Flash: Dresden sacks Serge Dorny
UncategorizedIn one of the fastest turnarounds and frankest dismissals ever seen in the lumbering opera world, the state of Saxony has sacked Serge Dorny before he could become general manager of the Semper Oper, Dresden.
In a statement terminating his engagement with immediate effect, arts minister Sabine Schorlemer said: ‘I greatly regret we had to take this step…. Unfortunately, he was unable to establish a fruitful, trusting co-existence with the staff, both artistic and administrative. He frittered away good will in no time. To our great disappointment, he has not met the expectations that we had placed in him.’
Full statement here (auf Deutsch).
At his previous jobs with the London Philharmonic and Lyon Opera, the Belgian administrator earned a reputation for secretive and high-handed behaviour. He was due to succeed the well-liked Ulrike Hessler, who died of cancer in July 2012.
UPDATE: Dorny’s future? Second UPDATE: Dorny hits back.
None of this surprises me. I am a business psychologist (and amateur musician) and regularly analyse, study and document differences in management approaches and style from country to country. Any administrator who comes to his or her job fresh from France, will sadly bring with them the archaic and abusive practices that are the hallmark of French management style. “Secretive and high-handed” behaviour are only but two of the negative attributes of poor French management style. France is an outdated, extremely “primitive” country when it comes to management style and general human relations on a professional level. The hallmark of French management style is hierarchy and the intentional making of all subordinates feel inferior and insignificant. Vertical, top-down management is at its zenith in France and woe the employee who questions or challenges a superiors opinions or decisions, even within a closed meeting. This may have worked in the 18th Century, but is today an anachronism and puts French management at the bottom of “developed” countries in style and technique. Mr. Dorny is a pure product of this, as he came out of the Lyon Opera, which combines the worst of French management style, with the inefficiency of French government administration. This is the perfect “cocktail” for disaster elsewhere, actually anywhere in the developed world. France is an embarrassment in the business world today and while it may have a few excellent companies, they are all handicapped by archaic management practices and a crippling State bureaucracy, that manages to destroy all those that come in its path. The Semper Opera was wise to remove this man, who would have only imposed inferior French practices on a far more democratic and modern institution.
Dorny is Belgian. He had only one position in France, and made most of his career in Balgium and the UK.
But who cares, as long as we can enjoy our daily Franch-bashing occasion.
are you at all aware where Dorny came from and the kind of work he did at Lyon??
What a baffling and offensive response not least to any frenchmen.
Facts are facts. This has nothing to do with “French bashing” nor anything of the kind. Any person taking that position only perpetuates the lack of business management development in France and will allow France to fall yet further behind nearly all of its competitors. I would invite anybody reading this to search the hundreds, if not thousands, of business management analysis papers, studies, statistical analyses and treatises, that unequivocally place France at the bottom of successful management rankings. The fact that Mr. Dorny is Belgian, is irrelevant here, as his more than a decade of working in France has sadly “contaminated” him and trained him in a way that allows him to perhaps function well in France, but be of little use elsewhere, unless he would adapt to more modern and horizontal management practices. French management is an anachronism in the business world today and is more often than not used as the “worse case” example, in case studies, than something to copy and emulate. It is the French refusal to see just how inferior their way of doing things as become and is perceived, that stops it from getting out of its serious malaise. Just check the facts, the statistics and then form an educated opinion. Replies based on pride, ego and arrogance have no place in a discussion like this.
Notice that I gave no opinion whatsoever on Mr Dorny, nor on the very *interesting* (ahem) topic of business management. And by the way, you want to criticize France ? go ahead and join me, that’s what I do for breakfast everyday.
However, unless you have insider’s info, you do not seem to have any evidence that this “French contamination” is the reason why Dorny was sacked.You are very assertive about something you have simply no idea about. (Neither have I, by the way – I really have no idea about what happened between Dorny and his state-appointed superiors). You take it as a mere pretext in order to indulge in a somewhat disputable rant. You do not make a hypothesis (“maybe, if Mr Dorny was sacked, it may be because, among other factors…”), but you assert something as if you were the Minister of Culture of Saxony yourself.
