What Mariss told the ‘secret’ press conference
mainOn Friday, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra launched its new season in front of a tiny gathering of hand-picked hacks. Most local and all international journalists were excluded.
Mariss Jansons made two mild observations at the meeting.
1 Asked if he was in the running for the Berlin Philharmonic conductorship, he said: ‘We have to wait and see what happens on 11 May.’
2 Asked about the decision to deny Munich a new concert hall, he replied: ‘Hopefully, politicians have understood they made a mistake.’
The orchestra announced a new website. It is almost as dull and impenetrable as the press conceference.
The new website may be dull, but I can access anything I want much more easily than before. Definitely an improvement. Somehow I find it refreshing if a great orchestra doesn’t focus too much on its image.
Agreed. Wish more informational website would be simpler. Even nicer would be if one wouldn’t have to click on the concert headline to see the works which will be performed.
The season program for 2015/16 looks nice as well, just as the program itself does. There will be some interesting, inspiring radio nights next season.
The website is hopeless if you want to see first what is being performed, and then who the performers are.
‘Hopefully, politicians have understood they made a mistake.’
Perhaps, leaving Amsterdam with its great hall and great orchestra was Jansons’ mistake.
Jansons already admitted that he might have left Amsterdam a bit to quickly.
http://www.nrc.nl/handelsblad/van/2015/maart/19/mijn-vertrek-valt-me-zwaar-heel-zwaar-1476911
If the BPO does take a 72-year-old, it won’t be MJ.
If it’s Barenboim, it would be a huge mistake. He has absolutely nothing new to bring to the orchestra. He has been conducting them for very many years, has done all his repertoire with them and is too much of a ‘pair of comfortable old slippers’ in Berlin musical life to be able to give them anything new on which to chew. Jansons, on the other hand, is – as Rattle says – the best and with his mixture of deep musicality, humility, charm and iron-will, bring back the sound the orchestra has been lacking, particularly in the central European Repertoire during the Rattle years.
Are you saying that Rattle says that MJ will restore the sound that he (Sir S.) “robbed” (or whatever you mean) them of?!
Rattle was referring to Jansons’ overall ability, not as a ‘sound-doctor’ for Berlin!
I don’t get it, I thought the press had reported he was seriously ill and that’s why he left Amsterdam. So now he’s recovered?
He has had heart-trouble for a long time and left Amsterdam in order to cut down his commitments. However, his Bavarian contract currently runs out at exactly the time Berlin would become available……
When he took the decision of leaving Concertgebouw, he wasn’t feeling well. Then, he underwent medical procedures and is feeling better again. Actually, few weeks ago, he said that he’s feeling like a new man. That’s why now he is regretting his decision to leave Amsterdam. if he won’t get the Berlin job, won’t be because of poor health, but just because Berliners have preferred someone else.