Flying orchestras – two agencies take a cut

London’s Barbican Centre and Southbank Centre will present Andris Nelsons next May, performing Strauss with his two orchestras, Boston and Leipzig. Nelsons’s agent K D Schmid are involved. So is the London agency AskonasHolt.

Not sure why.

Not sure either that this carbon waste can be justified, flying in two orchestras when one would do.

You may think otherwise. We present the unredacted press release below.

KD SCHMID announced this morning a partnership with the Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre and Askonas Holt to co-present a series of London concerts featuring Andris Nelsons conducting his two orchestras from both sides of the Atlantic.

The Strauss Project will see the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig give two concerts at the Barbican Centre on 9 & 10 May 2022, while the Boston Symphony Orchestra will perform at Southbank Centre on 12 & 13 May 2022. Together, they explore the major concert works of Richard Strauss in a one-of-a-kind residency, with Yuja Wang, Marlis Petersen and Lise Davidsen joining as soloists.

“Following a period of great artistic deprivation due to the pandemic, this project is a sign of hope and togetherness”, commented Andris Nelsons. “The universal power of music binds us beyond borders and continents. Our Strauss Project is particularly close to my heart, and to be able to go on tour, performing his music with my two beloved orchestras, is a dream come true. Both orchestras have a strong history of performing Strauss’ music – and were also conducted by the composer himself.”

“As we emerge from the difficult times caused by the pandemic, we are delighted to collaborate with the Southbank Centre, as well as our colleagues from KD SCHMID and Askonas Holt, to realise Andris Nelsons’ bold vision for The Strauss Project”, said Huw Humphreys, Head of Music at the Barbican. Toks Dada, Head of Classical Music at Southbank Centre, added: “In a post-Brexit, post-pandemic world, collaboration is increasingly important to ensure the arts community continues to achieve its shared ambition to bring great music, and great artists, to as many people as possible.”

Donagh Collins, Chief Executive at Askonas Holt, also commented: “We are very much looking forward to this partnership, which can hopefully inspire a model for presenting orchestras in London, and beyond, into the future”. Karen McDonald, Managing Director at KD SCHMID, concluded “In the true spirit of Andris’ alliance, we’re delighted to be venturing into this new partnership with our friends at Askonas Holt to present two top international orchestras in London in collaboration with the Barbican and Southbank Centre.”

The alliance between the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig was formed under Andris Nelsons’ direction in 2017. It is a multidimensional collaboration designed to create opportunities for the two orchestras, their administrations and for their respective audiences. In addition to new commissions and learning programmes, they have been celebrating their shared mutual heritage while also shedding light on the traditions of each ensemble and the cities they are proud to call home.