Last but not least, have you ever heard of Bismarckian bureaucracy ? Not much of a horizontal management model. I remind you that Dorny, if he had gone on to be the next Semperoper Intendant, would have been an employee of the state of Saxony.
What an ugly, stupid, uninformed response from Herr Friedmann who apparently had a bad meal last time he was in Paris but is otherwise completely uninformed about the music scene. His absurd blather is the sign of a sick mind and he is completely unaware of what is going on in the world of management. Dorny is widely respected in the music world and the Lyon Opera has been invited to the Edinburgh Festival for the last few years. So is the hugely successful Dominique Meyer who took over a troubled Vienna State Opera which stuffered from a serious Austrian “archaic management style” and was so immediately successful he was extended after only two years there. Then there was the savior of La Scala, Stephane Lissner, who took both the management and artistic functions over in Milan when it was very close to collapse due to political infighting and budget tightening. In a time of a declining budget, he won major private support, expanded the season, reestablished Milan to an artistic quality it has never seen in decades and to major international prominence. But what would Herr Friedmann know about that. I would also like Mr. Lebrecht to give samples of his “high handed and secretive” behavior. I somehow missed that.
Who is “Herr Friedmann”, and what has he to do with this case?
I don’t think that anybody here was saying that ALL French are bad managers. I think that the negative comments here are simply saying that there is a strong trend, a tendency for this type of high-handed, secretive management style in France. Not everybody there is a loser and there are always exceptions. Interesting, all the best and brightest French always seem to succeed brilliantly abroad, but rarely in their home country, so there could be some truth to the issue raised here. Open minds and ears are always necessary!
Sorry to interrupt this rather odd discussion, but Mr Meyer inherited the Vienna State Opera from a Rumanian (Ioan Holender) who always enjoyed lambasting Vienna/Austria and the way things are done (or not done) there.
Holender may have been loved and loathed in equal measure, but even his most serious detractors agree on one thing: the guy knows how to run an opera house.
The Vienna State Opera’s finances were in phenomenal shape under hie aegis (he even managed a reserve), which they certainly aren’t now (although they are not the complete disaster that are the finances of Vienna’s Burgtheater).
You may like Meyer more than Holender (who doesn’t), but running an opera house is not an exercise in being loved.
If you need more information on the subject, I recommend Sir Rudolf Bing’s and Josef Volpe’s books on their times at the Met.
Dorny is well known for being diffiult and rude – just one example:
The staff at the Lyon Opera filed a complaint a few years back because Dorny was so unfriendly – generally not even say bonjour if he rode the elevator with someone was one example given.Dresden acted just in time!
If only it had just been unfriendliness… It was MUCH MUCH worse than that.
The Lyon staff is going very soon to issue a “communiqué” to the media, the ministry of Culture, and to the local politicians to tell them what they think of him being rehired….
“…frittered away…”
-as translated by… Ma Kettle?
“Fritter away” is actually quite an evocative translation of “verspielen.” “Fritter away” goes back to the early 18th century, and derives–hundreds of years before that–either from Latin via Old French, or Mittelhochdeutsch.
‘Verspielt’ is right on the money as a translation. By the way, who are Messieurs Friedman and Freedman? I think our Business Psychologist was pretty clear in the spelling of his name.
Henri Maier didn’t last long in Leipzig, but at least he made it onto the plane. This Serge Dorny story is rather intriguing.
I don’t have any knowledge of the business management analysis papers etc which Tom Reedman refers to. But I am told by many who work/worked there that Serge Dorny practiced a management style in Lyon that is highly hierarchical and included making subordinates feel inferior, insignificant and bullied. Perhaps insiders in Dresden or Lyon would care to comment?
“Perhaps insiders in Dresden or Lyon would care to comment?”
I have.
The decision of the german politicians is indeed finally a just recognition of what the Lyon staff had to endure for 10 years, without being fully heard or recognized by the French authorities. Just after the sacking of several staff people, one petition was filed against this managerial abuse, signed by a large majority of the staff, petition which was sent all the way to the Ministere of Culture, without the slighest effect on Mr Dorny’s manners.
