Breaking: Concertgebouw announces new chief conductor
main
It’s…. Gatti!
Daniele Gatti will take over from Mariss Jansons next year.
The Italian conductor, 53, was being pursued by two Italian opera houses, but probably took the view that he had served his time there as music director in Bolgona in the 1990s. He was also one of the candidates to take over at the Vienna State Opera.
The Concertgebouw have moved unusually fast to secure his signature.
Gatti is presently chief of the Orchestre National de France, an ensemble destabilised by political changes at Radio France. Amsterdam could be his escape route.
Among the leading conductors of his generation, Gatti has never yet led an orchestra of acknowledged world rank. This is a big step up for him. And for the Concertgebouw it is a return to the sunny atmosphere it enjoyed with a previousl Italian, Riccardo Chailly. Whether Gatti will, like Chailly, become a fluent Dutch speaker remains to be seen.
He has guested with the Concertgebouw over the past 10 years.
UPDATE:
press release:
Daniele Gatti has been appointed the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra’s new chief conductor, a post he will assume in 2016. The Italian maestro will thus be the seventh chief conductor in the orchestra’s history. He will be succeeding Mariss Jansons, who announced in April 2014 he was relinquishing the post of chief conductor; Maestro Jansons will be leading the RCO in that capacity for the last time on 20 March 2015.
Daniele Gatti gave an astounding first performance as guest conductor with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2004 with works by Richard Strauss and Wagner. He has since been invited very regularly to return. Maestro Gatti’s concert performances are characterised by highly individual interpretations of the traditional orchestral repertoire and a fondness for less common works. Daniele Gatti has made several tours abroad with the orchestra. In 2013 he conducted Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 on several important European festivals. A CD featuring works by Berg performed by the RCO and Maestro Gatti has been released on the orchestra’s in-house label, RCO Live. He last appeared with the orchestra conducting Verdi’s Falstaff in a June 2014 production at the Dutch National Opera, garnering both public and critical acclaim.
The Executive Board, the Board of Directors and the musicians of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra are delighted that Maestro Gatti was willing to fill such an important position. Managing Director Jan Raes says, ‘The musicians and the management of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra look forward to a long and inspiring collaboration with the renowned conductor Daniele Gatti. It is with great conviction that the orchestra has chosen a partnership with a conductor embodying such passion, dedication and experience. This was readily apparent from the keen involvement ofthe orchestra members in the rigorous selection process.’
Chief-conductor Designate Daniele Gatti: ‘I am deeply honoured to receive this invitation from one of the greatest and oldest orchestras in the world. I will do my very best to deserve it and to serve the music with the support of the musicians and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra family.’
CONCERTS
On 27, 28 and 30 November 2014, Daniele Gatti conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 6.
On 3, 4 and 6 December 2014, Daniele Gatti leads a concert programme with Artist in Residence Leoninas Kavakos as the soloist in Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto.
On 15 and 16 January 2014, Daniele Gatti conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with mezzo-soprano Christianne Stotijn.
Comments