Come back Ernest Ansermet, all is forgiven

Come back Ernest Ansermet, all is forgiven

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norman lebrecht

July 05, 2011

The city of Geneva is among the most boring on earth, stuffed with international box-tickers, sporting bribers and private bankers. The last time it had a cultural profile was half a century ago when the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande was conducted by Stravinsky’s friend Ernest Ansermet and recorded regularly and profitably by Decca. Ansermet was not a very nice man and more than a little antisemitic, but he ran a crack orchestra with relatively modern programmes and the world sat up and took notice. He retired in 1967 and the town has gone quiet since.

None of the succeeding conductors has done much to make waves, though Armin Jordan (1985-1997) and Fabio Luisi (1997-2002) kept the band up to scratch and Neeme Järvi, who arrives next year, will be his usual typhoon self.

What’s really changing, though, is the management. The new guy, ostensibly a banker, is one of the founders and fixers of the Verbier Festival, a real livewire. Miguel Esteban his name is, and he looks like the young Michael Douglas.

DR

He won’t leave the orchestra undisturbed in its slumbers. This could be the start of an Ansermet awakening.

Comments

  • Don Drewecki says:

    Ernest Ansermet died in 1969.

  • Robert Hayes says:

    Esteban is only a good talker. Artistically he won’t do anything for this superb orchestra. The best time after Ansermet were the first ten years Jordan, the first four years Luisi and the first two years Janowsky. Neeme Järvi? OMG. And the best orchestra manager Steve Roger.

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