Toronto nails maestro to the end of time

Toronto nails maestro to the end of time

News

norman lebrecht

November 22, 2022

The Toronto Symphony has renewed Gustavo Gimeno’s contract as music director to the end of the decade, and counting.

The Spaniard, 46, is committed to the middle of 2030, with an option to renew.

Let’s hope no-one gets bored.

Comments

  • Barry Guerrero says:

    What?!?. . . considering that it’s already 2023, how’s this a bad thing. And as far as hoping no-one gets bored, nobody who is in the eye of the public can please all people at all times. That doesn’t exist. As a Mahler enthusiast, NL, you should be quite pleased with the Mahler 4 that Gimeno recorded with the fantastic Miah Persson (soprano) for Pentatone. It’s really just as good as the Bychkov and Ivan Fischer ones.

  • Judy says:

    You know that is a picture of Matthew Loden? He’s not their CEO anymore. He’s at Rice University!

  • Franz1975 says:

    Easy to get bored of this guy. This renewal and his inexplicable appointment as MD of Teatro Real (has very reduced opera experience) are a sign of a serious lack of conducting talent and if the power of the artist agencies.

  • sammy says:

    With hot teenage conductors popping up every season like so many annual piano competition winners, from an orchestra’s point of view, it makes no sense to make such a long commitment, but from a conductor’s point of view, better sign as long a contract as possible.

  • Leporello says:

    It seems to me the longer a conductor stays with one orchestra the more routine
    and lackluster the performances become.

    • pjl says:

      not always eg Sir Mark Elder

    • Nick2 says:

      Rather nonsense comments by Sammy and Leporello! They clearly fail to remember that long contracts were quite usual and indeed remain not unusual even after the advent of mass air travel. What about Szell, Koussevitsky, Reiner, Gibson, Furtwanger, G. Fischer and a host of other legendary names who all I believe reached the 25 year mark with little grumbling – at least occasionally until near the end of these long tenures?

  • Jean says:

    Smooth. He has now enough time to program a full Leif Segerstam symphonies cycle.

  • Vincent says:

    From what I’ve heard, the musicians adore him. And fwiw, as a regular audience member, I find that their enthusiasm shows: the TSO sounds better than ever. I’d say this is excellent news.

  • Leporello says:

    I saw Steinberg carried out on a stretcher …Previn phone in his interpretations …
    Maazel looking at his watch as he conducted ….and Jansons with a waiting
    taxi cab outside his dressing room door !
    And now we have Honeck conducting
    Strauss (take your pick ) one more time !

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