Madrid brings home a world Maestro
NewsThe Teatro Real has appointed Gustavo Gimeno as music director from 2025, succeeding Ivor Bolton, who will have held he post for 11 years.
Gimeno, 46, is from Valencia. He is presently music director of the Toronto Symphony and the Luxembourg Philharmonic.
One of those jobs will have to go, most likely Luxembourg.
He is managed by the London firm HarrisonParrott.
Very good choice from Madrid. Important to don’t forget also when he worked as musician at the Concertgebouw.
Has he conducted much opera?
According to a well-known website he has conducted 7 operas, 68 performances in total. I know DMA conducting students with more works and performances.
Wonderful! Terrific conductor & a lovely person as well. Always nice to see an orch player who rises up thru the international conducting ranks like this.
This is one more important music directorship in Spain held by a Spanish conductor, and far from the only one.
Good choice? The man has conducted a few titles of opera in his life and is not a regular guest conductor in ANY of the world’s greatest opera houses.
This is a man who has gone from percussionist to conductor with the help of Jansons and Abbado and has never spent any serious time studying the craft of opera conducting. He obviously has a very limited knowledge of voices.
You really wonder how it’s no longer important to hire conductors who actually know about their craft, especially in opera where it is so important,
It sounds to me that this a political decision and that Gimeno has been happy to accept a position that he is obviously not qualified for. But I don’t think he cares a flying hoot and just wants to make his money and will probably conduct all the operas at the Teatro Real for the first time – that’s really going to help develop the theatre.
Maybe there are some slipped disc readers out there who work at the Teatro Real and could shed some light on how well his Prokofiev went down?
But he’s Spanish!
I’m no where near knowing what’s going on in Madrid but it’s common knowledge that Teatro Real is a political hotbed. I imagine there was tremendous pressure to hire a Spaniard for this job. It doesn’t matter that he has limited opera experience. He’s the right nationality, he’s well known & he’s good. What he doesn’t know he’ll learn quickly. I have complete confidence that he’ll do a fine job.
Look, a few people here keep whining that not enough Spanish conductors are conducting Spanish orchs. It’s not even close to being true – there are plenty. But here’s an in-your-face example of a top Spanish music directorship going to a Spanish conductor. You don’t think he’ experienced enough at opera? Too bad. He’s Spanish. Maybe you can’t have everything. He’s a bright guy, a fine conductor, this is a good appointment & he’ll be terrific.
According to operabase that is his opera repertoire:
Norma 2015
Simon Boccanegra 2017
Rigoletto 2018
Macbeth 2019
Aida 2020
The Fiery Angel 2022
That is not enough to become musical chief in any opera house!!!
Everyone in Spain knows that Gustavo Gimeno is only a good conductor imitator but nothing more. He has no experience and no affinity to opera. It is surprising that an institution like the Teatro Real has made such a mistake.