Hollywood
Russian composer Alexander Zhurbin inks deal with Warner/Chappell Music
MUMBAI: Warner/Chappell Music (WCM), the music publishing arm of Warner Music Group, has signed a global publishing agreement with Russian composer Alexander Zhurbin.
Zhurbin is one of the industry’s most acclaimed and prolific composers, having written four symphonies, four concerti (for piano, violin, cello and viola with orchestra), six operas, and three ballets, as well as more than 40 stage musicals, 60 film and TV scores, and hundreds of popular songs. Effective immediately, Warner/Chappell will administer his works outside of Russia.
“I am happy to write simultaneously all different kinds of music: symphonies for big orchestras, pop songs, string quartets, rock ballets, chamber operas, and film soundtracks. When you turn your brain from one kind of music to another, your view is getting fresher, your ears are hearing better,” said Zhurbin.
“Alexander has built a cherished body of work, as indicated by the fact that it’s been performed by some of the finest ensembles in Russia, Europe, Canada, and the United States. He’s one of today’s most prolific composers and we’re privileged to have him join the Warner/Chappell family,” said Warner/Chappell Music SVP of theatre and catalog development Sean Patrick Flahaven.
Zhurbin’s hit rock-opera, Orpheus and Eurydice, ran for a record-breaking 39 years in Russia and sold over three million albums. His English-language musical, How It Was Done In Odessa, had a sold-out run at the historic Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia. His English-language stage musicals in progress include Used and Abused (based on Dostoevsky), The Seagull (based on Chekhov), children’s opera Good Health, Your Majesty, and rock–opera Orpheus and Eurydice.
Zhurbin is also a published author of seven books, including the recent My History of Music. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Mr. Zhurbin studied music at Tashkent Conservatory, Gnessin Music Academy, and Leningrad Conservatory, earning his PhD.
A major festival, named ’50 Years with the Music of Maestro Alexander Zhurbin’ featuring music Zhurbin composed, will be held in Moscow from October through December, 2015.
It may be recalled that in June 2013, WMG announced the acquisition of Gala Records Group, Russia’s leading independent music company, and subsequently established Warner Music Russia.
Hollywood
Did the ballet and opera controversy cost Timothée Chalamet his Oscar?
The actor’s ‘dying art forms’ comments may have danced away his Oscar chances.
LOS ANGELES: Last night, the 98th Academy Awards delivered a performance that wasn’t in the script, as Michael B. Jordan clinched the Best Actor statue, leaving Timothée Chalamet’s widely predicted win to pirouette away into the night. While Chalamet was long considered the frontrunner for his starring turn in Marty Supreme, many are whispering that a singular, ill-timed performance, not on screen but on the campaign trail, may have rewritten the finale.
For months, the narrative surrounding the race had a singular star, Chalamet, the critics’ darling and the bookies’ bet. However, the closing numbers saw a dramatic plot twist. Chalamet found himself upstaged not just by his fellow nominees but by the ghost of public opinion, following remarks he made during a Variety and CNN actor-on-actor conversation in February.
What started as a breezy discussion turned distinctly frosty when Chalamet, the conversation’s designated trendsetter, took aim at some classical institutions. “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, where no one is interested anymore,” he said, before branding them “dying art forms.”
The backlash was swift and, unfortunately for Chalamet’s campaign, star-studded. For the film industry, an establishment that often fancies itself as the glamorous custodian of the high arts, the actor’s comments didn’t just strike a bum note. They sounded like a discordant symphony. Academy heavyweights, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg, publicly voiced their disapproval. Spielberg himself countered that the “cinematic experience” and classical performance are bound by a similar dedication to audience engagement, effectively suggesting that Chalamet’s view was perhaps a bit too modern for its own good.
The conversation quickly became a media maelstrom. In a masterstroke of high-culture clapback, renowned ballerina Misty Copeland didn’t just issue a statement. The Academy even choreographed a surprise performance by her for the ceremony itself, a powerful, wordless rebuttal that many saw as a direct riposte to Chalamet’s dismissive claims. Even regional arts institutions joined the choreography. The Seattle Opera offered a cheeky “TIMOTHEE” discount, granting a 14 percent markdown to prove that people do, in fact, care.
Did this cultural counterpoint truly cost Chalamet his win? While some industry insiders argue that Michael B. Jordan’s complex dual performance in Sinners, a performance that also swept the SAG Awards, had simply built up too much momentum, the timing of Chalamet’s comments was undeniably poor. Coming as final Oscar voting began, they arguably soured his narrative and made a vote for him feel, to some, like a vote against artistic unity.
Even the ceremony itself wasn’t finished with the narrative. Host Conan O’Brien, whose sharp tongue is a celebrated feature of these galas, didn’t miss a beat. “Security is extremely tight tonight,” O’Brien jibed during his opening monologue, glancing toward the front row. “I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities. They’re just mad you left out jazz!”
The laughter that followed was pointed, a final public curtain call for a controversy that Chalamet likely wished had closed weeks ago. Whether it was a case of genuine peer disapproval, a sudden surge in support for Jordan’s powerhouse performance, or simply a case of poor footwork on the campaign stage, the ballet and opera debacle has now cemented its place in Oscar history. Chalamet’s experience serves as a clear memo to future contenders. Even when you are the headline act, a solo performance can still fall flat if you forget to play to the entire house.
