Classical News Bits – Gustavo Dudamel is in his third season with the LA Philharmonic, but results have been mixed. His leadership in the horn section was heard in the impressive account of two John Adams works recently. But in longer more traditional works such as the Berlioz Symphonie fantastique, his readings have been disappointing, and he was accused of leaving the ironic bite out of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. NPR has dropped distribution of Lisa Simeone’s World of Opera to its 60 affiliates because she helped organize a Washington D.C. protest demonstration. Station WDAV in North Carolina, which produces the show, will now distribute it nationally. Vladimi Jurowski has been named artistic director of Russia’s Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra after the firing of Mark Gorenstein for terrible relations with the players and the public. He is busy, being also principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, music director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera and principal artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. And for four years recently he was also principal guest conductor of the Russian National Orchestra.
Philips and TPV Sign Joint Venture – Royal Philips Electronics is expecting to complete a transaction by the end of the 2012 first quarter to give 70% of its stake in a new company withg TPV Technology of Hong Kong. TPV will use the Philips brand name outside of the U.S. for five years, and will pay Philips a royalty based on 2.2% of sales from the second year of the license term.
Clarion Readies First Pandora Head Unit – In December Clarion will have one of the lowest-priced Pandora-controlling auto radios on the market. It works with the Pandora Internet radio app on a USB-connected iPhone. The CZ202 CD receiver also has WMA and MP3 playback, Magna Bass EX sound enhancement, a low-pass filter for adding a subwoofer, a three-band EQ, and ability to interface with factory steering-wheel remote controls with the addition of an accessory. The unit has a 4×45-watt MOSFET amp, 4-channel RCA preamp outputs, detachable control panel and IR remote.
Harman International Industries Report Profit Increases – Net sales for the quarter ending Sept. 30 increased 26% over the same period last year. Net income was $48 million, with all three of the company’s divisions reporting higher sales: infotainment, lifestyle, and professional. Their CEO announced launch of a global marketing campaign featuring some of the world’s most prominent music artists to support their family of brands.
3D TV Viewing Improvements On Tap in UK for 2012 – The Digital Video Broadcast Group in the UK (DVB) says it hopes to make a number of 3D improvements in 2012. They are looking to add Depth Range Control and a way to upgrade from today’s half-HD 3D to Full HD. These are set to appear in the Phase Two 3D TV standard arriving in the UK next year, which has the largest penetration of 3D HDTV sets in the world—larger than in the U.S. The group’s chairman pointed out that younger people like more depth in the images while older consumers prefer flatter images. Improving this might require switching to the same MCV format used in Blu-rays (offering the best 3D quality), which would mean requiring the purchase of compatible TVs and set-top boxes. They are also exploring keeping half-HD 3D quality but implementing extra picture detail thru the use of a second signal.
Wayne Shorter – In Memoriam
Rememberance of the artist
