The Verbier Festival, which has failed to answer questions about James Levine’s tenure as music director of the festival orchestra between 2000 and 2009, has announced Valery Gergiev as its next m.d., from this summer.
He succeeds Charles Dutoit, who retired after eight seasons.
The orchestra, with players aged 16 to 29, requires intensive rehearsal.
That is not Valery Gergiev’s forte. He is a last-minute kind of music director.
This is a questionable appointment in troubling times. Martin Engstroem, the founder (below), is earnestly trying to focus attention on the festival’s 25th anniversary.
The once-prestigious Palau de les Arts in Valencia was headless last night after Davide Livermore quit as artistic director. Livermore was rushed into the job after the arrest of Helga Schmidt on spurious financial charges.
Yesterday, the board met to change Livermore’s terms of reference. He took umbrage and walked.
The iconic Johnny Hallyday, a French singer who modelled his act on Elvis Presley, has died of cancer at 74.
His death was announced by President Macron, who said, ‘We all have something of Johnny Hallyday in us.’
The nation mourns.
Unlike lawyer-vetted statements by other orchestras distancing themselves from the disgraced ex-music director, the Boston Symphony has let its feelings show in a belated announcement last night.
It calls his alleged conduct ‘horrific’ and says Boston will never work with him again.
Statement:
In light of the recent horrific allegations against James Levine outlined in various media accounts since December 2, there is no doubt that the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the classical music industry must seriously reflect on this moment and determine ways to ensure sexual misconduct has no place in our industry. Though the Boston Symphony Orchestra (including Tanglewood and the Boston Pops, among other programs) meets top industry standards on all issues of employee safety, the orchestra is reviewing its policies regarding work place abuse and harassment issues to make certain they continue to meet and exceed the highest standards. In the new year, the BSO plans to convene a symposium with human resource experts who specialize in policy-making around these relevant issues to ensure the safest possible environment for all involved in our organization. The BSO is committed to a zero-tolerance policy towards anyone who exhibits inappropriate behavior in the workplace. Behavior by any employee of the BSO that runs counter to these core values would not be tolerated and would be met with the most serious consequences. While considering hiring James Levine as music director, through a third party, the Boston Symphony Orchestra adhered to due diligence in line with its employee hiring process, including a background check with a criminal screening and an analysis of any possible civil claims, as well as numerous conversations with music professionals across the country associated with Mr. Levine throughout his long career. Although the current allegations paint a different story about Mr. Levine, the BSO’s vetting process in 2001 did not reveal cause for concern. The Boston Symphony Orchestra has not worked with James Levine since he stepped down as music director in 2011; he will never be employed or contracted by the BSO at any time in the future.
Clearly, it’s not enough just to go through an HR vetting procedure. As several of us wrote at the time, Boston’s hiring of Levine as music director was a spectacularly obtuse decision.
The national colours are blue and white.
The nation was defined by Jean Sibelius in 1899.
Today, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hannu Lintu, will perform two world premieres:
Lotta Wennäkoski: Untill the Dreams and Magnus Lindberg: Tempus fugit, followed by the Kullervo-symphony by Sibelius, with 150 singers from the Estonian national male choir and the Finnish Polytech Choir.
Watch it live here from 1300 GMT. Listen to it from your sauna.
