Just in: Orchestra boycott their chief conductor's return. Live video

Just in: Orchestra boycott their chief conductor's return. Live video

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norman lebrecht

September 28, 2011

Mark Gorenstein made a name for himself by abusing an Armenian soloist at the Tchaikovsky competition.

He was already at loggerheads with the Svetlanov Orchestra, of which he is artistic director. The players this summer demanded his dismissal. Gorenstein, who has a cousin in high places, went off sick. Now he’s back, recovered, ready to work.

At the first rehearsal, you can see only four players on stage. The others are staging a sit-in strike in the hall. The stand-off lasted four hours. Here’s the video.

And here’s the translated report, with live video, from News classical music

 

 

Comments

  • Mark Jordan says:

    Gorenstein may be an tactless, overbearing ass (Wasn’t that once part of the job description for being a conductor?), but isn’t it a bit much to imply that he only has his position because he has “a cousin in high places.” I’ve heard several of Gorenstein’s recordings and they suggest that he’s a far better conductor than dozens of better-known western names.

  • Hank Drake says:

    The impression I get is that Gorenstein didn’t “get” the job because of well placed family member, but that he was able to “keep” it longer than he should have despite boorish behavior.

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