Sir Simon Rattle gets new German title
mainHe has been named honorary conductor of the Bundesjugendorchester, the national youth orchestra.
Think of it as the Berlin Philharmonic of the future.
The orchestra director said it had honoured Rattle ‘in recognition of the special musical friendship and inspiration we have experienced with him over the past eight years.’
Rattle with BJO. Photo © Peter Adamik
Do they have future plans with Rattle?
Germans love their titles! The one that sticks in my head from when I was learning to swim but was singing over there, was Frau Schwimmbadmeister. It had a ring about it that ‘Sharon, the swimming instructor’ over here in England didn’t quite have! Ha, ha!
Happy Easter and Passover to everyone.
“Germans love their titles!”
High praise coming from a Briton 😉
I think that, everything considered, we love compound words more than titles.
Actually, English people don’t use titles very much, in contrast to either Europeans or Americans (i.e. it is President Obama but only Mr. Cameron). Many English people don’t use the titles to which they qualify.
Austria may be even worse. I love a related Karl Böhm story. When someone addressed him as Herr Professor, he said “Herr Doktor. Jeder Arschloch ist Professor.” (… Every asshole is a professor. ) Professor can also be an honorary title in Austria.
Wenn schon, dann bitte richtig….entweder “Jeder Arsch …” oder “Jedes Arschloch …”.