Not only subordinates felt “inferior, insignificant and bullied”, but also sacked for no justified reasons after many years of valuable and competent work in the house (13 years, 23 years… )… What just happened in Dresden should have happened 9 years ago in Lyon, but the local politicians there never had the balls nor the integrity to recognize that thay had made a major mistake calling the guy for the job. So, kudos to Sabine Schorlemer.
For the Dresden side the news release is pretty frank, in particular its last three paragraphs that would be worth a good translation (by the way, the complained “frittered away” reads “verspielt”, which would be “gambled away”, but not in this case since it’s used figuratively here). Just some more phrases: “Obviously very different ideas of the culture necessary to lead a big European opera house”, “unwilling to let in for the existing circumstances and to accept the decision-making processes at a large repertoire theatre”, “inappropriate communication”, “responsible persons have not been involved”, “industrial peace considerably disturbed”, and the termination itself is called “inavoidable to protect the opera from damage at home and abroad”.
Beyond this one hears that one of the “inappropriately communicated decisions” was to fire one member of the singer cast after another. Which is probably representative.
Concerning the comment “they’d have been wiser to ask the right people about Mr Dorny before calling him to the job” below: Here it is of interest that it remains a mystery who “they” in fact are. The members of the commission that choose Dorny have been kept a secret also afterwards, unlike the practice in other cases. This little detail appears in a new light now.
Insider- having worked with Dorny personally, I can vouch that this is the BEST decision Semper Opera has ever made. Dorny is king of “secretive” and “high-handed” behavior, giving dirty politics a new dimension. Arrogant and condescending are almost compliments for Mr. Dorny, who’s unprofessional and detrimental working ethic would have been a disaster in such a respected Artistic institution. Kudos to Arts Minister, Sabine von Schorlemer, who seems to have done her research and acted with knowledge and courage on this matter. It doesn’t surprise me that Dorny blames Christian Thielemann in his rebuttal letter, as this is EXACTLY what Dorny does whenever he is questioned-blames and discredits others. It’s humorous that Dorny uses the phrase “a lack of transparency ” in his letter, as transparency and fair practices are something that Dorny has much to learn about.
RE. KAI
‘The members of the commission that choose Dorny have been kept a secret also afterwards, unlike the practice in other cases. This little detail appears in a new light now”
This is a very valid point and sadly seems to be a new trend, where those responsible for appointing high profile candidates in the art world remain nameless and hide in the shadows, most likely personally benefiting politically or even financially. I hope this incident can bring forward a discussion on these clandestine, and so-called, expert panels responsible for such important appointments.
“as this is EXACTLY what Dorny does whenever he is questioned-blames and discredits others.”
When he doesn’t fire them on the spot, no matter how long they have proven their competences and dedication to their work and to the House.
I think that we are getting off the subject. After reading the original German press release by the Semper Oper in Dresden, it would appear that Mr. Dorny had a very bad and uncooperative attitude and while I haven’t done any statistical analysis of French management practices, I do know that my few dealings with French companies, for my job, have not been very pleasant and we often joke in the office about what a bad style the French seem to have in business, starting with senior french managers speaking a level of English worthy of a peasant in a third world country. So, yes, there seems to be a backward, uneducated and inferior dimension to working in a French business context. If they were on a decent level, then why is their country falling down at such a dramatic rate, i.e. foreign business investment down 277% in two years, exports down 57% since 2010, etc. They must be doing something wrong!
How about uxorious taxation to start with?
“…foreign business investment down 277% in two years… ”
That is mathematically impossible and the factoid about exports being “down 57%” is also false. French exports are up since 2010.
And, Herr Reedman, it took me just a minute or so to find that Bloomberg, about three weeks ago, rated France No. 11 in the world in their “Best Countries for Business 2014” survey.
