Harnoncourt’s festival skips two generations
mainThe Styriarte festival, founded by Nikolaus Harnoncourt 30 years ago in his home town of Graz, faced a critical dilemma. How does one replace a legend who has just retired in this summer’s Beethoven cycle?
They have taken the bold option.
Harnoncourt’s dates have been divided between three rising conductors: the American Karina Canellakis, 34; the Colombian Andrés Orozco-Estrada, 38; and the French period-practice expert Jérémie Rhorer, 42.
The 9th symphony at Salzburg will be conducted by Orozco-Estrada.
Karina Canellakis is a HUGE talent. We’re so lucky to have her as assistant with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where she’s been getting some good exposure.
I agree. She just conducted the San Diego Symphony last week-end, and I was impressed. She is supposedly “auditioning” for the position of chief conductor which will be available in 2018 (at least that’s how it is presented in the press. I have no clue whether she is even interested) and I hope the SD symphony executives give her serious consideration. The other conductors on the Harnoncourt replacement list seem very interesting too. I had never heard of Orozco-Estrada before but what I saw of him on youtube makes me think it is an excellent choice too.
A little clip of Harnoncourt in conversation with Canellakis, when she stood in for Harnoncourt at styriarte last year, conducting a Dvořák program with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
https://vimeo.com/132098538