Some questions for the Chicago decision-makers
OrchestrasEmily E Hogstad has written a fine post on the evolution of conductor-musicians-board relations over the past decade, a piece of essential perspective if you are looking to make sense of the Chicago Symphony’s agreement to share its incoming chief with three other orchestras.
Emily concludes with some looming questions:
What might happen during an organizational crisis if the music director is young? What if he’s an ambitious man in his thirties, who, for the sake of his future American career, doesn’t want to alienate the types of people who populate boards? What if he happens to be out of town when important conversations are had, and he doesn’t get sent a Zoom link, or the board chair can’t offer him cream? What if he has not yet fully absorbed the subtleties of the hundreds of pre-existing relationships between musicians, management, and board, and what if knowledge of those relationships becomes necessary for his artistic survival? What happens if he doesn’t – or isn’t allowed to – ground his directorship in some kind of purpose beyond aesthetics and bold chiaroscuro lighting?
How should any music director be expected to react in a time of crisis? And most importantly of all, who will he choose to be an asset to?
I ask those questions like I know the answers, but I don’t. At the end of the day, here’s my concern: I don’t want audiences to lose an ally, if a day should come when they need one. I want this art form to endure, and to make people’s lives better. That’s literally all I want.
*
Remember: an American music director is only a conductor in his spare time.
First, he is a fundraiser, a psychologist, a detective, a scholar, a gladiator, a mediator, an inspiration, a party guest, a punching bag, a schmoozer, a showman, and a symbol. Oftentimes, what he does on the podium is of secondary (or, depending on the day, tertiary) importance.
He is someone whose photograph should get people to click on his face — who also has the savvy to never get shivved by the Shakespearean cast of characters who will inevitably gather around him.
In the end, the ascension of Klaus Mäkelä, and the cultural ecosystem that made it possible, is not about a single talented wunderkind storming the bastions of Michigan Avenue. Rather, it’s a chance to think about what we ought to expect from the field’s most exalted leaders in the most exalted jobs, what we don’t, and what we should.
Read the full essay here.
And think on.
Man, all those “spare time conductors” sure do know how to get it done in their spare time. Amazing.
The only problem nowadays is: musicians choose their music director.
You’re saying – musicians like him. So, what does it mean?
It means there will be rainbows and friendship. But what about music-making. You suggest that if musicians like one or not – they are responsible for the REAL MUSICIAN QUALITY. But they’re not! They are the same audience-critics-donors-etc. just an opinion. Million of opinions. Yesterday we used to kill someone for the music, metaphorically speaking. But now it’s just smiles and relations. There are nowadays a plenty of happy smiling conductors with wonderful relationships with orchestra/board/audience. And they are all just performers. So my question is – why are we all doing it? 9999th performance of Mahler’s 5th? For the sake of what? When everyone likes everyone there is no place for a greatness, you’re too focused on liking everyone and being liked
Do you play in an orchestra?
No one likes anything or anyone.
It’s not about liking your musicians, it’s about trusting them. Today’s orchestra musicians play at a level that is historically unsurpassed. The current level required to win a position in a group like the CSO would have been unthinkable in the 70s and 80s. Given that, today’s orchestra members enter the field believing they’re entitled to a certain degree of respect from the conductors who lead them, and I happen to agree.
I cannot think of a single musician who goes through all of this rigorous training, only to pine for the days when tyrants like Toscanini could terrify their players and dismiss someone at will. Certain audience members may believe that such frosty relations resulted in superior music making, but it is ultimately up to the players to decide what kind of daily work environment they want for themselves. And quite frankly, I’m not convinced that being one temper tantrum away from unemployment leads to better, more committed interpretations.
as a lifelong chicagoan who still gets a thrill thinking about the first time i saw sir georg solti, and who couldn’t endure a concert conducted by muti, i couldn’t be happier that the cso board stepped up to the plate in hiring klaus makela. the buzz in chicago is palpable. it’s exciting. friends who were past subscribers are renewing their subscriptions. if makela can fill seats, as solti did in the 1980s, i am satisfied. none of the recent cso music directors spent more than several months in chicago, not solti, barenboim, or muti. would thielemann, who was rumored to be the next md, have moved here from his beloved homeland? nein. at a rehearsal two days ago, the orchestra was thrilled; one string player said they’ve abandoned plans to retire. so give it a rest already. makela’s here. he’s not going away. basta.
