Daniel Barenboim quits North American tour
OrchestrasNot altogether unexpectedly, Barenboim has pulled out of the Staatskapelle Berlin’s US and Canada Brahms tour ‘due to health reasons’.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct the orchestra in Carnegie Hall and Philadelphia, the Lithuanian conductor Giedrė Šlekytė will lead in Toronto, making her Canadian debut, and Jakub Hrusa will take over the concerts in Chicago.
At least we can expect some less ponderous,dragging to a halt Brahms now.
Right you are. I heard a ghastly Brahms 2nd in Lucerne this summer with the West-East Divan. Sad indeed. There’s a point where I’ll health really dictates setting work aside convalescence or retirement. DB cued in a few solos. Otherwise he basically didn’t move.
Your pretentious petticoat is showing.
Ah, young Jakub is trying to put in as much face time as he can in Chicago at they search for a music director.
Young Yannick is basically the resident conductor of Carnegie Hall. Until the Dude arrives, Yannick basically runs New York.
The name Giedrė Šlekytė says it all about how much Toronto matters in the tour.
He’s in town conducting Jenufa at Lyric Opera anyway. Makes sense to me.
What’s with the spite, Hrusa is in town conducting Jenufa, has nothing else to do between performances other than visiting the CSO, has likely worked with the orchestra before, and is a worthy stand in. It’s them needing a conductor and not vice versa. Why not see it as helping an institution who otherwise would be in a pickle?
No need, Klaus Mäkelä (or Jasper) has already signed with CSO from 2027. He will be flying between Amsterdam and Chicago. Not sure how Amsterdam will take it.
What made him choose CSO over Cleveland?
No he hasn’t
It’s a good connection, about 11 hours. If Jaap van Zweden could do it from Amsterdam to Dallas, can he, too? 1st class (with noise cancellation headphones doesn’t sound too bad for studying scores and having some rest!
Au contraire, the Berlin Staatskapelle is trying out the second home of their new music director, Christian Thielemann, before he accepts the marriage proposal from Chicago.
It was originally meant to be a homecoming for Barenboim with his new wife, but as fate would have it, it’s going to be a new husband for Chicago.
Giedrė Šlekytė is a great conductor. She is vastly superior over Barenboim.
Oh my goodness another one that needs a psychiatrist
She is.Barenboim alwayshas been a technically mediocre, musically erratic conductor….Now,he´s not even that anymore.
Jakub also has accents in his surname, same as Yannick et Giedrė.
So why do you not write Hrůša instead of coyly using his first name? Too much like work?
Hrusa and Yannick are worthy stand-ins for this great institution on tour (Hrusa for quality, and Yannick for popularity in these two cities). Although Slekyte is a promising talent, it is irresponsible to subject ticket buyers in Canada to her attempt to conduct the complete Brahms symphonies. She is inexperienced and not yet able to demonstrate much musicality or influence over major orchestras.
Niet Flo (riane?) let’s ask the musicians what they Think ?
I know he’s local for Carnegie and Philly, but seeing as YNS is there so much, I would think Hrusa conducting in New York and Philly and YNS in Chicago would make more sense. If YNS had the time.
I have my doubts Hrusa doing a guest-orchestra gig in Chicago is going to influence the CSO.
Hrusa is in Chicago conducting Lyric, it’s pure convenience
Is it worth asking how well this superb orchestra can be expected to play on tour while under the baton of three different conductors? Do the audiences or the orchestra deserve this?
Your comment raises an interesting string of related questions? Will the Staatskapelle be performing Barenboim’s conception of the pieces? Will they perform three disparate conceptions based on the conductor (in which case the audience experience will vary importantly in each city)? Or will they just be performing their own collective interpretation regardless of who’s in front (and each of these three will just be there to more or less MC the proceedings)?
A superb orchestra can play under any number of conductors and still be superb.
I sang in the chorus of the Cleveland Orch. and trust me, some of the greatest concerts have come, historically and worldwide too, through a last minute substitute conductor. We sang for Robert Shaw in his last concert there, at the dress rehearsal, longtime director of choruses under Szell, but then 3 days later opening night he was taken ill minutes before the downbeat, and our chorus director Gareth Morrell stepped in.
He had to borrow sundry parts of his dress tails from sundry orchestra players to make an outfit greater than the sum of those parts, so as to conduct the Schubert E b Mass (without a score, mind you?!) and led us all in one of the most scintillating performances we had ever been associated with,April ’98. I had family who had flown out to hear Shaw lead us, but were bowled over by Maestro Gareth (now for 25 years with the NY Met) and his truly great talents. Stratospheric. Of course, too, his backup band then was the best, chops beyond all telling.
Not always such great results with understudies, but some of the greatest conductors have made their debuts that way. History is just loaded with them. Go figure.
So, expect the unexpected, often a truly major treat.
Contemporary orchestras of this rank could play under Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd and still give a great performance. Or, in fact, no conductor at all.
It’s next to impossible to conduct worse than Barenboim for a decent conductor these days (and some additional past days). He shouldn’t accept or even get these offers any more – he’s clearly not Blomstedt.
Sorry to break it to you, but Blomstedt is equally as bad these days. Players in our orchestra line up to take his week off
No, Blomsted is on top of the situation,always!!!!! Barenboim….well,the orchestras carry him through,sometimes succesfully,sometimes less so…
The great maestro will be missed by all. We are thankful for his long and distinguished career as pianist and conductor. And for his great efforts to bring people together through the gift of music.
Hope Barenboim gets better soon!
I wish we understood what Barenboim’s illness is. I’d like to know he will be well again soon.
Google is your friend. it’s been well documented
Vasculitis is rare, there are a wide range of different types, symptoms & life expectancies after diagnosis.
No need to be condescending.
It’s high time for him to retire. He did great things in his time, but his time is clearly over.
It is hard to travel when you are unwell.
I’m sure the current war is not helping any.
On behalf of Toronto’s Koerner Hall, at the Royal Conservatory of Music, we are thrilled to present Giedrė Šlekytė for 2 sold out concerts next weekend. While, of course, we are saddened not to have Maestro Barenboim with us, the opportunity to give Šlekytė her North American debut with an orchestra she knows well (and has recently conducted to great acclaim) is wonderful. Incidently, Maestra JoAnn Falletta is also conducting in our hall this week. Times are changing, thank goodness.
Yannick conducting Brahms?
No, thank you ! Generally, German repertoire isn’t his forte …
His Brahms cycle in Baden Baden with the COE was the best since Mackerras and the SCO..And,like Mackerras,he did the beginning of the1st in two,not in elephantine 6( as the phrasing of the celli and basses in the score,and the marking poco sostenuto implies).
It was a relevation.
A great opportunity for Giedrė Šlekytė
You can say Barenboim did not stretch too thin. He succeeded in many genres. But it is time to receive the younger generation.