Just in: Top maestro retires
NewsThe Dutch conductor Edo De Waart announced his retirement this morning after a 60-year international career. His final position was as honorary conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. He has cancelled his last two concert with them, saying it was ‘a difficult decision’.
Edo de Waart, 82, was an oboist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra when he won the Dimitri Mitropoulos Competition in New York. He became assistant to Leonard Bernstein in New York and Bernard Haitink in Amsterdam. He started conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in 1967 and became music director from 1973 to 1979.
In the US he was music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, 1977 to 1985 and of the Minnesota Orchestra, 1986 to 1995. He directed the Netherlands RPO from 1989 to 2004.
Elsewhere, he was chief of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
He made numerous recordings, mostly on the Philips label, and married six times.
Like many Dutch conductors, he was highly proficient in Bruckner and Mahler. He was a musicians’ musician.
UPDATE: Karina Canellakis, present chief of the radio orchestra, said: ‘Edo de Waart has played a significant role for both the Dutch as well as the international orchestral world, not only as a great craftsman and interpreter of standard repertoire, but also as a fervent advocate of contemporary music. His dedication to fortifying and refining the RFO has produced lasting results which I am grateful to continue into the future as Chief Conductor of this orchestra. His recordings and past performances with various world orchestras remain as some of the finest interpretations, and his presence on the podium will be missed by many musicians.’
Edo de Waart a top-maestro? …ridiculous!
what is your problem?
it’s Klaus writing
Or one of the ex-wives.
One of his six wives was soprano Roberta Alexander.
Happy retirement
Yes, wasn’t his nickname Edo de Vorce?
I respect him as a conductor but that said, he is one of the most disparaged in the business. He has had run-ins with numerous orchestra musicians, including a number who have walked out on him in rehearsal and/or told him off in front of the other players. I’m not opining, I never studied his work etc.
[However, it is amusing that, due to his many, many ex-wives, his nickname is Edo Divorce].
I imagine that any conductor after decades in the business will inevitably have rubbed at least some people the wrong way. I’ve even heard negative scuttlebutt about the saintly Abbado. Just perusing the comments section under this post indicates that at least some others greatly enjoyed playing under de Waart. You can’t please all of the people all of the time.
No prizes for guessing which conductor gained the nickname Frankly Worse Than Most then!
Says you???
A dwarf compared to Yannick and Klaus ..but still
He was better than most.
Of all his recordings, those of music by John Adams and Steve Reich in San Francisco strike me as his best.
His Nixon in China with Chicago was also terrific.
Got to work with him on a recording of Glazunov’s Seasons, which is still one of my favorite projects.
The social set in SF disparaged him because he wasn’t flashy, which is why they turned to MTT afterwards. But I still remember his conducting of a Brahms symphony as the best I ever heard.
They did not say why but Edo withdrew from Friday’s concert for this Friday. We are super disappointed but I hope he’s well. It is strange that he would announce the retirement just 2 days before this concert.
Perhaps the Maestro is unwell but wishes not to disclose details – perfectly understandable, especially if one is so often in the public eye.
This is (part of) what he said in an interview with Netherlands Radio 4 the morning this became public:
“I woke up at 5:30 yesterday morning to get ready for rehearsal and I thought, what am I even doing? I was wobbly on my feet, and then I thought, I just shouldn’t do it anymore. I have no more confidence that I can do it in the best way possible.”
Edo de Waart is 82.
Such a wonderful conductor and person. A few years ago the Dutch radio host Hans Haffmans interviewed Edo de Waart about his life and career. Very interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHG-XUHgSKM&t=3s
When Robert Shaw passed away, Edo de Waart was named as his replacement for a performance of Brahms’ German Requiem by the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. To this day, that brilliant performance is the standard that I compare all other live performances of that work to. Edo de Waart and the orchestra and chorus were superhuman that evening. It was simply overwhelming. I’ll never forget that performance, and am grateful to Maestro de Waart for one of the most impactful concerts I ever attended.
