Breaking: Andris Nelsons delays his arrival in Leipzig

Breaking: Andris Nelsons delays his arrival in Leipzig

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norman lebrecht

November 12, 2015

First, Kirill Petrenko put Berlin Phil on hold.

Now Andris Nelsons has told the Leipzig Gewandhaus he can’t start as music director in May 2017, as planned. Too busy in Boston, and elsewhere.

The earliest he can pick up the baton is February 2018, with a first tour in May 2018.

That leaves two major German orchestras twiddling their thumbs in a lengthy interregnum.

Not good for business. Or music.

andris nelsons bayreuth

Andris the Unready

UPDATE from Professor Andreas Schulz, Gewandhausdirektor:

It was with great joy that we announced the appointment of Andris Nelsons as Gewandhauskapellmeister from the 2017/2018 season at our press conference on September 9. Having carefully assessed our respective commitments in the 2017/2018 season together with Andris Nelsons and his management, we have mutually taken the decision to celebrate his inauguration in February 2018, together with the 275th birthday of the Gewandhausorchester. We anticipate this exceptional anniversary season will create a widespread artistic and public impact, setting the stage for many exciting years to come. We are more than happy to welcome our new Gewandhauskapellmeister after such a short interim. Andris Nelsons will begin his tenure in Leipzig with several weeks of concerts, a tour through Europe and two extraordinary open air concerts. We are very much looking forward to having him with us at the Gewandhausorchester.

 

Comments

  • Erich says:

    Yet another example of the lack of professionalism – as well as lack of scruples – all too present in top level artists and their managements. They know that they hold the whip hand so they just do whatever the hell they want. It would be wonderful if someone had the balls to tell them where to get off – but I fear this is a utopian wish.

    • Eddie Mars says:

      I would hardly describe Nelsons as ‘top level’. A dull, middling conductor. It’s Leipzig’s own fault – they thought they ‘needed’ his alleged capacity to sell seats.

      It’s prima facie case of Breach Of Contract. Time for m’learned friends to get stuck into him. If he loves it in America so much, let him stay there, There are many excellent conductors in Europe – why wait for a purely average one?

      • RW2013 says:

        Correct.

      • anon ami in deutschland says:

        Unfortunately, there are not many excellent conductors anywhere. The best seasons of my 35 year orchestral career were those where we had no chief conductor.

        • Holger H. says:

          Those years felt probably good for you, but were difficult for the revenue generation of your orchestra. Which describes 90% of the problem, why big names are needed:
          A dumb gullible public, who likes to be at “events” where famous people perform. Music? Yeah, there is also music, “but what was on that program again, darling, yesterday in that Dudamel concert? Or last week when we SAW Barenboim?”

      • Stuart says:

        Without having eyes on the contact, it’s difficult to conclude that it’s a breach. You do not know what flexibilities have been built into it.

      • Tony H says:

        I disagree that he is middling. As for dull, I believe you’d struggle to find many orchestral musicians who’d agree with you – he is probably the most visceral, energetic, intense conductor I’ve ever seen. If audience members have thought he was dull I wonder if they were actually awake during the show.

  • Simon S. says:

    Once again: When Petrenko was presented as future Berlin chief, they deliberately did not mention a specific date when he would take over office, and everybody knew that he would not simply dump Munich.

    Now they’ve found a solution that fits the needs of all those involved in an acceptable way. Except those of journalists and bloggers who live on bad news.

  • herrera says:

    Jet setting conductors who wear themselves thin can do so in only three ways:
    1) limited repertory (Muti, how many Verdi Requiems can he do in a single lifetime?)
    2) limited rehearsals (Gergiev, how many minutes of rehearsal can be squeezed in by the time the plane lands and curtain rises?)
    3) both limite rep and limited rehearsals (Gergiev wins again, how many Prokofiev cycles in how many cities in the shortest amount of time can he do in a life time?)

    • MacroV says:

      Actually, Gergiev has a pretty wide repertory, a lot of it fairly obscure Russian music – and not that many conductors do all of the symphonies of Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and even Tchaikovsky. And he’s not bad at Mahler, though don’t want to see him do Mozart or Brahms. Whatever Gergiev’s other shortcomings, a narrow repertoire isn’t one of them.

