Just in: Currentzis wins Vienna debut for his new orchestra
NewsRelations between the controversial Greek-Russian conductor and Vienna’s Konzerthaus have long been intimate and non-transparent.
Currentzis and the Vienna hall have now struck a deal to launch his new, non-Putin orchestra in Vienna on October 9.
What happens to his Russia-based MusicaEterna ensemble is, like the rest of this saga, unclear.
Everything about Currentzis cries out for investigation.
Press release from the Konzerthaus:
On October 7 and 9, Teodor Currentzis will present his new orchestra project “Utopia”, bringing together 112 musicians from 22 nations.
The debut concerts of the new sound system represent sophisticated and complex orchestral works of the early 20th century – Stravinsky’s third Firebird suite of 1945, as well as Ravel’s masterfully instrumentated second suite from Daphnis et Chloé and the choreographic poem La Valse.
Norman, who appointed you as judge in these issues. I’m getting a little sick of your pious attitude. Please change the record!
Agreed. Same with the Netrebko situation.
Agreed, he’s stuck in yet another groove here.
The same people appointing you as a commenter. Norman might be willing to think more about simple Ukranians killed EVERY day in the way, including my *****ng musician friends.
Puting is the one ordering the killings. VTB are the ones sponsoring rize of Courrentzis. I adore him as a conductor but he is 100% result of Russia financing him and his projects NEEDS to be stopped until this was is over.
This is what Norman is about. Donvote me to oblivion – this is the least I can do to stop this conductor.
Everything about him cries out for investigation. Why? Because you don’t like him?
The persecution of Current is on this site is absolutely ridiculous.
You do realise that the collective punishment of a people is a war crime?
Being financed by a war mongering murderous regime is ok?
Yep. It is. Any other questions?
Every country is immoral. So music above politics.
Bravo!
“collective punishment of a people is a war crime”
was crime? who told you this high sounding nonsense?
How about making your name and keeping making your international name amidst unlawful war from receiving huge regular donations from Putin-backed VTB bank? Have you even so much as googled it?
Utopias always prove themselves dystopias in disguise, lit tells us. Perhaps he should call it ‘dystopia’ right from the beginning and save himself the registration fee, when the time comes from him to rename it again?
This is certainly not ‘just in but known for about a month..
What is ‘non-transparent’ about the relationship between Currentzis and the Konzerthaus? Matthias Naske is a fan. The tickets sell. So he books him.
I wish everyone would be so clear and understand self-evident things, instead of spreading all this cryptic nonsense about morality and attitude.
I don’t get upset about his politics, but I do get upset by his conducting.
Oh come one, please! It‘s not about conducting, music or the composer. It‘s about money, power, entertainment and PR!
Hi Alviano. Just for my own curiosity, what is it that he does with his conducting that you find to be upsetting?
I personally enjoy the rigor Currentzis brings to his music making…but I understand his way of making music might not be for everyone.
For example, the Tchaik violin cto with PatKop definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. But it is certainly my interesting!
Yeah. Past that point. He was once average now he is world-class. Quit your word-game, commenter… but then… you state you are not upset by his suppost of Putin’s war so ho am I to expect any clear thinking of you?
Agreed on leaving aside his political affliations. Musically, what do you all think? Shallow and superficial are some adjectives that come to mind.
A lot of naivete on display here regarding the lofty position of the arts. Music has been and will continue to be used as propaganda. I would suggest that the aggrieved music lovers read a little history.
Ignore the propaganda, enjoy the music.
Honestly, people who attach propaganda to everything are such bores in life.
Next you’ll be saying we should stop eating Russian salad…
This is so nearsighted I can’t even be sure I can read the end of your comment, letters erase themselfs out of fear of being to silly.
Apparently ‚Utopia‘ is a rebranding to conceal the direct connection MAe and VTB bank had.
But money finds ways to be washed. Are we to believe the new ominous ‚European sponsors‘ of Currentzis they officially talk about are anything but the same oligarch money, only channeled through other outlets?
And… do the promoters like Konzerthaus Vienna and Laeiszhalle Hamburg actually check, that the new Utopia orchestra is not just another one that serves TC for horrific low pay and with extreme exploitation?
Maybe we should talk also about Currentzis, the narcissistic abuser? He worked in Russia for a reason, because his abusive employment model worked there.
But is it acceptable for western promoters to exploit it as well?
Dirty business either way, certainly nothing remotely utopian about it.
Of course it’s a rebranding. And it works. It always works. Remember when the Echo Klassik came under fire for the anti-semitism scandal and was renamed the Opus Klassik a short time later? In the end, it was the same meaningless event with the same people on the jury, the same prizes awarded, the same artists, just under a different name, with a hollow short explanation that everything has changed, even though it’s one-to-one the same crap.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/01/arts/music/teodor-currentzis-utopia-musicaeterna.html
An excerpt:
Matthias Naske, the artistic director of the Vienna Konzerthaus, who has said he would not engage MusicAeterna until it secured independent financing, called Utopia an important achievement. The new group will perform at the concert hall in October, during a tour that includes stops in Luxembourg and Germany.
“I am grateful to Teodor Currentzis for his commitment and look forward to many encounters with his new project in the interest of cultural life in Vienna,” Naske said in a statement.
And Naske knows that the new financing is INDEPENDENT how?
Because after the money was transfereed from Moscow to Tel Aviv to Cayman Islands to Liechtenstein he eventually lost track?
Do they all think we are stupid?
Well, probably rightfully they think that.
And to think through all this, instead of forming a new orchestra, Currentzis could actually devote more time to his German Rundfunk orchestra which he almost never conducts.
That‘s the thing. Crazy.
But they don‘t deserve better in Stuttgart, putting up with his nonsense. Stupid is who stupid does.
Maybe also in Stuttgart he can‘t rape the orchestra like he does with the ones he „ownes“.
I just saw C. conduct Beethoven’s 7th and had a hard time not to vomit!