Conductor says, Sorry I’m late. It’s the cat’s fault

Conductor says, Sorry I’m late. It’s the cat’s fault

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norman lebrecht

February 26, 2020

The Spaniard Diego Martin-Etxebarria apologised for late arrival at his main job in Krefeld after a guest conducting engagement in Madrid.

Diego, who is Kapellmeister of the Niederrheinischen Sinfoniker, said he never travels anywhere without Charlotte, his cat, and he couldn’t get a seat for her on his flight so he had to take a later one.

It says so here.

 

 

Comments

  • Brian v says:

    He does not have any responsibility. I worked for 50 years unless I was ill I always turned up.

    • Max Grimm says:

      I commend your work ethic but personally, I don’t understand what all this fuss is about or how you can effectively draw accurate conclusions about this person’s responsibility (did you and the other few commenters not read the article?).
      This story is nothing more than “humorous filler” in the ‘local happenings in Krefeld’ section of the Rheinische Post.
      In brief, the cat was to go into the part of the cargo hold where animals are transported, as no animals are allowed in the cabin. The hold was full with other animals when Martin-Etxebarria checked in (he forgot to also preregister the cat for the return flight). As animals can’t simply be left unattended, he was forced to maintain the cat while both waited for the next flight, later that day. Unlike what this thread’s headline may suggest, no engagements were missed.

  • Ross Amico says:

    Totally understandable.

  • Alviano says:

    A picture of the cat would be nice.

  • Alasdair Munro says:

    Di the cat attend any job interviews?Or auditions?

  • Karl says:

    Kitty makes me late all the time. Some mornings I have to get up late because she is so comfy sleeping on my lap and I can’t stand to disturb her. Other days she blocks my way when I try to get out of the shower or bathroom. She’s the boss.

  • Victor Medem Maier says:

    He is very good, serious conductor. First Winner of the Tokyo Competition in 20 years.

  • fflambeau says:

    As Maxwell Smart would have said: “It’s the old, blame it on the cat routine.”

    I don’t believe a word of it.

  • News Nose says:

    Has the cat commented?

  • cats and circumstances says:

    i love that !

  • CYM says:

    I vaguely remember another instance when Diego went to vet with his cat Charlotte and his Labrador dog and arrived late for a rehearsal because of the cat scan and the lab work …

  • Bruce says:

    Actually he does acknowledge that it’s his fault: he forgot to register the cat for the flight, and when he got to the airport they were already at the limit on the number of animals allowed. (If I read it right, he was leaving Spain to go back “home” to Germany, so he couldn’t leave her behind.)

  • Musikliebhaberin says:

    For all who don’t understand german, the article doesn’t state that Maestro Etxebarria had a rehearsal and came late. He just flew home with his cat as a responsible owner does.

  • christopher storey says:

    She is a lovely looking cat

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