    • Alexander Hall says:

      If you bothered to trace Muti’s career properly from the start, you would see that there is hardly another international conductor who has a larger repertory of opera, choral and orchestral music from the 18th century right up to his committment to contemporary music. Ever heard of Cherubini before? Or Skryabin? Or Nino Rota? So why not stop these pathetic slurs involving the Verdi Requiem?

    • Andrew says:

      Muti performs one of the widest scope of repertoire out of all conductors today. He champions works by Scriabin, Martucci, Cherubini, Prokofiev,, Resphigi, Chabrier, Hindemith, and more that other conductors have long neglected. Add to this his mastery over the standard repertoire as well as his lifelong career of opera and you have one of the most multitalented conductors on the planet.

    • Olassus says:

      Muti’s limited repertory, the opera part:

      Beethoven, Fidelio,
      Muti/Aikin/Meier/Moser-T/Kapellmann/Rydl,
      1999, live in Milan, House of Opera

      Beethoven, Fidelio,
      Muti/Aikin/Meier/Smith-RD/Schulte/Tschammer,
      2003, live in Milan, Premiere Opera

      Bellini, Capuleti e i Montecchi, I,
      Muti/Gruberová/Baltsa/Raffanti/Howell/Tomlinson,
      1984, live in London, EMI

      Bellini, Capuleti e i Montecchi, I,
      Muti/Anderson-J/Baltsa/Raffanti/Rinaudo/Surjan,
      1987, live in Milan, House of Opera

      Bellini, Norma,
      Muti/Cossotto/Caballé/Cossutta/Roni,
      1977, live in Vienna, Exclusive

      Bellini, Norma,
      Muti/Rinaldi/Scotto/Mauro/Ferrin,
      1978, live in Florence, Myto

      Bellini, Norma,
      Muti/Mei/Eaglen/La Scola/Kavrakos,
      1994, live in Ravenna, EMI

      Bellini, puritani, I,
      Muti/Freni/Pavarotti/Bruscantini/Giaiotti,
      1969, live in Rome, Opera d’Oro

      Bellini, puritani, I,
      Muti/Deutekom/Gedda/Bruscantini/Ferrin,
      1972, live in Florence, GOP

      Bellini, puritani, I,
      Muti/Caballé/Kraus/Manuguerra/Ferrin,
      1979, EMI

      Boito, Mefistofele,
      Muti/Crider/La Scola/Ramey,
      1995, live in Milan, RCA

      Cherubini, Lodoïska,
      Muti/Devia/Lombardo/Moser-T/Shimell/Corbelli,
      1991, live in Milan, Sony

      Cimarosa, Chi dell’altrui si veste presto si spoglia,
      Muti/Mariconda/Bonifaccio/Zilio/Bonisolli/Bruscantini/Montarsolo/Gusmeroli,
      1968, live in Naples, Memories

      Cimarosa, Don Calandrino, Il ritorno di,
      Muti/Tarone/Giordano-L/Gatell/Caimi/Vinco,
      2007, V, Salzburg, ORF

      Donizetti, Don Pasquale,
      Muti/Ravaglia/Bottazzo/Panerai/Corena,
      1971, live in Salzburg, Melodram

      Donizetti, Don Pasquale,
      Muti/Sciutti/Bottazzo/Panerai/Corena,
      1972, live in Salzburg, Foyer

      Donizetti, Don Pasquale,
      Muti/Freni/Winbergh/Nucci/Bruscantini,
      1982, EMI

      Donizetti, Don Pasquale,
      Muti/Focile/Kunde/Gallo/Furlanetto-F,
      1994, V, Milan, TDK

      Donizetti, Don Pasquale,
      Muti/Giordano-L/Gatell/Cassi/Desderi,
      2006, V, Ravenna, Arthaus

      Donizetti, Don Pasquale,
      Muti/Pastrana/Gatell/Cassi/Alaimo-N,
      2008, live in Vienna, Premiere Opera

      Gluck, Armide,
      Muti/Antonacci/Urmana/Cole/Albert,
      1996, live in Milan, House of Opera

      Gluck, Iphigénie en Aulide,
      Muti/Urmana/Barcellona/Brown/Robertson-C,
      2002, V, Milan, House of Opera

      Gluck, Iphigénie en Aulide,
      Muti/Stoyanova/Gubanova/Klemberg/Tikhomirov,
      2009, live in Rome, March 17, Mixcloud

