When Yannick cancelled Carnegie Hall, Hollywood awaited

When Yannick cancelled Carnegie Hall, Hollywood awaited

News

norman lebrecht

December 14, 2023

You may recalled that the Metropolitan Opera’s music director pulled out of a chamber concert with his musicians at Carnegie Hall in order to join the publicity bandwaggon for the Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro.

Well, here’s the result – pictures from an exhibitionist.

Yannick introduced by NL lookalike

Comments

  • IP says:

    Reminds me of Mrs Bluecher in Young Frankenstein suggesting a tie.

  • Elizabeth Owen says:

    Poor devil thinks he’s sexy. How sad.

  • A.L. says:

    Couldn’t afford a shirt? Or maybe he’s watched one too many episodes of Miami Vice?

  • Anthony says:

    I don’t understand this chap. He has every single possibility of being one of the greatest conductors…and he refuses to seize the opportunity. Sad

  • anmarie says:

    … awesome

  • Daniel Reiss says:

    Would he accept that in an opera singer?

  • zayin says:

    I think the LA Phil has found its new music director to replace Dudamel.

    So Hollywood, out of sight out of mind, bye bye to the Dude, Hello Gorgeous!

  • PL says:

    look at me I want to be famous!

  • zayin says:

    Is there any doubt that Peter Gelb pre-approved it before Yannick booked his flight to LA?

    The only thing Gelb regrets is that he couldn’t tag along.

    (How was the concert by the way? Did anyone go? See what I mean?!)

    • Tiredofitall says:

      Of course, Gelb had to approve it. The Met is desperate for ANY publicity at the moment, negative or not. They think it keeps them relevant. (Spoiler alert: it does not.)

  • John says:

    The queen is cringe city

  • Mister New York says:

    I’ve seen many great conductors at the Met in over 50 years of attendance. Unfortunately he’s not on of them.

  • drummerman says:

    Let’s take up a collection to buy him some shirts.

  • frank says:

    Victim of fashion

  • David says:

    Let’s not forget the pic of him in a bathrobe on a bed, sipping champagne in Montreal during the pandemic while the Met orchestra was furloughed without pay. Utterly clueless. Let’s hope his substitute, Mr Waghorn, gets some much-deserved accolades.

  • Tiredofitall says:

    Those photos just make me feel sad. Such a lack of self-awareness is unfathomable.

  • James Weiss says:

    Does he have an aversion to being fully clothed in public? His narcissim is off the charts even for a conductor.

  • Plum says:

    Yikes….

  • Fei Lin Luther says:

    If LA gets Yannick you will be lucky indeed. His results as a conductor are phenomenal.
    I attend philharmonic concerts in NYC and Philadelphia and Los Angeles. I am lucky indeed!!

  • Elaine says:

    Sorry but I don’t understand the double standard – blond woman (sorry I don’t know her name) can wear a dress nearly slipping off her bosom but Yannick cannot show a bit of cleavage?

    As for his talent as a conductor – he never fails to impress me.

    • Tiredofitall says:

      “Blond woman”….not even a name? Do you have so little regard for your sex? Whoever she is, she is a person with a name. Google it if you must.

  • Don Ciccio says:

    Serenity Now!

  • Sue Sonata Form says:

    Yannick is no more or less an exhibitionist than Yuja Wang. It’s the modern way; look at me!!

  • justsaying says:

    Bernstein himself took some raps for time spent on the celebrity circuit…..but there was one big difference (easy to pinpoint from any comparison of the two doing their main job)…

  • Pompous McFiddlesticks says:

    I’m not well-versed in the classical world, but my interest has been piqued since discovering Yannick. After delving into some old content from Slipped Disc, it seems that Norman Lebrecht harbors some kind of fascination with Yannick. Though to us, he may come across as a homophobe, there could be underlying complexities. What I, as an outsider, can assert is that Yannick has captured my interest and that of many non-classical music enthusiasts. It’s no surprise that classical music fans are often labeled as elitists and know-it-alls, as evident in this comment section. Perhaps, for classical music to live on, enthusiasts could consider evolving with the times, much like Yannick has demonstrated.

    • The Times says:

      Except that depends on whether you think ‘the times’ are worth following. Many of us, whether you know much about classical music or not, or whatever age or sexuality you are – think that much of ‘the times’ and Yannick’s behaviour is sheer stupidity.

    • Liam Allan-Dalgleish says:

      Inscrutable.

  • Papageno says:

    I remember during his Rotterdam days when he refused to wear a tie while conducting on the podium (a habit he mostly still practices). Now it’s moved on to not wearing a shirt.

    I assume not wearing pants or underwear is next.

  • OSF says:

    Oh get over yourselves, people!

  • Joe Green says:

    Wasn’t needed there. And frankly not needed anywhere.

  • Mr. Ron says:

    Yannick coached the movie’s star in conducting. This was understandable.

  • Pufft says:

    Put a shirt on you wannabe.

  • David A. Boxwell says:

    If only conductors of the past had displayed more heavage, they’d be better remembered today.

  • OSF says:

    A little late, but wanted to make a point nobody else seems to have while hating on YNS (a popular sport on this site).

    In inviting YNS to the premiere and giving him prominence on the red carpet, Bradley Cooper is good enough to make clear that while he was out there waving the stick in the film, it’s actually YNS who did the conducting of the music you hear on the soundtrack and was a consultant and instructor for the director/star. In other words, the lip-syncher is giving due credit. Would anyone have begrudged Marni Nixon when (I assume) she went to the premiere of West Side Story, where she sang for Natalie Wood?

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