Your coming up with the Bloomberg rating, that France is ranked No. 11 as “Best Countries for Business” has nothing to do with what I was referring to, nothing at all! France being ranked number 11 (which is not a good ranking for Eurpoe’s 2nd largest economy and the world’s 5th, by the way!) is based solely on market potential, among a few other indicators. This ranking has nothing to do with poor French management style. I only would imagine, if France would modernise its management approach and free themselves from the grip of the outdated and inefficient 18th Century French administration and corporate tax structure, then France would probably be near the top of the list, in every aspect. France has potential, great potential. It is just hindered and wasted via inefficient, outdated management practices, vertical, top-down management techniques, an elite and sclerotic gerontocracy not trusting young people to manage and make decisions, poor education, especially in languages (how do you sell a product, if you can’t speak other languages and at the minimum be able to speak good English?) and shaking off the French propensity for high-handedness and silly, childish arrogance. Only then will france be accepted as an equal and not inferior. Mr. Dorny could get away with his antics, arrogance and high handedness for so long, simply because it is something accepted and tolerated in France, but nowhere else, thank God. Fortunately, the Germans in Dresden quickly saw his behaviour at an early stage and made the wise decision to cancel his contract, rather than suffer the nefarious consequences. The French should simply stop being in constant denial and look at the facts, starting with reading the following:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-22/france-s-economy-most-serious-threat-for-eu-bankers-say.html
http://www.slate.fr/lien/49035/liberte-economique-france-67-eme-classement (In French)
from France itself:
http://beyond.blogs.france24.com/article/2013/03/28/french-miserable-depressed-happiness-senik-0
http://www.france24.com/en/20120723-france-fights-back-against-bad-manners-rude-campaign-paris-metro/
from Australia:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/study-shows-the-french-really-are-the-les-miserables/story-e6frg6so-1225981565444
Your analysis, however supported by external links, doesn’t stand the facts in Lyon. All the previous managers of the Lyon opera were French, and therefore supposedly applied “french-style-management practises”, without any bad effects on the House. The problems came up when a belgian manager, who had not done ANY managerial work in France came to power…
Well, FINALLY !
It took the germans a lot less time to figure out EXACTLY how and What Mr Dorny is. Even after 10 years in Lyon, most commentators only wish to judge him by his “ambitious and balanced programming” rather than by the catastrophic and dictatorial managerial aptitudes of this man, denounced by the quasi majority of his staff, and even by some local politicians (of course not those who appointed him there).
To say or write that Mr Dorny is “Dorny is widely respected in the music world” is a very speculative statement, and you’d find an equal or even superior number of people, artists, managers, directors, musicians, pairs, who find him perfectly detestable as a person, and totally incompetent as a manager.
I don’t agree with Mr Freedman’s analysis about “French management style”. In his dictatorial management style, only his personnality is to blame, not his “French managerial background”. The Lyon Opera had previous directors (Erlo, Brossmann, Durel) who did NOT at all manage their house in the same “high handed and secretive” manner as Mr Dorny.
I would on the other hand totally agree on his final statement : “The Semper Opera was wise to remove this man [even before he’d really started to work], who would have only imposed inferior (French) practices on a far more democratic and modern institution. They’d have been wiser to ask the right people about Mr Dorny before calling him to the job… But the slap in his face will FINALLY prove right all the people who have (greatly) suffered the temperamental moods and managerial incompetence of Mr Dorny over the last 10 years in Lyon. The wheel is ALWAYS turning.
Thank you EricB
You’re most welcome. You’ll see in the weeks to,come that Mr Dorny won’t find too many supporters in this crisis. Except maybe a very few who are blinded by his “ambitious and balanced programming” and don’t know what they are talking about.
EricB is blowing smoke. Either he was one of the people “who have (greatly suffered the temperamental (sic) moods and managerial incompetence of Mr. Dorny” in Lyon or he experienced “inferior (French) practices on a far more democratic and modern institution” (like Dresden???!!!) where he works. He can’t be both places. And can he explain why would a “democratic and modern institution” would even hire him in the first place. This “democratic and modern institution” has a music director who has to work to hide his fascist tendancies and is detested by working musicians all over Germany. Could that be the problem Herr EricB if you are the insider in Lyon AND Dresden as you claim.
I’ve never claimed to be an insider from Dresden….
I have dealt with Serge Dorny, on more than one occasion and found him to be a most unpleasant, arrogant and typical, as highlighted above, of the disdainful sort of manager one could only meet nowadays in a country like France. I agree with the comment on this blog that Mr. Dorny could only function and even be taken seriously in a French context. Fortunately, the world and business style has moved on and “high-handedness”, arrogance, condescension and nastiness is definitely not the way to resolve issues in the modern world of today, except perhaps in France. I think however, that even in France, things will change for the better, as the nation apparently now sees that doing things the way they have been doing will only get them derision and ridicule. They will eventually learn and accept international norms of business and behaviour.