      Gluck, Iphigénie en Aulide,
      Muti/Stoyanova/Gubanova/Pretti/Tikhomirov,
      2009, live in Rome, March 26

      Gluck, Iphigénie en Tauride,
      Muti/Moser-E/Winbergh/Stone/Nimsgern,
      1981, V, Florence, Premiere Opera

      Gluck, Iphigénie en Tauride,
      Muti/Vaness/Winbergh/Allen/Surjan,
      1992, live in Milan, Sony

      Gluck, Orfeo ed Euridice,
      Muti/Gruberová/Marshall/Baltsa,
      1981, EMI

      Gluck, Orfeo ed Euridice,
      Muti/Karg/Kühmeier/Kulman,
      2010, live in Salzburg, ORF

      Hindemith, Sancta Susanna,
      Muti/Serjan/Pinter/Gilbert,
      2007, live in New York, Torrent

      Leoncavallo, Pagliacci,
      Muti/Sighele/Tucker/Alberti/Nurmela,
      1971, live in Florence, Opera d’Oro

      Leoncavallo, Pagliacci,
      Muti/Scotto/Carreras/Allen/Nurmela,
      1979, HMV

      Leoncavallo, Pagliacci,
      Muti/Dessì/Pavarotti/Coni/Pons-Jn,
      1992, live in Philadelphia, Philips

      Leoncavallo, Pagliacci,
      Muti/Vassileva-S/Domingo/Spagnoli/Pons-Jn,
      1998, live in Ravenna, House of Opera

      Mascagni, Cavalleria rusticana,
      Muti/Souliotis/Cecchele/Guelfi-G,
      1971, live in Florence, Legato

      Mascagni, Cavalleria rusticana,
      Muti/Caballé/Carreras/Manuguerra,
      1979, HMV

      Mascagni, Cavalleria rusticana,
      Muti/Meier/Cura/Gavanelli,
      1996, V, Ravenna, Encore

      Mercadante, due Figaro, I,
      Muti/Feola/Buratto/Karayavuz/Stroppa/Poli/Zorzi Giustiniani/Cassi/Montanari,
      2011, live in Ravenna, Ducale

      Meyerbeer, africaine, L’,
      Muti/Sighele/Norman/Luchetti/Guelfi-G,
      1971, live in Florence, Memories

      Mozart, clemenza di Tito, La,
      Muti/Vaness/Ziegler/Winbergh,
      1988, live in Salzburg, EMI

      Mozart, Così fan tutte,
      Muti/Marshall/Baltsa/Battle/Araiza/Morris/van Dam,
      1982, live in Salzburg, EMI

      Mozart, Così fan tutte,
      Muti/Marshall/Murray/Battle/Araiza/Morris/Bruscantini,
      1983, V, Salzburg, TDK

      Mozart, Così fan tutte,
      Muti/Dessì/Ziegler/Scarabelli/Kundlák/Corbelli/Desderi,
      1989, V, Milan, Opus Arte

      Mozart, Così fan tutte,
      Muti/Frittoli/Kirchschlager/Bacelli/Schade/Skovhus/Corbelli,
      1996, V, Vienna, Unitel

      Mozart, Così fan tutte,
      Muti/Frittoli/Kirchschlager/Tatulescu/Meli/d’Arcangelo/de Carolis,
      2008, live in Vienna, Opera Lovers

      Mozart, Don Giovanni,
      Muti/Gruberová/Murray/Mentzer/Araiza/Desderi/Allen,
      1987, V, Milan, Opus Arte

      Mozart, Don Giovanni,
      Muti/Studer/Vaness/Mentzer/Lopardo/Ramey/Shimell,
      1990, EMI

      Mozart, Don Giovanni,
      Muti/Pieczonka/Antonacci/Kirchschlager/Schade/d’Arcangelo/Álvarez-C,
      1999, V, Vienna, TDK

      Mozart, Idomeneo, rè di Creta,
      Muti/Vaness/Schuman/Ziegler/Winbergh,
      1990, live in Milan

      Mozart, nozze di Figaro, Le,
      Muti/Varady/Ghazarian/von Stade/Brendel/Ramey,
      1981, live in Milan

