LA Phil picks Spanish principal
mainSpanish musicians are abuzz with the news that David Rejano Cantero has been chosen as principal trombone of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
David, who is principal trombone of Valery Gergiev’s Munich Philharmonic, has been freelancing of late with the Berlin Phil and LA. There has been no confirmation yet from LA.
Cool catch.
Try: “LA Phil Picks The Best Player”
Actually he does this all the time: for example
http://tinyurl.com/jk637xs
and
http://tinyurl.com/jgpqjax
and
http://tinyurl.com/j8xfxub
and
http://tinyurl.com/zm6ovc2
and even
http://tinyurl.com/z9mrohu
… and that’s only looking back over the last few weeks.
It looks funny at first, but I think he’s actually just pointing out the international nature of the business.
Picking “the best player” (who is available and interested, obviously) is the goal of every audition, so such headline would have been redundant and non-informative. The present headline here gives at least one piece of information about the hire that may be of interest. As for “confirmation from LA”, there have been plenty. For example, here is an article from a well-informed local source that was published a month ago:
https://allisyar.com/2016/07/08/comings-and-goings-at-the-la-phil-and-beyond-summer-2016-edition-lots-of-updates-with-principal-chairs-and-more/ .
Actually, his nationality is relevant. Spain is still fairly new to being part of the global market orchestral talent pool. Although Spain has a long orchestral tradition, top talents like Fruhbeck de Burgos often butted heads with the dictator Franco, who didn’t encourage classical music, and usually had to leave the country to establish themselves.
In the late 80’s, just after Franco’s death and at the inception of new EU funding, there was an orchestral “renaissance” in Spain – new orchestras were formed, and foreigners were admitted for the 1st time. This influx of well-trained foreign players
raised the level of orchestras, and influenced young Spanish musicians, who began to venture abroad for training.
Hence the level of Spanish orchestral playing has risen dramatically in the past 30 yrs. Spain is now experiencing a “super-generation” of young orch. players, who are trained at the finest conservatories, gaining experience at top European festivals like Verbier and Lucerne and winning major orch. positions internationally.
David Rejano is one of this new “super-generation” of musicians. Not only is he from Spain, which has struggled thru Franco’s regime and more recently, a crippling economic crisis, to keep their orchs. flourishing, but he is from Badajoz, in the region of Extremadura, one of the most economically challenged areas of Spain.
Spaniards are understandably proud of their countrymen and women who succeed as top orch. players. They’ve defied the odds. Their nationality deserves mention when they win an important position, as Mr. Rejano has done.