French conductor aims to brings Western music to China

Acclaimed Russian conductor Mikhail Pletnev appeared in court Monday in Thailand where he has been charged with raping a teenage boy.Pletnev, artistic director of the Russian National Orchestra, returned to Thailand over the weekend after being allowed to leave the country temporarily to attend a music festival in Macedonia."I have always stated that I will assist the police in every way I can with their enquiries into the allegations that have been made against me," Pletnev said in a statement to media outside the court in the resort town of Pattaya.

Acclaimed Russian conductor Mikhail Pletnev appeared in court Monday in Thailand where he has been charged with raping a teenage boy.Pletnev, artistic director of the Russian National Orchestra, returned to Thailand over the weekend after being allowed to leave the country temporarily to attend a music festival in Macedonia."I have always stated that I will assist the police in every way I can with their enquiries into the allegations that have been made against me," Pletnev said in a statement to media outside the court in the resort town of Pattaya.

Acclaimed Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa, who is suffering from cancer, has cancelled a six-month tour with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra that was due to open in December, an aide said Thursday.The announcement came less than a month after he cancelled a tour of Europe for five concerts in December, but "he is recuperating steadily", an official at his Tokyo office said."The latest cancellation is not because his disease is worsening but because he is preparing for full recovery and needs to reduce his workload," she said.

Conductor Daniel Barenboim on Wednesday criticized a proposed government cost-cutting programme aimed at Italy's opera houses, many of which have cancelled shows in past days due to strikes.The measures, which include a hiring freeze and bonus cuts, "will cause enormous damage to the musical life of this country both in the short and long run," said the Israeli-Argentinean conductor."Music is something that is alive, it is not just something that goes with advertising on television," Barenboim said.

Acclaimed Russian conductor Mikhail Plentev on Thursday denied raping a 14-year-old boy in Thailand, but vowed to comply with an order to return for a court hearing in 10 days.Pletnev, artistic director of the Russian National Orchestra (RNO), arrived back in Moscow a day after winning permission from a Thai court to travel overseas after posting extra bail."I have committed no crime," Pletnev, looking composed and dressed in an open-necked shirt, told reporters.

Acclaimed Russian conductor Mikhail Plentev on Thursday denied raping a 14-year-old boy in Thailand, but vowed to comply with an order to return for a court hearing in 10 days.Pletnev, artistic director of the Russian National Orchestra (RNO), arrived back in Moscow a day after winning permission from a Thai court to travel overseas after posting extra bail."I have committed no crime," Pletnev, looking composed and dressed in an open-necked shirt, told reporters.

There was a time when Nikolaus Harnoncourt, the Austrian conductor who turns 80 on Sunday, was vilified by the musical establishment in Vienna.Harnoncourt is one of the pioneers of what in the classical music world is known as "historical" or "period performance practice". And back in the 1950s, when he set up his period instrument ensemble Concentus Musicus, his insistent questioning of the established norms of the classical music scene raised hackles in Europe's musical capital.

Famed Russian conductor Mikhail Pletnev, charged in Thailand with raping a 14-year-old boy, has left the country and is believed to be heading to Moscow, an airline official said Thursday.Pletnev, artistic director of the acclaimed Russian National Orchestra, was granted permission by a Thai court Wednesday to travel overseas but is required to report back to court every 12 days.He flew out of Thailand on an Emirates flight which left Bangkok at 2:40 am (1940 GMT Wednesday) for Dubai, a spokeswoman for the carrier said.