      Mozart, nozze di Figaro, Le,
      Muti/Price-M/Battle/Murray/Hynninen/Allen,
      1986, EMI

      Mozart, nozze di Figaro, Le,
      Muti/Frittoli/Norberg-Schulz/Bacelli/Pertusi/Terfel,
      1997, live in Milan

      Mozart, nozze di Figaro, Le,
      Muti/Frittoli/Rost/Bacelli/Keenlyside/Terfel,
      1997, live in Milan

      Mozart, nozze di Figaro, Le,
      Muti/Diener/Lisnic/Kirchschlager/Keenlyside/Álvarez-C,
      2001, V, Vienna, Premiere Opera

      Mozart, nozze di Figaro, Le,
      Muti/Frittoli/Lisnic/Bacelli/Corbelli/d’Arcangelo,
      2002, live in Milan

      Mozart, Zauberflöte, Die,
      Muti/Rost/Loukianetz/Groves/Keenlyside/Hölle,
      1995, V, Milan, Lyric Distribution

      Mozart, Zauberflöte, Die,
      Muti/Rost/Takova/Schade/Keenlyside/Selig,
      1998, live in Milan, Opera Lovers

      Mozart, Zauberflöte, Die,
      Muti/Kühmeier/Damrau/Groves/Gerhaher/Pape,
      2006, V, Salzburg, Decca

      Paisiello, Nina, o sia La pazza per amore,
      Muti/Antonacci/Lombardi/Flórez/Filianoti/Pertusi/Lepore,
      1999, live in Milan, Teatro Strehler, Sept 25, Ricordi

      Paisiello, osteria di Marechiaro, L’,
      Muti/Barbarini/Scettino/Mazzavillani/Guidetti/Gaifa/Scalco/Pistone,
      1976, live in Lugano, Unique Opera Records

      Pergolesi, frate ’nnamorato, Lo,
      Muti/Felle/Manca di Nissa/d’Intino/Focile/di Cesare/Corbelli/de Simone,
      1989, V, Milan, Opus Arte

      Poulenc, Dialogues des Carmélites,
      Muti/Schellenberger/Aikin/Geyer/Dever/Silja/Gietz,
      2004, V, Milan, TDK

      Puccini, Manon Lescaut,
      Muti/Guleghina/Cura/Gallo,
      1998, V, Milan, TDK

      Puccini, Manon Lescaut,
      Muti/Netrebko/Eyvazov/Caoduro,
      2014, live in Rome, Mixcloud

      Puccini, Tosca,
      Muti/Vaness/Giacomini/Zancanaro,
      1992, live in Philadelphia, Philips

      Puccini, Tosca,
      Muti/Guleghina/Licitra/Nucci,
      2000, V, Milan, EuroArts

      Rossini, donna del lago, La,
      Muti/Anderson-J/Dupuy/Blake/Merritt/Surjan,
      1992, V, Milan, Opus Arte

      Rossini, Guillaume Tell,
      Muti/Casula/Marton/Gedda/Mittelmann/Roni,
      1972, live in Florence, Gala

      Rossini, Guillaume Tell,
      Muti/Felle/Studer/Merritt/Zancanaro/Roni,
      1988, V, Milan, Opus Arte

      Rossini, Moïse et Pharaon, ou Le passage de la Mer Rouge,
      Muti/Frittoli/Ganassi/Filianoti/Schrott/Abdrazakov,
      2003, V, Milan, TDK

      Rossini, Moïse et Pharaon, ou Le passage de la Mer Rouge,
      Muti/Rebeka/Surguladze/Cutler/Alaimo-N/Abdrazakov,
      2009, live in Salzburg, Premiere Opera

      Salieri, Europa riconosciuta,
      Muti/Kühmeier/Damrau/Rancatore/Barcellona/Sabbatini,
      2004, live in Milan, Premiere Opera

      Scarlatti-D, dirindina, La,
      Muti/Ravaglia/Bonisolli/Bruscantini,
      1968, live in Naples, Nuova Era

      Spontini, Agnes von Hohenstaufen,
      Muti/Caballé/Prevedi/Bruscantini/Guelfi-G,
      1970, live in Rome, Opera d’Oro

      Spontini, Agnes von Hohenstaufen,
      Muti/Gencer/Luchetti/Iordacescu/Petri,
      1974, live in Florence, Opera Lovers

