Just in: CAMI loses China
mainAskonasHolt have just announced they have signed Long Yu, chief conductor in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and by far the most powerful musician in the People’s Republic.
Long Yu was formerly with Cami Music’s Jacques Cesbron, superagent to his close friend and pathfinder, Lang Lang.
Something appears to have gone wrong there.
It remains to be seen in Lang Lang follows his pal.
With Long Yu’s commitments to his 3 mainland orchestras and his Principal Guest position in Hong Kong, his Artistic Directorship of the Beijing Music Festival and Shanghai’s MISA summer series, the wonder is how can any agent can make any reasonable commissions from whatever time he has left? Unless of course it means Askonas Holt also get the rights to tour his mainland Chinese orchestras which seem happily to tour anywhere for minimal fees.
Congratulations to Yu Long and Askonas Holt! I look forward to his Chinese New Year concerts with the NY Phil every year (coming up in 2 weeks) and I thought the China Phil harmonic with Yu Long at the helm sounded fantastic last month.
Bravo, Maestro!
Long Yu holds the title for World’s Worst Conductor in a Position of Authority. His Elgar Cockaigne with the BBC Symphony Orchestra made Lenny’s later indulgences look sane. A player told me LY panicked at the tenuto several bars in and the players had to hold it all together (which they did, albeit at very slow tempi). The musicians asked the management never to ask him back, but the reply was, we have to, it’s about Anglo-Sinese relations and £££/$$$. Same with the Philharmonia, where another lucrative contract is involved.
Shame on Askonas Holt for putting cash before talent.
Agree with David 100%. You look at HP who have just taken on a great artist like Kent Nagano. AH take on Long Yu. Says it all.
If it’s political, why don’t they invite Tang Muhai who is from a very distinguished Shanghai family, has far more experience in Europe and is by a long way the better conductor? He has had several posts in Europe and China and presently directs the Zhejiang Symphony (which his management IMG Artists incorrectly lists as Zhenjiang!)
He’s more mafia than music which is why he lived on the cami music list for as long as he did. But now that Wilford is no longer there to finance the mistakes there is no longer any point to it. Ditto Lang Lang, who should only be paying an assistant & lawyer and not an agent. There’s always ping pong I guess.
“Emperor has no clothes”.
The trouble is he does, they’re in the worst possible taste and full of holes (ie no technique). At least with Lang Lang it’s difficult to sort the very fine wheat from so much chaff.