I *truly* believe that the kiss of death for Thielemann was when the NYT wrote up his Chicago visit that the CSO has the biggest reputation among the Big Five to go for old, old-world, old-time maestros, that’s when Alexander (prez of CSO) said to himself, watch me, I’m going to appoint the youngest music director in the history of the orchestra!
And he did!
A thrill from sheister Solti, are you kidding me? There’s his score of Schumann 4 on which he wrote “I have no idea what to do here.” (I have seen it). At least in that regard he had insight.
Amen.
As a middle-aged lifelong Chicagoan who has lived in another state for a few years, I cannot wait to re-subscribe when I move back in the fall. And this move by the orchestra makes me even more excited.
I had set up some google alerts to help me follow the music director search–and now I’m getting fed this stuff, which basically amounts to “blogger who established in early ’90s that he hates popular conductors continues to hate popular conductors and roots for the failure of major cultural institutions in order to prove his hypothesis.” Give it a rest. Life is too short.
That’s great news, and I’m sure there’s much more excitement than if someone from the same ol’ stable were being wheeled in to do the same ol’ stuff. Let’s see if he can deliver the goods.
Most of the adverse reviews I’ve seen go something like this:
1. This movement should go dah di dah di dah.
2. Makela’s performance does not go da di da di da
3. Therefore Makela is incredibly stupid.
But: his concerts sell and get enthusiastic applause. This cannot be because of his musical ability, because the man is demonstrably stupid. So it must be because of his looks …
One thing in his favour: Boxed Set Bernie at Classics Today cannot abide him, just as he cannot abide Simon Rattle or F X Roth. So Makela must be doing something right. Nothing sends me to Presto Music faster than a nasty review from BSB …
Thank you, well said. This choice is all about starting a new chapter. A new story that makes everyone forget the miserable last 10 years.
Even H. Edgar was quick to change her allegiance and wrote “CSO music director designate Klaus Makela shows 2027 can’t come soon enough” and ” .. After a Chicago Symphony rehearsal on Wednesday, a violinist strode towards me and two CSO representatives as we chatted in the aisle. She had something to say to the press, she declared.
She had been in the orchestra since Sir Georg Solti’s storied tenure, from 1969 to 1991. Some conductors, she said, made musicians feel like they were walking on eggshells….. Controlling, fussy.
But — she pointed towards a door at the side of the stage, through which a slender young man had slipped several minutes before — “not with this boy.”
Pretty self-explanatory, like this appointment.
A Gladiator? A detective? Aren’t you going overboard here?
I noticed Yuja has canceled both her Chicago and Cleveland dates. Both of which Klaus Mäkelä would be conducting at. Oh, Yuja…
Hasn’t got enough of the right, tight clothes!
you mean loose open at the side clothes that his cellist pick to replace Yuja (his ex) had?
Ho Couture.
How is this different for Makela than for any other conductor walking into a new culture? If you really believe experience and age inevitably result in wisdom, I urge you to consider the case of Donald Trump. If the concerts are compelling, everything else will take care of itself, and on the basis of the concert last night, I am extremely optimistic about this new partnership.
Here here! You should all listen to what Max (CSO since 1984) has to say. If I hear one more wag drone on about the need for more granola-crunching community-builders in lieu of great music making I think I am going to scream(!)
There is no need to get overtly political. We need some balance if we meander off into that world. What about the “wisdom” of Joseph Robinette Biden at age 81? 50 years in government will do that to a person and the nation. I thought he was an “adjunct” professor of US constitutional law.
Anyways, there are so many (relatively speaking) other excellent “major” North American orchestras out there beyond the “big 7,” and most adherents of orchestral music attend the vast majority of their concerts in their hometowns, with those orchestras.
It’s fun to speculate about who is “up” and who is “down,” but at the end of the day, it is about one’s local orchestra, big or small. The history of the Chicago Symphony, its present, and its future are fascinating topics, but I have little invested in them.
My local orchestra is the Utah Symphony. It has an annual budget about a quarter the size of the Chicago Symphony (about 24 million versus about 80 million). It has no money for the four weeks of touring that Mäkelä can look forward to enjoying with the Chicago Symphony. And that is in a way as it should be. As the observation goes, all politics is local. And that should be the focus of all orchestras, large and small.
I wish Mäkelä and the Chicago Symphony the best. Perhaps Decca records could grace us with a Carl Nielsen symphony cycle from those two, rather than more Mahler or the other usual suspects.
Last night’s concert was fantastic!
No need to go so far and consider Donald Trump. Just consider Riccardo Muti to prove your point.
