Pre-Bastille miscellany

Charles Downey at ionarts brings attention to Jonathan Harvey's Speakings and Tristan Murail's Les sept paroles, streaming at France Musique until July 24. Both works strike me as major statements.... Why is Kent Nagano leaving Munich in 2013? Jens Laurson has the goods.... Over at NewMusicBox, Molly Sheridan interviews Augusta Read Thomas, whose recent Jubilee is an electric, joyous piece.... The Minnesota Orchestra has announced participants for its next Composer Institute: Taylor Brizendine, Wang Jie, Polina Nazaykinskaya, Clint Needham, Ben Phelps, Narong Prangcharoen, and David Weaver.... Tomorrow night at Trinity Church on Wall Street, James Blachly will conduct his Sheep Island Ensemble in a benefit performance of Mahler's Fourth, with proceeds going to All Souls Music Camp in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.... The Mizzou New Music Summer Festival is under way in Columbia MO, with Alarm Will Sound in residence. Sunday's concert will feature world premieres by eight resident composers: Francisco Cortés-Álvarez, Christopher Dietz, Paul Dooley, Moon Young Ha, Edie Hill, Amy Beth Kirsten, Jeremy Podgursky, and Zhou Juan.... David Schiff on Gergiev's Stravinsky.... A lead editorial in the Guardian in praise of Bernstein's Mass.... I've linked many times to Tim Mangan's blog on this site, and I am very sad to see that the Orange County Register has chosen to discontinue it. Fortunately, Tim plans to start blogging elsewhere.