Maestro move: Israeli is Vienna’s principal guest conductor

Maestro move: Israeli is Vienna’s principal guest conductor

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norman lebrecht

January 09, 2016

The Vienna Symphony Orchestra has named Lahav Shani principal guest conductor from 2017-18. Shani, 27, is deputising at the moment for the orch’s music director Philippe Jordan, who is invalided out for two months.

Winner of the 2013 Gustav Mahler International Conducting Competition in Bamberg, Shani has already made a last-minute, well-received debut with the Vienna Philharmonic.

He’s also on a shortlist of three for the vacancy at Birmingham.

lahav shani

 

Comments

  • Marcelo Mendes says:

    In his concert with Martha Argerich at the Colon last July, Barenboim invited Lahav Shani to conduct the encore, but not before having the audience repeat his name out loud three times, saying it was a name to remember. Looks like he was right.

  • Malcolm james says:

    ‘He’s also on a shortlist of three for the vacancy at Birmingham.’

    But isn’t Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla a nailed-on cert for that position? 🙂

    • Halldor says:

      Nothing’s a cert about the Birmingham position at this moment. But that that Shani is nowhere near the shortlist comes pretty close. Been extensively tried, found equally extensively wanting.

      • RW2013 says:

        He plays piano well enough not to have to conduct.

      • John says:

        Halldor, do you know whether the shortlist contain a third person? We have already heard of two, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and Omer Meir Wellber.

        • Halldor says:

          Some people (not in Birmingham, for the most part) think Shani’s still a front-runner for the Brum job. For numerous reasons (including my own assessment of his performances) I’d bet my house that he isn’t.

          Wellber & Mirga are the two under closest consideration at present; I’m not aware of a third. But the CBSO is seeing a lot of new people this season; until an announcement’s made, anything is still possible.

  • Yair Sachs says:

    …and the double bass as well!

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