Just in: Yannick’s too sick for Lucerne
NewsThe wildly overcommitted music director of the Met, Philadelphia and Montreal has submitted one of his occasional cancellations.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin has told the Lucerne Festival he is too sick to conduct its resident orchestra in a pair of concerts in the next few days.
The first will be taken over by the concertmaster, the second by the Czech Jakub Hrusa.
Hmmm, he’s not “wildly over overcommitted” if the Met has not played for a year (and the orchestra not yet ratified a new contract), and the Philadelphia in little better shape…
Talking about overcommitted, ahem … Jakub Hrusa?
Over committed is relevant if his physical condition dictates stopping. He has a recurring injury that reacts to over exertion.
And this is news because? People get sick. And how, pray tell, is he “wildly over-committed”? If I recall correctly, the Met hasn’t been open for well over a year.
Yes, Philadelphia and New York are two major posts, but the two cities are an hour apart by Acela train. His Montreal position (OSM – Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal) is really an honorary or emeritus one. It is where he got his start as an orchestral conductor and he just conducts a few concerts a year there. Montreal is also where YNS makes his home.
I agree that it’s a nice situation for him in terms of the proximity of his jobs. But before Covid, he had periodically cancelled major guest conducting appearances, including a couple with the BPO and VPO. At that time, I felt like he was probably overextending himself by accepting too many guest appearances. But that’s clearly not an issue now.
phf655
His Montreal position is not with the OSM but with the OM – Orchestre Métropolitain de Grand Montréal. These are two quite different orchestras. His position there is neither honorary nor emeritus. He is the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.
He has no relationship with OSM, his orchestra in Montreal is the Orchestre Metropolitain.
Orchestre métropolitain (OM), not OSM. Rafael Payare is the MD at the OSM, starting September.
Also, he’s very good at repeating programmes between the OM and other orchestras. And in Montréal, they get top soloists for it (like Lise Davidsen in Fidelio, etc.).
He is Music Director of Montreal’s “Orchestre Métropolitain”, not the OSM – Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal.
Hope he/you has/have a speedy recovery!
Your bias is showing again. During the pandemic he has not been exactly running from commitment to commitment. Who is? Given some of the rogues you are highlighting in your news (not opinion) site, what exactly is your underlying beef with him? Not a screamer, not a groper, not an antisemite, not a prima donna, not an insensitive ego-maniac, not a musically incompetent show-off, not unapproachable. Yes, he appears to be in high demand, but when did that become a a fault?
Some good points here, but for me one possible “beef” with YNS may be that for almost a year he did not utter a single word in support of “his” Met musicians. And by the way, if you know of a “news” outlet that does not have any opinion about anything, please share, because I certainly have never seen one yet.
Is there such a thing as an overcommitted orchestra conductor now days?
The description may have fit before Covid, but now, there is no reason to think his illness is either not real or the result of spending too much time conducting in too many different cities.
I am available to fill in conduct at the last minute, to rub tanning oil on Yuja, and to turn pages for one of those piano babes. I do this not for fees but to do my little part to save humanity.
Please PM me for all details.
Thank you and God Bless.
Wildly overcommitted is correct.