2020 in European music

This article covers events in 2020 in continental European music, arranged in geographical order.

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Events

• 8 January
  • The Teatro San Cassiano in Venice, Italy, names the Academy of Ancient Music as its first associate ensemble.[1]
  • The Zurich Festival {Festspiele Zürich} announces that its festival will be discontinued after 2020, because of the lack of long-term financial support.[2]
  • Dutch composer Martijn Padding receives the Andreaspenning award at the Concertgebouw, in recognition of his services to the musical life of Amsterdam.[3]
• 13 January – The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra announces that it is to award its Karl Amadeus Hartmann Medal posthumously to Mariss Jansons.[4]
• 26 February
  • José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, the Spanish minister of culture, withdraws the invitation to operatic tenor Plácido Domingo to perform at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, following the release of an American Guild of Musical Artists report on allegations of sexual misconduct against Domingo.[5]
  • The Landestheater Coburg announces the appointment of Daniel Carter as its new Generalmusikdirektor, with effect from 1 February 2021.[6]
• 18 March – The Eurovision Song Contest 2020, scheduled to take place in Rotterdam is cancelled because of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Europe – the first cancellation in the contest's 64-year history.[7]

Scandinavia

• Main article for Scandinavian music in 2020

Top hits

• Danish #1s
• Finnish #1 singles 2020, Finnish #1 albums
• Norway charts
• Swedish #1 singles and albums

Netherlands

• Dutch #1 singles

Ireland

• Main article for Irish music in 2020

UK

• Main article for British music in 2020

Germany

• See also German number ones

Switzerland and Austria

• Swiss #1s

France

• French #1s

Italy

• Italian number ones

Eastern Europe/ Balkans

• List of Polish #1 singles
• Czech #1 singles
• Hungarian #1 singles

Musical films

Deaths

• 1 January – Damir Mihanović, 58, Croatian comedian, actor and musician (lung cancer)[8]
• 3 January – Bo Winberg, 80, Swedish guitarist (The Spotnicks)[9]
• 10 January – Marc Morgan, 57, Belgian singer-songwriter[10]
• 14 January – Guy Deplus, 95, French clarinetist[11]
• 19 January – Guy Thomas, 85, Belgian-born French songwriter.[12]
• 21 January
  • Herbert Baumann, 94, German composer and conductor[13]
  • Meritxell Negre, 48, Spanish singer (cancer)[14]
• 4 February – Volker David Kirchner, 77, German violist and composer[15]
• 26 February
  • Eduardo Bort, 72, Spanish guitarist[16]
  • Hans Deinzer, 86, German clarinetist[17]
  • Sergei Dorensky, 88, Russian pianist[18]
• 1 March – Peter Wieland, 89, German singer and entertainer[19]
• 8 March – Martin Davorin-Jagodić, 84, Croatian composer[20]
• 9 March – Alain Marcel, 68, Algerian-born French actor, composer and musical theatre producer[21]
• 10 March – Beba Selimović, 80, Bosnian sevdalinka singer[22]
• 14 March – Eva Pilarová, 80, Czech singer[23]
• 16 March
• Sergio Bassi, 69, Italian folk singer-songwriter (COVID-19)[24]
• Konstantin Ryabinov, 55, Russian musician and visual artist[25]
• 18 March – Jean Leber, 80–81, French violinist (COVID-19)[26]
• 20 March
  • Enrique del Portal, 87, Spanish operatic tenor[27]
  • Gino Volpe, 77, Italian singer-songwriter, heart attack.[28]
• 21 March – Hellmut Stern, 91, German violinist[29]
• 24 March – Gerard Schurmann, 96, Dutch-British composer and conductor (The Bedford Incident, Attack on the Iron Coast, Claretta).[30]
• 31 March – Zoltán Peskó, 83, Hungarian conductor and composer.[31]
• 1 April – Dieter Reith, 82, German pianist and organist[32]
• 4 April – Patrick Gibson, 64, French drummer and singer (Gibson Brothers), COVID-19.[33]
• 7 April – André Stordeur, 79, Belgian electronic musician.[34]
• 9 April – Bert van de Kamp, 73, Dutch music journalist[35]
• 14 April – Kerstin Meyer, 92, Swedish mezzo-soprano.[36]
• 16 April
  • Christophe, 74, French singer-songwriter (COPD)[37]
  • Dušan Vančura, 82, Czech singer, double-bassist and lyricist (Spirituál kvintet)[38]
• 9 June – Pau Donés, Spanish singer songwriter and guitarist (b. 1966)[39]