      Spontini, vestale, La,
      Muti/Huffstodt/Graves/Michaels-Moore/Raftery/Kavrakos,
      1993, live in Milan, Sony

      Verdi, Aida,
      Muti/Jones-G/Cortez/Domingo/Holmes/Giaiotti,
      1973, live in Vienna, Bella Voce

      Verdi, Aida,
      Muti/Caballé/Cossotto/Domingo/Cappuccilli/Ghiaurov,
      1974, EMI

      Verdi, Aida,
      Muti/Caballé/Cossotto/Domingo/Glossop/Plishka,
      1977, live in London, House of Opera

      Verdi, Aida,
      Muti/Tomowa-Sintow/Fassbaender/Domingo/Nimsgern/Lloyd,
      1979, live in Munich, Orfeo

      Verdi, Attila,
      Muti/Stella/Cecchele/Guelfi-G/Raimondi,
      1970, live in Rome, Opera d’Oro

      Verdi, Attila,
      Muti/Gencer/Luchetti/Mittelmann/Ghiaurov,
      1972, live in Florence, Foyer

      Verdi, Attila,
      Muti/Studer/Shicoff/Zancanaro/Ramey,
      1989, EMI

      Verdi, Attila,
      Muti/Studer/Kaludov/Zancanaro/Ramey,
      1991, V, Milan, Opus Arte

      Verdi, Attila,
      Muti/Urmana/Vargas/Meoni/Abdrazakov,
      2010, live in New York, March 6, Sirius

      Verdi, Attila,
      Muti/Serjan/Borras/Alaimo-N/Abdrazakov,
      2012, live in Rome

      Verdi, ballo in maschera, Un,
      Muti/Santunione/Mariconda/Chookasian/Tucker/Bruson,
      1974, live in Florence, Premiere Opera

      Verdi, ballo in maschera, Un,
      Muti/Arroyo/Grist/Cossotto/Domingo/Cappuccilli,
      1975, EMI

      Verdi, ballo in maschera, Un,
      Muti/Guleghina/Sala/Pentcheva/Licitra/Caproni,
      2001, V, Milan, EuroArts

      Verdi, Don Carlos,
      Muti/Dessì/d’Intino/Pavarotti/Coni/Ramey,
      1992, V, Milan, EMI

      Verdi, due foscari, I,
      Muti/Serjan/Meli/Salsi,
      2013, live in Rome

      Verdi, Ernani,
      Muti/Freni/Domingo/Bruson/Ghiaurov,
      1982, V, Milan, Pioneer

      Verdi, Ernani,
      Muti/Millo/Bartolini/Salvadori/Surjan,
      1983, live in Milan, Lyric Distribution

      Verdi, Ernani,
      Muti/Serjan/Meli/Salsi/Abdrazakov,
      2013, live in Rome

      Verdi, Ernani,
      Muti/Yeo/Meli/Salsi/Abdrazakov,
      2015, live in Salzburg

      Verdi, Falstaff,
      Muti/Dessì/O’Flynn/Manca di Nissa/Vargas/Pons-Jn/Frontali,
      1993, live in Milan, Sony

      Verdi, Falstaff,
      Muti/Frittoli/Mula/Manca di Nissa/Flórez/Maestri/Frontali,
      2001, V, Busseto, EuroArts

      Verdi, Falstaff,
      Muti/Buratto/Mizzi/de Paoli/Stier/Manolov/Longhi,
      2015, live in Ravenna

      Verdi, forza del destino, La,
      Muti/Cruz-Romo/Davidson/Bonisolli/Paskalis/Siepi,
      1974, live in Vienna, Myto

      Verdi, forza del destino, La,
      Muti/Santunione/Nave/Luchetti/Manuguerra/Siepi,
      1974, live in Florence, Opera Lovers

      Verdi, forza del destino, La,
      Muti/Freni/Zajick/Domingo/Zancanaro/Plishka,
      1986, EMI

      Verdi, forza del destino, La,
      Muti/Lukács/d’Intino/Cura/Nucci/Prestia,
      1999, V, Milan, House of Opera

      Verdi, Macbeth,
      Muti/Gencer/Tagliavini/Paskalis/Haugland,
      1975, live in Florence, Celestial Audio

