Yannick, late to the party, weeps for Met musicians
mainThe music director of the Metropolitan Opera, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, has sneaked to the New York Times a letter he has written to Peter Gelb and the Met board, sympathising with the orchestra musicians who have gone unpaid for the past year.
And where has he been all along?
His letter states, among other things:
Of course, I understand this is a complex situation but as the public face of the Met on a musical level, I am finding it increasingly hard to justify what has happened.
In other words: I’ve just realised this is bad for my image.
We risk losing talent permanently. The orchestra and chorus are our crown jewels, and they must be protected. Their talent is the Met. The artists of the Met are the institution…Protecting the long-term future of the Met is inextricably linked with retaining these musicians, and with respecting their livelihoods, their income, and their well-being…I implore the fiduciaries of this incredible house to urgently help to find a solution to compensate our artists appropriately. We all realize the challenges, economic and otherwise, that the Met is facing, and therefore I ask for empathy, honesty, and open communication throughout this process.
Translation: We’re losing our best players and I never noticed.
This is not Yannick’s finest hour.
UPDATE: Peter Gelb: No-one understands me
Comments