One of the most respected conductors, I first heard Edo de Waart’s name in 1988 when Hanna Saxon told me, “Edo is one of my boys”. I didn’t know what she meant. Before Hanna was the leader of the South Florida Council of the Chopin Foundation of the United States, she was a pianist who delved into working with philanthropic organizations, and even earlier, convinced Leonard Bernstein to co-chair the first Dmitri Mitropoulos competitions in piano and conducting. It was an official project of the President’s Music Committee of the People-to-People Program. The Women’s Division of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York acted as organizer and main sponsor, which was run by Hanna. Agustin Anievas won for piano in 1961, and, in 1963, it became the competition for conductors. Edo de Waart, Christoph Eschenbach, Claudio Abbado, James DePriest, and others, successively won the conducting competition which Hanna successfully managed. At first, Bernstein said, ‘No, I have no time’. She didn’t give up. But then, she succumbed and went to the elevator in the Dakota building and went outside. ‘Lenny’ found her before she left too far, and said, “Ms. Saxon, I’ll do it. Because if I don’t, you’ll never stop chasing me to do it!” They helped these young conductors boost their young careers. They have contributed so much to music. Good luck to Maestro de Waart in his retirement.
I always thought that as much as he got around, he still sort of operated under the radar. But A-list ensembles kept hiring him as music director and as a guest, so I assume he knew what he was doing. I hope he’s well.
A fine musician, I often thought he deserved a higher profile than he has. No pomposity, he just gets on with the job.
A great orchestra builder on four continents who left every orchestra he led in fine shape. I recall his time in Minneapolis fondly. To hear the slow improvement of the Minnesota Orchestra under his leadership was thrilling. De Waart wasn’t concerned about being a ‘star’ — a reason to respect the man. It was all about the music, as is the case here, with his beloved Netherlands Radio Philharmonic: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6XQdpEKtPjc&pp=ygUURWRvIGRlIHdhYXJ0IHN0cmF1c3M%3D
Good decision. Enjoy your remaining years outside of the “grind”.
I always liked the way Carlo Mari Giulini resigned. He was having a rehearsal, put down his baton and told the orchestra: “It’s over”.
A long time ago I went to a performance of Hänsel und Gretel at the Châtelet conducted by Dóhnanyi. It was a heavy-handed performance. The next day de Waart conducted Rosenkavalier at the Bastille. Boring. Two unlucky days as far as the conductors are concerned. Luckily the singers were superb. I don’t have the programs with me at this moment (someone can help me ?) but I remember Dame Gwyneth Jones was the Witch in the former and Renée Fleming and Susan Graham were the main pair of the latter.
If you found a performance of Rosenkavalier with Fleming and Graham conducted by De Waart as “boring”, either you were hungover or just don’t know much about music. I’ll leave it to you to sort it out.
The Mozart Serenades box he recorded has never been surpassed IMO.
His recording of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto with Rafael Orozco introduced me to the work and I’ve never heard a more thrilling performance or recording since. The Philips sound – that divinely wrapped booming bass – just added to the enchantment.
May you have a long and happy retirement and thanks for your wonderful musicianship over the decades.
I remember him conducting at the ROH in 1976. Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos with his then wife Ruth Welting as Zerbinetta. Fine conductor, straightforward and no histrionics.
Just thought I would share this wonderful performance he did with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra of Franz Schreker’s Chamber Symphony: https://youtu.be/XxKWG1K29v0?si=rHk_fs-i8u3ZYFL8
A gentleman and a gifted musician, I will miss working with him!
I saw Edo de Waart conduct LA Phil a few times. He was just OK.
The famed critic Andrew Porter didn’t care for him at all.
Who cares for Andrew Porter?
Edo de Waart was chief guest conductor for the San Diego Symphony for years. His performances were always rewarding and often exceptional; I recall his Elgar and John Adams performances particularly vividly. Wishing him all the best!
San Diego Opera and Symphony are in a sad state of decline. The civic center area is now homeless dump.
Bollocks .San Diego Symphony is in better shape than ever, since Payare took over.
Ahh yes, Payare the ‘DEI’ hire and also his famous cellist wife got him the job.
It seems an oversight not to mention his early, and still classic, recordings with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble from the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. In particular the two Richard Strauss Wind Symphonies which were, at the time, world premiere recordings.
It is important to know when to stop. Mo De Waart knows
His Mahler 1 recording with Minnesota is one of my favourites. Released on the then-new Virgin Classics (in 1989, I think), it was supposed to be the first of a complete cycle. Which never happened, alas.
I respect that you have announced your retirement- something that very rarely occurs in the conducting profession. Enjoy the accolades and retirement sir and thank you for your contributions!
Very solid conductor, always a bit in the shadow of Haitink. A Rachmaninov specialist. Like his concertos with Orozco.
Haitink did his best so EDW doesn’t advance in his career.
He was meant to conduct the Milwaukee Symphony in the Enigma Variations and John Adams’s “The Chairman Dances” in late 2023 but withdrew only a few days before rehearsals began, which was a shame because he very much enjoyed performing the two pieces and the orchestra has always enjoyed working with him; he was named MD in the late 2000s without ever having conducted them, partly because he lived (lives?) in Madison. He was replaced by the orchestra’s assistant conductor Ryan Tani who did an admirable job playing pickup.