References

1. "The Academy of Ancient Music is our first Associate Ensemble" (Press release). Teatro San Cassiano. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
2. Thomas Ribi (2020-01-08). "Schluss mit lustig: Die Festspiele Zürich finden 2020 zum letzten Mal statt". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
3. "Andreaspenning for Martijn Padding". Donemus. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
4. "BR-Symphonieorchester verleiht posthum Medaille an Mariss Jansons". NMZ. 2020-01-13. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
5. "El ministro de Cultura opina sobre Plácido Domingo: "Suspender su concierto es un deber"". El Español. 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
6. Dieter Ungelenk (2020-02-26). "Daniel Carter wird Coburger Generalmusikdirektor". Neue Presse. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
7. "Official EBU statement & FAQ on Eurovision 2020 cancellation". Eurovision.tv. 18 March 2020.
8. Preminuo je Damir Mihanović - Ćubi (in Croatian)
9. Gitarrlegendaren Bo Winberg död (in Swedish)
10. Marc Morgan est décédé (in French)
11. "Décès du clarinettiste Guy Deplus". Res Musica (in French). Retrieved 30 January 2020.
12. "Thomas, Guy (1934-....)". Catalogue général (in French).
13. Der Komponist Herbert Baumann starb 94-jährig in München Archived 2020-01-24 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
14. Muere Meritxell Negre, concursante de ‘El Número Uno’ (in Spanish)
15. Mainzer Komponist Volker David Kirchner gestorben (in German)
16. El último acorde de Eduardo Bort, pionero del rock progresivo español (in Spanish)
17. Prof. Hans Deinzer verstorben (in German)
18. Умер профессор Московской консерватории Сергей Доренский (in Russian)
19. DDR-Schlagerstar und Schauspieler: Peter Wieland mit 89 Jahren gestorben (in German)
20. "In memoriam: Martin Davorin Jagodić". www.hds.hr. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
21. "Adieu Alain Marcel". Regard en Coulisse (in French). 11 March 2016.
22. Odlazak Kraljice Sevdaha Preminula pevačica Beba Selimović (in Serbian)
23. Zemřela Eva Pilarová. Poslední rozloučení kvůli koronaviru nebude (in Czech)
24. L'addio a Bassi, il menestrello della Bassa che cantava il Po (in Italian)
25. Умер сооснователь «Гражданской обороны» Константин Рябинов (in Russian)
26. Mort du violoniste et pédagogue Jean Leber (in French)
27. Muere el tenor Enrique del Portal, víctima de «la otra epidemia», según la viuda (in Spanish)
28. Basilicata. E’ morto il maestro Gino Volpe (in Italian)
29. Zum Tod des Geigers Hellmut Stern Der musizierende Weltbürger (in German)
30. The composer Gerard Schurmann has died
31. Elhunyt Peskó Zoltán világhírű magyar karmester (in Hungarian)
32. Dieter Reith Musikproduktion (in German)
33. R.I.P. Patrick Gibson of disco group The Gibson Brothers
34. In memoriam: André Stordeur (1941–2020) (in French)
35. Voormalig OOR-redacteur Bert van de Kamp (73) overleden (in Dutch)
36. "Operasångerskan Kerstin Meyer död". Dagens Nyheter. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
37. "Le chanteur Christophe est mort" (in French).
38. Spirituál kvintet přišel o hlas, Dušan Vančura zemřel kvůli zánětu zubu (in Czech)
39. Pau Dones, lead singer of Spanish band Jarabe de Palo, dead at 53

External links

• European Music Council