Perfect summary. Only in France could a Dorny stay supported for so long by local politicians in spite of constant complaints from the staff, their representatives, the unions, the petition, the strikes, the lost lawsuits for undue sacking…. Now with this story, you’ll be amazed at all the mouths which will finally open.
You can’t imagine how many messages of jubilation and support are circulating among the people who have or are still suffering in Lyon….
who predicted this a while ago?? yes ME!!!
I’m only surprised that it happened so fast. dorny is simply an incompetent guy pushed by the mortier maffia, good riddance and clever of the Germans.
“who predicted this a while ago?? yes ME!!!
So did I !
“I’m only surprised that it happened so fast. ”
So do I. Couldn’t even hope it so soon !
A former insider – I was not in Lyon Opera at the time of M. Dorny, but served under his predecessor. The artistic standards were high – there was plenty of money to attract good singers – the opera took up at the time over half of the entire city arts budget – and the conditions of work generally good.
The atmosphere however was certainly not good – despite the attempt by his predecessor Alain Durel to claim in one of his final interviews “il n’y a pas de lourdeur ici”. Louis Langree, liked and respected, not least at Glyndebourne, and subsequently the (completely chaotic) Hungarian Ivan Fischer (conducting auditions at 1am!!) both gave their notice under his regime.
The modus operandi of his “delegue des distributions artistiques” of the time – Rene Massis – now an agent, was the epitome of the character profile outlined by Mr Reedman, treating those on whose favour he did not rely, as thoroughly unworthy of his attention. In the hierarchy, an excess of pride, a love of intrigue and manipulation that is completely at odds with, for example, the working environment of the ROH. Some of the house singers – as opposed to the bought-in talent, were similarly afflicted.
It was a dispiriting and destabilising place to work.
“It was a dispiriting and destabilising place to work.”
Even though, the place was heaven then, compared to what was to follow…
I guess it is likely, that that decision has not come to fruition without at least consultation, if not with the decisive push, by musical chief Christian Thielemann.
Sacked before you take office? Faut le faire, quand même, as they say…
Sounds like Dorny couldn’t get along with Thielemann. And Thielemann rules the roost in Dresden.
That’s what Dorny says for his (poor) defense. But it’s not at all what Mrs Schorlemer wrote in her public statement.
Dorny may be a difficult customer, but so are the Dresdner Staatskapelle. They were extremely rude to Bernard Haitink, which led to him terminating his association with them. Then there was the petulant way in which they engineered to get rid of Fabio Luisi. They may be a very fine orchestra but also: rein menschlich eine Katastrophe!
Absolutely right. Dresden could use some fresh air. The opera is provincial second class, the Staatskapelle is good, sometimes great, but torn between a hyped self image, fueled by lots of media attention around Thielemann, and the reality of decades of East German mental and musical depression and inbreeding.
If Serge Dorny was the right person to change any of this is another question.
Thielemann has learned a lesson for life in Munich. Nothing of power can be installed in his proximity against his fierce resistance. Anybody who knew both, Thielemann and Dorny, a little bit immediately wondered how that marriage was supposed to be consummated. Thielemann and the Staatskapelle are now stronger than ever, the Saxonian government has managed this badly. A lost opportunity for moderate change.
” Dresden could use some fresh air. ”
Yeah, but when you need some fresh air, you don’t go breathing it from the garbage or the sewers…
Serge Dorny is not French. Neither is he Belgian.
He is the typical Flemish nationalist that Belgians have to stand everwhere, in every instution and every private company even. They trust every place and impose their undemocratic rude manners to everybody with the arrogance of a region that never questionned its past behaviour (huge collaboration with the nazi never recognized, never admitted, lying and excusing everything). Pretty insane region.
Which is luckily not the case of Germany. Good news that they at least the Germans won’t stand arrogance as their past was made of it leading to crazyness.
