Gergiev gets silver-plated

Gergiev gets silver-plated

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norman lebrecht

October 18, 2015

This is his farewell gift from the London Symphony Orchestra, whom he conducted tonight for the last time as principal conductor. No more residue from those eight years than you can see on the plate.

gergiev plate

Comments

  • Kai Coebad says:

    You may be a prize berk, Mr L, but that last sentence is spot on… Kudos.

  • Olassus says:

    Well, there is the Prokofiev cycle!

  • Stephen says:

    Funny how no praise was once too high for Gergiev yet now he is being ground into the dust. Great conductors are rare enough on the ground and, the classical music scene being in perilous waters, I don’t think Gergiev should be dismissed so lightly.

  • Mephisto says:

    Sad and disappointing that the maestro was evidently tongue-tied in not being able to offer a reply to the LSO Chairman’s speech from the platform. Or to the standing ovation given by a large proportion but noticeably not all of the audience

  • Patrick John Gordon Shaw says:

    I have appeared on stage with the Mariinsky Opera conducted by Gergiev. He is an inspiring musician REGARDLESS of the orchestra he is leading!

  • Dave says:

    Will he be using that to serve cocktail sausages?

  • Paul Taylor says:

    The LSO gave John Alldis a coal scuttle when he left them. Very economical.

  • Peter Freeman says:

    He is surprisingly and refreshingly modest, Mephisto. Standing ovations are not in the British nature. There must have been some North Americans in the audience.

  • Mephisto says:

    There are standing ovations quite often at the Barbican. For example, Bernard Haitink received one in September from an audience of the usual diverse nationalities. Last night I talked with a Japanese man, and a German national from Berlin, a frequent audience member who came to London this time for one night only and the LSO concert. ( name is not Simon incidentally )
    As to a speech from from the departing conductor, he was presented with a gift and could at least have thanked the LSO for it – and possibly even for the support given to him by the wonderful LSO players.

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