Whither LA Phil? The NY Times weeps
NewsA substantial feature by no fewer than three writers and a team of New York Times editors considers the future of the Los Angeles orchestra after the departure of its CEO to Boston and its music director, three years later, to New York.
Is this the end of the Walt Disney Fantasia hall? Its president says: ‘Hopefully the sun will shine on us again.’
Is this real journalism, or simmering Schadenfreude?
Read here (if you must).
It’s weird how these US commentators seem to attach so much importance to one or two charismatic leaders. Doesn’t the LA audience have any loyalty to their own city’s orchestra? They’re hardly going to fly to NY every time they want to hear a concert, surely?
These posts bear no relationship to the community’s support of the LAPO. They’re merely posturing opinions by ostensible cognoscenti who know nothing at all about SoCal or it’s major orchestra. So the comment as made above is pointless. Of course the community supports its orchestra as with any other major world orchestra. We will see a new MD appointed, quite possibly a woman, and it will be someone hopefully of stature who can move the LAPO forward in the post-Dudamel era.
‘Is this real journalism, or simmering Schadenfreude?’
A question often asked whilst reading this website.
Yes, an hilarious lack of self-awareness from the man who wrote this during one of the busiest years in the history of the London film session business-
‘The flow of large-scale recordings is over. Abbey Road stands largely empty. And whatever work is left to go around gets done at much lower cost in Munich and Prague.’
this website is mostly about ‘Shock and Awe”.
If you do read, it seems ultimately hopeful for Los Angeles. Why the negativity? Where’s the schadenfreude?
Believe me, if there be “Schadenfreude”, it’s coming from LA towards the East Coast, and not the other way around, given Dudamel’s mediocre Mahler debut panned by the New Yorker and the NYT, and given the nasty stuff coming out about the departing CEO to Boston.
I have a feeling that in LA, it’s more like: “Suckers!”
The biggest problem for NY is that Dudamel isn’t coming for another THREE years, a lot can happen in three years, just look at Paris, Dudamel quit after TWO!
All the excitement generated by his appointment, all that over-the-top coverage by the NYT, all that will dissipate in three years.
There are only so many articles the NYT can write in three years with the headline “superstar conductor” before it loses the fizz.
There are only so many times Dudamel can keep coming and giving mediocre interpretations in three year before the champagne goes flat and luke warm.
> Beckmen said the long line of successful music directors, going back half a century, made him confident about the next chapter. “We’ve been very fortunate,” he said. “Hopefully the sun will shine on us again.”
Just to state the obvious: they will of course want Klaus Mäkelä, who has already learnt and conducted a few of their recent commissions. They can wait until, say, 2029 when he has only one job in Europe left. Since LA doesn’t do summer festival tours in Europe (they play at the Hollywood Bowl) or Carnegie Hall visits (they went there once in 30 years), the conflict with his job in Amsterdam should be small.
LA Phil will not hire Klaus Makela- he’s a white male. LA is too “woke” to make that mistake and get “canceled”.
I have no idea what you are talking about. I see plenty of “white males” in leading roles in Hollywood movies. The “wokest” classical personalities in LA went to school in Boston, and LA is getting rid of them.
Makela doesn’t have any space in his schedule for Chicago or LA, plain and simple. LA may well see a female appointee as MD.
Mäkelä likely won’t renew in either Paris or Oslo, so he will only have 12 weeks in Amsterdam after 2027. Of course he has space in his schedule.
Makela is no wonder, he can make Chosta jazz suite boring….
Years ago Alex Ross pronounced the LA Phil as “the most creative, and therefore the best” orchestra in America. I was reminded Linus of the “Peanuts” cartoons explaining that the Great Pumpkin will grace the “most sincere” pumpkin patch with a visit each Halloween. I wrote a letter to the New Yorker, and copied Mr. Ross on it, trying to parse out exactly what makes one orchestra more “creative” than another. Is it that they program new music that the critic approves of? Their musicians phrase solos in unusual and convincing ways? They wear appealing and unique concert dress? I’m still waiting for an answer.
He could have simply said LA Phil is the best because it clearly is, in terms of its precision, transparency, balance, warmth, chamber-like quality in its ensemble playing, strength of its star principals, and of course true versatility in style. But of course he will never say that because it would hurt the feelings of players from other orchestras.
Well, it’s not the best. It’s good if not great, but it’s not the best and never has been.
It has outstripped every other orchestra in America in its playing since early 2010s. You are simply not listening.
The LA Phil had its own new music ensemble (Green Umbrella), its own Youth Orchestra (YOLA), far more neighborhood outreach than other major US Orchestras, special programmining (beyond live concerts) with KUSC and some really wild stuff like Zappa’s 200 Motels and an across city performance of Annie Gosfield’s War of the Worlds. There’s part of your answer.
Levine apologist ignores the orchestra and its conductor but has big praise for his dear friend Chad Smith—who cares. He can now call Boston Symphony “the most creative, and therefore the best” orchestra in America to his heart’s content.
LA Phil was doing fine with E-PS and better with the Dude. They’ll be fine – somehow they have it figured out.
Is there any “real journalism” anymore?
I agree it ultimately adds up to a lot of thumb-sucking. But you have to give them credit for getting quotes from folks like Gehry and Salonen.
samach: “…given the nasty stuff coming out about the departing CEO to Boston.”
What exactly is going on behind the scenes?
Everyone (based on tastes, preferences, politics) tends to put a spin on people, places, ideas. But comments regarding Smith, Dudamel, Geffen Hall, etc, have a way of being all over the place.
As for the LA Phil, if their next conductor has the esoteric or symbolic qualities of a Susanna Malkki (she ain’t no symphonic version of a Kobe Bryant or Whitney Houston—talent and charisma being both tangible and intangible), they’ll seem to have ended up with sloppy seconds.
It’s the parochial and ideological NYT. Forget it.
LA Phil’s future is super bright with prospects such as Mirga, Makela, and Cate Blanchett
I have looked at both orchestras websites and LA wins easily. Amazing programming as well. The Dude is for real.
Ross writes lots of nice but worthless stuff, like “the most creative” line.
He was also an apologist big-time for James Levine and trashed his Japanese predecessor. Was it Sibelius who once said something like there are zero statues commemorating critics.
LA Phil will be just fine as long as they have the Hollywood Bowl. The BIGGEST reason for their success! $$$$$$$$