enquiries@aldeburghfestivals.org.

What Next?

The Berlin premiere of Elliot Carter's one act comic opera What Next? is at the Deutsche Staatsoper Unter den Linden, 16 September 1999. With text by Paul Griffiths (after Jacques Tati's film Traffic), What Next? is conducted by Daniel Barenboim and directed by Nicolas Brieger, with decor by Gisbert Jaekel. There are further performances on 18, 22 and 25 September, and on 25 and 31 March 2000.

Even jazz

'Jazz on the level' will be a series at St David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales on Tuesdays at 8.30: Peter King Quartet, 21 Sept; Rickey Woodard Quartet, 12 Oct; Just East of Jazz, 30 Nov; John Etheridge's Sweet Chorus, 25 Jan; Tony Coe Trio, 15 Feb; Marlene Verplank and her Musicians, 7 March. Box Office: +44 (0)1222 878444.

RFH Classics International

Looking forward to London's Royal Festival Hall's Classic International Series starting in September, a procession of great orchestras of Europe and one American will dazzle the musical scene on the South Bank. Leading off with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam on 22 September under Riccardo Chailly, there follows in date order the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, Milan directed by Riccardo Muti (4 October), Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Claudio Abbado (11 October), Pierre Boulez directing the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (22 October), the Orchestra and Chorus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome conducted by Myung Whun Chung (21 and 22 November), the Vienna Philharmonic again with Seiji Ozawa (15 March), and the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch (19 May).

La Guitarra California

Tickets are now on sale for La Guitarra California (24-26 September 1999 on the campus of Cuesta College, scenic Highway 1, north west of San Luis Obispo, California) from +1 805 546 3131. Info: La Guitarra California website.

Moonbird

Gerard Schurmann's song-cycles, Chuench'i (translations of Chinese poems by Arthur Waley), and Six Songs of William Blake, together with Nine Slovak Folk Songs are due to be performed in Manchester on September 25, to be followed by recordings for commercial CD on September 27 and 28 by Alison Wells (soprano) and Martyn Hill (tenor), with Keith Swallow (piano). In addition, Moonbird for solo recorder will be given its first performance at the concert on September 25 by John Turner. Info: www.gerard-schurmann.com

Music to move you

'Music to move you' is an eight-concert season announced for the St David's Hall as the National Concert Hall of Wales from September through to May 2000. Apart from top ranking British orchestras and conductors there will be visits by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra.

Judith Lang Zaimont

Forthcoming U.S. performances of the music of Judith Lang Zaimont include the world première of her Piano Sonata on November 14, 1999 at Washington D.C.'s Phillips Gallery by Bradford Gowen.

Internationally, the Duo Pianistico Firenze's southern European tour will feature Zaimont's Snazzy Sonata - An Entertainment for Two for piano, 4 hands; a presentation of her new Parallel Play for saxophone quartet will be given at the International Festival 'Donne in Musica' in Italy in September. Info: http://www.joblink.org/jzaimont 

New dance

The Baldwin Dance Company will present 'Julius Tomb' - one of three works choreographed by Baldwin - as part of a UK national tour this autumn: Corn Exchange, Newbury (1 Oct); University College, Swansea (7 Oct); The Gantry, Southampton, (9 Oct); Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank (23 Oct); Wimbledon Theatre (27 Oct); Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh.(6 Nov).

Finnissy at Ultima

Metier has produced three CDs of music by the English composer Michael Finnissy: string quartets, the composer playing Folklore, and Voces Sacrae singing Seven Sacred Motets. The NMC label has also produced a CD with major chamber works, so Finnissy's music is receiving growing attention. The composer appears as pianist at Norway's Ultima Festival in Oslo on 9 October playing part of his The History of Photography in Sound.

Beethoven cycle

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will give a Beethoven symphony cycle at the Royal Festival Hall in London commencing October 14 with conductor Sir Roger Norrington. Info: +44 (0)171 960 4242.

A Tale of Three Cities

An international conference is to be held at London University's Senate House, 22-24 October 1999. Entitled, A Tale of Three Cities: Janácek's Brno Between Vienna and Prague, the aim of the conference is to re-assess the self-image of Brno and Moravia between (roughly) 1850 and 1930, using Janácek as a focus. Info from Royal Holloway College.

Uncommon Artistry

The Plymouth Music Series in Minneapolis has announced its 1999-2000 season, called 'Uncommon Artistry'. The Gershwin (George and Ira) musical Of Thee I Sing will be performed on 2 October in Orchestra Hall; Handel's Solomon in Bethel College on 30 October; Witness will be partially African American with a song cycle from John Williams and Dream N. the Hood, a rap symphony by Gregory T.S.Walker to be programmed in Orchestra Hall on 19 Feb; The Kings Singers will present Aha! Cappella at Wooddale Church on 7 April; Czech composer Jan Jiraseks reworking of Bach's St Luke's Passion will be sung on 12 May at the Ted Mann Concert Hall. Info: +1 612 624 2345.

Steel and Gold

'Steel and Gold' is the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's title for a forthcoming Rachmaninov retrospective. Over October and November, five concerts will contain the three symphonies, Symphonic Dances, and a concert version of his opera The Miserly Knight, as well as works by contemporaries. A series booking will also include a free celebrity concert with Artur Pizarro. Info: bbcso@bbc.co.uk

Biped

A European tour by the Merce Cunningham Dance Company will bring Biped, a new work to a commissioned score by Gavin Bryars to Paris for a season 9-20 November. The work explores a new animation technology of motion capture.

St Ceciliatide International Festival

The 5th St Ceciliatide International Festival of Music takes place at Stationers' Hall in the City of London 20-28 November. American musicologist Joshua Rifkin and the Bach Ensemble play Bach concertos and the Ouverture in D (minus the oboes, trumpets and drums it later acquired) 24 Nov. Fiori Musicale present Vivaldi's Seasons on 20 & 21 November with new music by Geoffrey Burgon reflecting on the Vivaldi work and interweaving with it. Chapelle du Roi sing Guerrero's Vespers for St Ceciliatide on 22 Nov, and the Finnish Yggdrasil Quartet mark the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death on 25 November with pianist Fumiko Shiraga playing new chamber arrangements of Chopin's two piano concertos. The Lindsay Quartet plays Beethoven on the 26th and Fiori Musicale reappear on 27 and 28 November with James Bowman presenting two choral works by Zelenka and Bach Cantata 54 (Widerstehe doch der Sunde). Info: www.st-ceciliatide.com.

Galliard Ensemble

The Galliard Ensemble Wind Quintet will play in London's Purcell Room as part of 'Fresh Young Artists Platform' on 7 December, 7.30pm. The ensemble will give the world première of a work written for them - Paul Patterson's Westerley Winds, the European première of Philip Bimstein's Casino for quintet and tape, and music by Berio, Briccialid, Pärt and Tinoco. Info: www.sbc.org.uk. Tickets GBP 10 (GBP 8, concessions) from boxoffice@rfh.org.uk or phone +44 (0)171 960 4242.

Millennium Pilgrimage

From 25 December 1999 to 1 January 2001, The Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists and John Eliot Gardiner will perform all 200 of Bach's surviving church cantatas, each on the precise liturgical date for which it was written, in abbeys, cathedrals and churches throughout Europe. The project will cost more than 5 million UK pounds (approx. 7.5 million US dollars), and will involve Gardiner in 150 air flights. Deutsche Grammophon will record the concerts, and many will be televised.