G. Mortier his “friend” is also a huge Flemish nationalist [redacted: abuse] G. Mortier only recruted Flemish people, excluding others. It was an awful period for everybody (musicians, dancers of quality having no access to a job there, although financed and paid by all).
He also brought to the scene low vulgarity. Although the Flemish nationalist lobbying is always made intensely and the propaganda renames “modern” or “revolutionnary” what is pure hysteria and some sort of fascism in fact. Destroying culture is what the Flemish nationalists call “revolution”. Remember the 40’s. They promoted him to Salzburg and Madrid. Now sacked from Madrid. Because arrogant and imposing his choices to the Government. Sacked. Wanted Dorny at the head of Madrid Opera.
Like Dorny, his friend.
As far as Brussels opera is concerned, the actual Flemish nationalist director is also bringing commercial vulgarity and extreme violence (a bit like in the ‘Terror’ movies) to the scene. And of course this typical arrogance towards artists (who suffer a lot).
The Flemish nationalists feel superior.
An excellent news that in other countries (Spain, Germany), it seems that it won’t work anymore.
Dorny attacking Thielemann … who would dare? Only a Flemish nationalist used to impose his own nationalism and fascism in managing (in Belgium they occupy all the place, everywhere, everytime and take all the money to sack and destroy others…) without conscience can do that.
Germany probably investigated well. Seriously.
[redacted]
at ‘music’ whoever you are : [redacted: abuse] not one of them you mention is a flemish nationalist.!!!!!! As I am one myself i DO know, on the contrary they belong to the collaboratiorist movement to preserve the anomaly which is Belgium (than u brits).. i don’t know who you are but ur clearly an French speaking belgian nationalist who still dreams of the 19th century when the French speaking nazis dominated and sucked out this country. Well your time is over, but ur really stupied to blame those people who actually serve your plan as flemish nationalists. go back to school and redo ur history exam: the greatest nazi collaborator was a French speaking Belgium: leon degrelle. Ever heard of him?
This for the record before anyone believes ur crap.
Perhaps he should be put in a bag with Michael Henson and Tony Woodcock, and shaken up,can you imagine what would come out?
Music, I think that to use this forum to attack Gerard Mortier who left Brussels about 20 years ago is highly inappropriate.
[redacted: abuse]
Never talk about Napoleon, or Staline or Mao because they are dead. So end of the story.
At least for typical Belgians, everything and anything has to be shut up and silenced and forgotten. As a people without memory of the past, they are thus a people without future.
Thank god, other people from other nations are a lot freer than the Belgians who accept anything dirty and s i l e n c e it. For eternity.
The PRESENT opera Director in Brussels is a l so Flemish, rude and arrogant and destroys culture (and people). Another accident, maybe. …Belgium is full of Flemish arrogant ‘accidents’, so many accidents that they form a chain of accidents, a chain of CONSTANT accidents, which turns them in NO accidents. But in a system.
Mortier was unbearable, Dorny his friend is also unbearable, De Caluwe is also unbearable. How come? This must be an industry. A so typical Flemish industry.
Now HURRAY to the people working in Lyon! I can imagine their relief and feelings…!
These Flemish guys are used to this rude and UNPUNISHED behaviour in Belgium (where people are used to accept terror from authorities) and they imagine they can do it all the time elsewhere.
They behave like dictators and dictators are welcome in Belgium.
NOT elsewhere. Great news!
Mortier Flemish mafia comes to an end. Great!
“Now HURRAY to the people working in Lyon! I can imagine their relief and feelings…!”
Unfortunately, no Hurray, as the Lyon people are just as desperate to see him back, as they were relieved a few months ago at the news of his departure !
Dorny and Mortier are indeed Flemish, and the former has been a poulain of the latter. But they have nothing to do with Flemish Nationalism and many Flemish very much dislike the attitude of the likes of Dorny and Mortier. ‘Music’ would do well to keep personal political frustration out of this dicsussion.
You apparently IGNORE or just want to ignore facts.
As they are unpleasant to your ‘dream’ of life, you just want to ignore them.
Belgians do not believe what they see.
They just do everything on the reverse : they see only what they previously believe.
They believe in huge conditionning they are born in since generations and then … they see it as real.