      Verdi, Macbeth,
      Muti/Jones-G/Tagliavini/Petri/Haugland,
      1975, live in Florence, Omega

      Verdi, Macbeth,
      Muti/Cossotto/Carreras/Milnes/Raimondi,
      1976, EMI

      Verdi, Macbeth,
      Muti/Scotto/Shicoff/Bruson/Lloyd,
      1981, live in London, Ponto

      Verdi, Macbeth,
      Muti/Dimitrova/Luchetti/Bruson/Ferrin,
      1984, live in Naples, Premiere Opera

      Verdi, Macbeth,
      Muti/Connell/Luchetti/Bruson/Rootering,
      1985, live in Munich, Celestial Audio

      Verdi, Macbeth,
      Muti/Guleghina/Alagna/Bruson/Colombara,
      1997, V, Milan, House of Opera

      Verdi, Macbeth,
      Muti/Serjan/Filianoti/Lucic/Belosselsky,
      2011, live in Salzburg, ORF

      Verdi, Macbeth,
      Muti/Serjan/Meli/Salsi/Belosselsky,
      2013, live in Chicago, WFMT

      Verdi, masnadieri, I,
      Muti/Maragliano/Cioni/Montefusco/Cava,
      1969, live in Florence, Hunt

      Verdi, Nabucco,
      Muti/Deutekom/Corbacho/Todisco/Nimsgern/Giaiotti,
      1977, V, Florence, Bel Canto

      Verdi, Nabucco,
      Muti/Scotto/Obraztsova/Luchetti/Manuguerra/Ghiaurov,
      1978, EMI

      Verdi, Nabucco,
      Muti/Dimitrova/Pierotti/Beccaria/Bruson/Burchuladze,
      1986, V, Milan, Warner

      Verdi, Nabucco,
      Muti/Dimitrova/Pierotti/Beccaria/Zancanaro/Burchuladze,
      1986, live in Milan, Lyric Distribution

      Verdi, Nabucco,
      Muti/Eaglen/Urmana/Ombuena Valls/Bruson/Colombara,
      1995, live in Ravenna, Lyric Distribution

      Verdi, Nabucco,
      Muti/Boross/Malavasi/Poli/Nucci/Belosselsky,
      2011, V, Rome, RAI

      Verdi, Nabucco,
      Muti/Serjan/Ganassi/Poli/Salsi/Belosselsky,
      2014, live in Tokyo

      Verdi, Otello,
      Muti/Scotto/Cossutta/Bruson,
      1980, live in Florence, Living Stage

      Verdi, Otello,
      Muti/Frittoli/Domingo/Nucci,
      2001, V, Milan, TDK

      Verdi, Otello,
      Muti/Poplavskaya/Antonenko/Álvarez-C,
      2008, V, Salzburg, C Major

      Verdi, Otello,
      Muti/Poplavskaya/Antonenko/Meoni,
      2008, V, Rome, Premiere Opera

      Verdi, Otello,
      Muti/Stoyanova/Antonenko/Guelfi-C,
      2011, live in Chicago, CSO Resound

      Verdi, Rigoletto,
      Muti/Gruberová/Bonisolli/Bruson,
      1983, live in Vienna, Opera Lovers

      Verdi, Rigoletto,
      Muti/Dessì/La Scola/Zancanaro,
      1988, EMI

      Verdi, Rigoletto,
      Muti/Rost/Alagna/Bruson,
      1994, live in Milan, Sony

      Verdi, Rigoletto,
      Muti/Rost/Vargas/Nucci,
      2001, live in Milan, House of Opera

      Verdi, Simon Boccanegra,
      Muti/Agresta/Meli/Petean/Belosselsky,
      2012, live in Rome

      Verdi, Simon Boccanegra,
      Muti/Buratto/Meli/Petean/Belosselsky,
      2014, live in Tokyo

      Verdi, traviata, La,
      Muti/Scotto/Kraus/Bruson,
      1980, EMI

      Verdi, traviata, La,
      Muti/Fabbricini/Alagna/Coni,
      1990, live in Milan, Handelman

      Verdi, traviata, La,
      Muti/Fabbricini/Alagna/Coni,
      1992, V, Milan, Sony

      Verdi, traviata, La,
      Muti/Mula/Álvarez-M/Frontali,
      2002, live in Milan, House of Opera

