Berlin replaces Alondra de la Parra

Berlin replaces Alondra de la Parra

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norman lebrecht

November 10, 2019

The Berlin Staatsoper’s revival of Yuval Sharon’s production of Mozart’s Magic Flute shows a change of conductor.

Alondra de la Parra, who conducted the premiere run in February in place of Franz Welser-Möst has herself now been substituted by Julien Salemkour and Alexander Soddy.

The initial run received appalling reviews.

De La Parra this weekend conducts her final concert as music director in Queensland, Australia.

Comments

  • taste says:

    Matthias Schulz shows a sense of taste . now he should eliminate other inferior conductors which good connections to Daniel or big agencies – and no other skills or experience ..

  • Jean says:

    What happened ?

  • NYMike says:

    Help stamp out bad conductors!

  • Joel Lazar says:

    Her quality has been an open secret for years.

  • Sir David Geffen-Hall says:

    If she’s in the pit, you can’t see her.

    If you can’t see her, she’s average.

    If you can see her, she’s easy on the eyes and it makes up for her weaknesses.

    She should stay with the orchestral rep.

  • Gustavo says:

    Parralysed.

  • V. Lind says:

    She recently cancelled something because of ill health, and this usually-carping blog wished her well. Is it not possible that this cancellation simply means she has not yet recovered? And yet the knives are out. Doesn’t take much to bring out malice around here.

  • De la Puerra says:

    It is just appalling that a house of this level invited this “conductor” in the first place. Just appalling!

  • Tromba in F says:

    Might she be a victim of the extreme “woke-ness” prevalent today? Is she just a puppet of some agency wishing to cash in on her good looks, despite her lack of gravitas as a conductor? How wonderful it would be to have a serious Maestra – especially one with an exotic name and heritage. That would check off a couple of woke boxes at once. The societal pressure to appease every demographic and special interest group in the name of being woke (a ridiculous term in and of itself) is simply appalling. Hail mediocrity!

  • Pilgrim56 says:

    I am amazed how many people judge without knowing. That is modern poor and mean behavior. O tempora o mores!

    I saw two Shows of that Magic Flute in September. Alondra de la Parra conducting. And I was very happy with evrything, on the musical side. The staging is a different story…

    As I heard she saved everybody’s a.. by replacing Welser-Moest earlier that year.

    And yes, she did the revival. So why replaced? To me it seems that she is busy with other concerts now in November and December. Staatskapelle Dresden and Tonhalle Zürich, two major orchestras.

    Please, stay with facts and don’t slip and fall.

    • Agile Canary says:

      The only ones who slip and fall are unfortunately those who AdlP gets involved with. The facts speak for themselves through the carnage she consistently leaves in her wake. Being released from duty had nothing to do with her other engagements this year.

      She didn’t save anyone’s ass in Berlin. Rather, she was desperate to promote her own, dropped everyone around her, and was herself dropped in the end because the players couldn’t stand it any more. Her disasters are entirely of her own making.

  • Pilgrim56 says:

    Just to strengthen my point of view:

    I attended today’s Magic Flute again, conducted by whoever, but not A de la Parra.

    Unfortunately!

    The musical side was a desaster! It seemed to me like a middle class repertoire performance.
    A huge difference in terms of quality of music and phrasing and balance and artistry to what I experienced some weeks ago. I don’t mean the singers!
    Pape, Prégardien, Saenz Molinero etc. were great, but the coordination and the orchestra… Almost provincial.

    An opera company accepting a decrease of quality in that amount is to be called silly. They should have fought for de la Parra to do ALL shows.

    • Agile Canary says:

      You went to see the show for a third time so you could come back here and strengthen your point? That’s keen.

      Do you have anything else to disclose, Pilgrim56?

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