End of the story. No man’s land.
Politics has everything to do with such ‘personnalities”.
Moreover in Belgium to an extreme extend. In Belgium, there are no accidents. You should know this. It happens to be a one way system. These guys are c h o s e n by politics. Like everywhere. As it regards public s t a t e budgets, nothing strange. You are never nominated in these institutions without political decision. NEVER. And its is very logical. As public money is engaged, the decision goes indeed to political authorities.
As any citizen, you should try to see the reality and facts and face them.
In Belgium, Flemish guys – a lot of them incompetent and rude arrogant basic reactionnary people – occupy 80 to 90% of top managing, top places and employment. They just practice apartheid without naming it. That’s all. Facts.
But silence. Their system is based on internal multiplied dictatorship in everything, like a cancer. But to Belgians : no problem as they have no conscience. Unpunished as there is no morals in this country. Rewarded everywhere especially if they are dictatorial little wannabies.
It shows well how Belgians, a people composed of no personal identity (which is actively and deliberately being destroyed by many means, whether through extremely empty low medias, mediocracy and pulsion on the top, commercial automatisms of the majority of the people in Belgium, entirely made of extreme conformism, and the consequently paranoid trend they develop, automatized and never questionned behaviours, their low standard education systems that manufacture good employees that never analyze so that they never refuse, they cannot even imagine it, this ability of understanding a system and questionning it is absolutely destroyed in their daily life – see them walking, driving, shopping is v e r y instructive as they cannot even manage space around them, colliding and occuping the place as they d o not even know they are not alone in public space, they are completely disconnected and living in their own bubble, isolated as the hugely high % of suicides in Belgium reveals – f a c t s – silence everything, or deconstruct every logic, in other to dissolve the ‘dangerous’ independent personnalities that might emerge through growing up and maturing, destroy any rationnalism among people, as it is ‘dangerous’ for they might think on their own and analyze things, bash normal personnalities by isolating them, using huge propaganda- in this they are top m a s t e r s of the world,- manipulating emotions and low standard brain populism, activating pulsions always, using mass propaganda to substitute grounded normal personnalities by emotional behaviours, and mainly to make huge masses of believers instead of adult and mature rationnal grown ups).
It’s indeed politics, stupid! (to copy the American who said ‘its’economics, stupid!”)
In their inexistant personnality , completely diverted by a system of extreme and huge propaganda promoting studipity and perversion as normal standard behaviour , and deconstructed personnality of Belgians, they will n e v e r see the facts. Never face them is perfect. It avoids their dominant authorities any questionning.
Silence; this is Belgium. Do not disturb. Do not think. Do not see. Belgians are perfect.
again, do not know who is behind ‘music’ but music often means harmony this guy (clearly not even a French speaking belgian coz his english is way too good) lacks this very trait. He has many personal issues nothing to do with this forum. As far as i know the prime minister of this artificial country is a French speaking homosexual, now beat this music. As for the rest it’s better to keep quiet with your rants about politics not even related to music; you clearly avoided the issue of the greatest nazi collaborator the belgians had in those horrible times, the French speaking walloon, leon degrelle. Just for the record. Now back to music. I’m not a fan of mortier and his gang and their artistic pôlicies but i wish mortier all the best in beating that horrible disease and as person he was charm incarnate. Moreover they are NOT Flemish nationalists, again for the record. Nowx back to music and….harmony
Quite perplex to read some of the above irrelevant, non evidence based comments . Dorny has simply not been informed of BASIC information which he needed to make up his mind to accept the job. Informing him after conclusion of the contract that by the way there would be two captains on the same boat, has raised tough discussions. Normal no? Only losers could accept such situation. End of story.
Not end of story. Your version is quite simplistic. Msr Schorlemer and Mr Thielemann brougyt forward more detailed explanations pertaining to Dorny’s dictatorial attitude all along. It’s quite a bit more than a simple “clash of powers”. On most opera houses, the General Director has the intelligence to listen to the appointed (by him or in place before him) pertaining to artistic questions. Its quite funny to see Dorny accusing Thielemann of “only thinking of his own career and interest”, as it’s also exactly what Dorny does….