      Verdi, trovatore, Il,
      Muti/Cruz-Romo/Cossotto/Cossutta/Manuguerra,
      1977, V, Florence

      Verdi, trovatore, Il,
      Muti/Frittoli/Urmana/Licitra/Nucci,
      2000, V, Milan, EuroArts

      Verdi, trovatore, Il,
      Muti/Frittoli/Urmana/Licitra/Dobber,
      2001, live in Milan, House of Opera

      Verdi, vêpres siciliennes, Les,
      Muti/Studer/Merritt/Zancanaro/Furlanetto-F,
      1989, V, Milan, Opus Arte

      Wagner, Parsifal,
      Muti/Meier/Domingo/Brendel/Lloyd/Welker,
      1991, live in Milan, Handelman

      Wagner, Rheingold (Der Ring des Nibelungen), Das,
      Muti/Urmana/Begley/Kapellmann/Pederson,
      1996, live in Milan, House of Opera

      Wagner, Walküre (Der Ring des Nibelungen), Die,
      Muti/Meier/Schnaut/Lipovsek/Domingo/Pederson/Hölle,
      1994, live in Milan, House of Opera

      Wagner, Siegfried (Der Ring des Nibelungen),
      Muti/Eaglen/Zednik/Schmidt-W/Struckmann,
      1997, live in Milan, House of Opera

      Wagner, Götterdämmerung (Der Ring des Nibelungen),
      Muti/Eaglen/Meier/Schmidt-W/Schulte/Rydl,
      1998, live in Milan, House of Opera

      • herrera says:

        Pace, i miei amici, I was being tongue in cheek, the spate of Verdi Requiem was during the 200th anniversary of Verdi’s birth, so of course it had to be Muti, the greatest Verdian since Toscanini

        He’ll do Strauss with Chicago in a few seasons, Salome or Elektra. His friend and mentor Carlos Kleiber had long urged him to do Rosenkavalier. He will one day. And it will be eye opening.

      • Eddie Mars says:

        +1

  • Milka says:

    It’s all about money and audiences that are quite ignorant to the art .

  • MacroV says:

    Who starts in May? This isn’t Australia. So he’s going to start in February instead of September – 5 months or maybe 6 weeks of concerts later than originally scheduled. Hardly earth-shattering.

  • Edgar Brenninkmeyer says:

    Just met Beckmesser while walking downtown, he say a fond hello to everyone:-)

  • Bennie says:

    I have to agree that some audience seems to be tone deaf. They are there to attend an event. For example, how many of alleged Lang Lang followers are there to _listen_ to Lang Lang, rather than to _see_ Lang Lang?

    Not to digress too much, Petrenko is several cuts above Nelsons. No comparison at all. I attended some of Nelsons BSO performances at Carnegie. He’s a no doubted a great _performer_. The worst of Nelsons is that, he tends to make the orchestra accompany his gestures rather than using his gestures to communicate the music to the orchestra.

    When I cannot see his gestures (e.g. his Salome with Vienna State Opera @ Carnegie a few years back), his music making is like highlighting which pages in the score would make people really excited, and do some great things with them; the remaining pages he just meddling along.

    On the other hand, in the limited showings of Petrenko (two concerts in the Digital Concert Hall), the music is genuine and is all there. Minimal dramatic movement, no showboating. In fact, I don’t need to _see_ him to enjoy his Suk CDs.

    Last but not least, I don’t understand why Nelsons is well loved by his orchestra musicians. Top notch orchestra musicians seem to have several hot buttons (but not limited to):

    1) They don’t like chatty conductors

    2) they don’t like conductors who keep stopping them

    3) they don’t like being singled out to correct their playing repeatedly (this is why the genius of Kleibergram!)

    4) they don’t like conductors who is clueless about the music (seriously,,,, there are some big name conductors out there who simply listen to some CDs and then try to mold a performance based on that!)

    5) they don’t like anything visually distracting (that includes showboating gestures and/or provocative dress).

    I am pretty sure Nelsons is a serious offender of at least two of the above. 🙂

  • Iain Scott says:

    From time to time I pop into Slipped Disc,not for the articles but the comments which are a marvellous concoction of opinionated dross you can find. Actually the catch quiz is of more value.

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