Portal:Music/Music news/April 2007

April:

• April 27: The Russian cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich has died at the age of 80. He is widely considered to have been one of the greatest cellists of the twentieth century, with composers such as Prokofiev, Britten, Bernstein, Khachaturian and Piazzolla writing music especially for him. Furthermore, his impromptu performance during the fall of the Berlin Wall earned him international fame.[1]
• April 20: American jazz pianist and composer Andrew Hill has died at the age of 75.[2]
• April 16: Singer Bryan Ferry has apologised after praising Nazi party iconography in an interview.[3]
• April 15: An opera company is giving performances in a Brooklyn bar. [4]
• April 15: Recent rule changes to how Pulitzer prizes are given out means that more non-classical compositions may win the prize. Since 1943, when an award for America's best music was first introduced, the number of classical compositions winning the prize has been overwhelming, with other American music such as Jazz neglected. A study in 2004 by the Pulitzer board has pushed for the need to encourage more diverse entrants. [5]