Maestro move: Finn gives up a job
NewsGothenburg Symphony’s Chief conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali will step down in summer 2025 to pursue more guest conducting.
He is also principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London.
In an apparently unrelated move, Gothenburg has renewed Barbara Hannigan as Principal Guest Conductor until 2028.
Rouvali has done a fantastic work. I went on purpose to see him with this marvelous orchestra (my favorite after the one in my name) in the magical Gothenburg concert hall. I only regret that he didn’t make more records. But that it’s a problem with all the top conductors today. At least there are several concerts on video.
I wasn’t blown away by his recent concert with the DSO Berlin – the Tchaikovsky violin concerto was taken at a ridiculous breakneck speed. Now, whether that was him or Vadim Gluzman, who knows. The Shostakovich 10 was pretty good, though.
That being said, the Göteborg hall and orchestra are absolutely magnificent; I hope to visit soon and here the new (partially underground) organ.
I wish you a great visit and I hope you do get a chance to hear their new pipe organ. Alas, New York City’s two major concert halls don’t have anyone with the correct breeding to know to permanently install a large concert pipe organ.
I heard them in Stockholm in 2018 and was mightily impressed by both orchestra and conductor. I guess that’s a decently long tenure, and Goteborg may be like Borussia Dortmund; they get great players near the start of their rise when they do the work that makes them attractive to supposedly bigger teams, then get another one when they move on. Alas, no multi-million dollar transfer fee.
Is he about to make a play for Chicago?