Maestra move: BBC takes on another Finn

Maestra move: BBC takes on another Finn

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norman lebrecht

January 25, 2019

It’s one baton after another this morning in the UK.

Following the hot news from Ulster, the BBC Symphony Orchestra has named Dalia Porra as its principal guest conductor.

Dalia, who is Finnish, is a former assistant to Esa-Pekka Salonen at the LA Phil. She changed her name from Stasevska when she married Lauri Porra, a great-grandson of Sibelius.

The BBC’s chief conductor is Sakari Oramo.

‘I’m looking so much forward to this new exciting journey!!’ says Dalia.

Sakari said: ‘I am particularly happy that Finnish conductors keep inspiring London musicians into permanent artistic partnerships.’

 

 

Comments

  • Fraugeigerin says:

    Surprise, surprise! Another woman… it is so unfashionable to appoint a man these days. First it was not “cool” to appoint to any orchestra anyone older than 30 years old, now it is not “cool” to have an orchestra conducted by a man. Top of non-cool is to have a european white male conductor.

    • Malcolm James says:

      Like Daniele Rustioni?

    • OperaFan says:

      So what?

    • Tom says:

      Surprise, surprise! Somebody only able to look at her gender and not entertain the idea that she might be an excellent conductor. Which, by the way, she is. I’d also like to point out that the 3 other conducting positions at the BBC SO are held by men, so I think they’re still ‘cool’ with being conducted by a man. Finally, BBC SO’s much-loved principal conductor (who renewed his contract with the orchestra last year) is Sakari Oramo, who I believe, fits your description of ‘European White Male’. Whether he’s ‘cool’ or not is a matter of opinion, I think he is anyway.

    • Kevin says:

      She is a very fine conductor and more than worthy of this appointment. Don’t worry there are still hundreds of male conductors you can enjoy; although many of them aren’t in the same league as Dalia.

    • Bruce says:

      Ah yes. If a man wins a job, it must be because he’s good. If a woman wins a job, it must be because she’s a woman. (And also she must not be good — or not good enough — because if they hired someone purely on the basis of merit, the winner would be male. Clearly.)

      *sigh*

    • Peter says:

      Yep, white male conductors just can’t get an appointment anywhere, except the bazillion places where they do.

  • Harrumph says:

    She used the “J-word”, that’s a strike against her already.

  • Sergei says:

    World’s getting mad… I had worked with her once – one of the most terrible conductors in my life. Her entire career is about feminism and a bit of Ukrainian background.

    • Peter says:

      I have worked with “Sergei” once before, and I can confirm that he is the worst musician I have ever worked with in my life. He is also the Zodiac killer and kicks kittens in his spare time.

      The claims in the previous paragraph have just as much substance behind them as Sergei’s claims that he has worked with Porra and that she is “one of the most terrible conductors in [his] life”.

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