The YouTube of the William Tell overture finale that accompanies this posting is with the Milwaukee Symphony, with now-retired concertmaster Frank Almond. I always enjoyed his appearances with the Milwaukee Symphony, and in particular I’m glad I had the chance to see and hear him conduct one of his showpieces, “Harmonielehre” by John Adams.
Close but not quite. Edo conducted all the rehearsals and the first concert, then withdrew for the second, which Ryan conducted on short notice. Those of us with him that week had a feeling it would be the last time we’d work with him. Very bittersweet.
Correct. I was a Milwaukee Symphony subscriber at the time (now I am staff) and would have seen Edo de Waart conducting on that Saturday, November 11, 2023, but after he had conducted the Friday concert, he did not feel well and canceled at just a few hours’ notice. The newly hired assistant conductor Ryan Tani had to step in and did a fantastic job. The fact that de Waart had earlier changed the program and replaced Elgar’s First Symphony (announced in the season program) with the shorter Enigma Variations now appears as a portent of things to come.
Not exactly what happened.
Edo did the rehearsals and the first of the two concerts (which included the Rachmaninoff Paganini variations with Joyce Yang), but fell ill and couldn’t do the second concert. Our new assistant conductor Ryan Tani stepped in to conduct the second concert without rehearsal, and indeed did an admirable job in a very difficult situation.
Not quite. DeWaart conducted the first of two scheduled concerts. Friday, 11:15 a.m., November 11, 2023. Joyce Yang, piano. John Adams Chairman Dances, Rachmaninoff Paganini Variations, and Elgar Enigma Variations. Fine concert. I was there. He did stumble momentarily when he acknowledged individual players after the Elgar.
Indeed, he cancelled his appearance the following evening due to illness. New assistant conductor, Ryan Tani, filled in on three hour’s notice.
DeWaart is Music Director Laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
Good riddance!
Edo de Waart will be missed. A solid, middle-rank conductor who made an impact in Rotterdam, Minnesota, San Francisco, and put the Netherlands Wind Ensemble on the map with a brilliant series of recordings with Philips.
His time with the Milwaukee Symphony (2009-17) left a fine ensemble even better. He came to Milwaukee to have a post that was close to his home in the Madison area. I wondered then if he was maybe winding down his career.
Congratulations and Thank You, Maestro de Waart for your long and fine career.
I worked under Edo during his music directorship of the Milwaukee Symphony. We’ve been very lucky in our choice of music directors during my 35 years here. But the 8 years Edo spent with us were probably the most satisfying of the 50 years I’ve been an orchestra musician.
For one thing, Edo was better at rehearsing than anyone else I’ve ever worked for. It was the closest thing to how a full-time string quartet works as I’ve ever seen in an orchestra. Work well on ensemble detail, work on clarity of line – do that consistently over time, and the orchestra is going to get better and better. And we did.
And Edo never tried to impose his ideas on the composer’s ideas; his approach was classic semplice. Edo proved that getting the fundamentals right beat trying to “interpret” every time.
The combination of the too, added to his innate good taste and talent, led to revelatory performances of Rachmaninoff, Strauss, Elgar, Adams, Nielsen, and the like. And the semi-staged performances we did of Mozart’s da Ponte operas were as good as Mozart opera performances get.
Unlike way too many conductors these days, Edo was all about what the composer wanted.
wonderful detail, thank you
I first heard of Edo de Waart as the conductor of Heinz Holliger’s Mozart/Strauss concertos recording. Then when he went to San Francisco. I saw him conduct several times in the late 90s/early 00s, with the Sydney Symphony, OSM, and Netherlands RPO. All terrific performances. He did a great Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances with the OSM ib 2002 and the following summer a wonderful Mozart #39 at a summer concert at Notre Dame Basilica (they don’t do those anymore, unfortunately). Supposedly he expressed interest in the OSM directorship after Dutoit, but they told him (then about age 60) they wanted someone younger. They did fine with Nagano but Edo would have been an interesting choice.
When Edo left Hong Kong, the management announced to the players they wanted to give him the title of Conductor Laureate. The musicians quickly organized their own vote on the matter, and voted overwhelming to deny him the title. That’s why he never got it, such was the animosity. At the end of his final rehearsal with the orchestra, he tossed his baton onto his podium and said, “Now you can get rid of me,” and he walked off in silence. That man was — and still is — despised there. (So much for being “a musician’s musician”!)