Yawn. These are age old questions. Relations with board members? With musicians? Headstrong administrators? Longtime relationships?
Crises? Sure, there’s technology like text and Zoom for instant communications. But we’ve had telephones for over a century and reliable phone service for a half century. Dealing with crisis is a normal part of life.
Every music director has an “own style” of navigating those. Hands on, hands off. Brusque, charming. Not every appointment leads to a happy marriage; like an actual marriage, the outcome depends on the people in the relationship.
So if the people in Chicago like and respect their new director, if he has a supportive executive and an able creative team on the ground, if he inspires musicians and audiences with his vision, the honeymoon could last forever. I wish him the best.
Well, at least it is an interesting take on the job of a music director, from Ms SongoftheLark amateur violinist/violist. Surely what a music director does on the podium is secondary only to what he/she does in rehearsals, and studying scores, and planning (along with the Board) worthwhile future programs?
I guess you have no idea about the author’s role in the extended Minnesota Orchestra lockout? She has a much better idea of what she’s talking about than you for sure.
She may know a lot about industrial disputes in the music world, but what does she know about what goes on between board, director, and orchestral musicians in terms of actual music-making? Very little, judging by her blog.
As she says “Maybe he and the Chicago board have had substantial discussions about what he wants to accomplish artistically over the course of his tenure, and how to pay for it all. But if they did, not much on that subject found its way into the press materials.”
Exactly: she has no more inside knowledge than I do.
My dudes, don’t overthink this. He’s massively talented, charismatic and the musicians love him. I was a student at IU when a 12 year old Josh Bell was running around the music school halls. Then, as now, when you know, you know.
Sycophancy reigns supreme in the Mannheim Sky Rocket-like dawning of Klaus Mäkeläs lucky break into the contemporary world of conducting. Whatever Mäkelä’s apparent attributes are he has not endured the kind of apprenticeship a young conductor in the old days would have been expected to undergo as a rite of passage, including years of understudy and repetiteur work. He is the latest in Decca’s long line of young musicians that have come and gone like Swallows in the Summer. If the ‘pretty boy’ image is deemed the only necessary qualification for latter-day conductor superstardom, then the whole classical music industry is obviously in one helluva mess on its way down the U-bend of the toilet of its own making. I’ve not been impressed by anything he’s done and will certainly not be throwing out any of my great recordings by trusted conducting geniuses already on my shelves in readiness for Klaus baby’s expected discography. In the past, certain well-known conductor-demolishing orchestras would’ve relished chewing up such a fresh-faced individual and spitting him out afterwards. Standards have well-and-truly dropped rather more quickly than this, the latest of Decca wunderkind’s balls have.
Now that Klaus is off the market it will be curious to see how long it takes until Manfred Honeck is snapped up by Cleveland, and what SF & LA do. Now with SF open it seems certain Teddy Abrams will be somewhere in California in 2025-ish.
Teddy Abrams….sigh. He was lucky not to be hired by Jacksonville back several years ago. He has flourished in the cultural climate of Louisville, able to display his multiple talents as pianist/conductor. Still, the two that “got away,” Abrams and Canellakis..double sighs for lost
chances…and deep thinking and musicality, and, and, and…..)
He’s basically a guest conductor of four orchestras with no obvious talent, a synthetic podium presence with seemingly faked emotions.
Perhaps the record companies and orchestras got round the table and said, “We need a young guy, that’ll put bums on seats, we’ll dress him up nice in wool suits and he’ll look great!” ?
Yuja should let LET IT ALL OUT on Jimmy Kimmel Live! or something
What in the world is all the fuss about? From what I have read, Mäkelä remains Music Director in Paris and Oslo for the next three seasons, I assume dedicating approximately 24 weeks in total to those orchestras. What should he do with the other 28 weeks in the year; sit at home and read SlippedDisc? No, he will conduct a handful of weeks in Amsterdam and a handful in Chicago plus other engagements like any other conductor. Starting in 2027, as we all have read, things shift and the 24 Music Director weeks will be in Amsterdam and Chicago. Two of the greatest orchestras on the planet. Good for him!
If you were not present at his concert in Chicago last night you missed one of the most exhilarating evenings in classical music in the last fifty years. The CSO’s future is extremely bright.
Exactly. Just remember that K-Mäk is going to spend the same number of weeks with the CSO as Muti did. What difference is it to us in Chicago if he spends most of the rest with Amsterdam? Would I rather wish that he were studying scores in a cabin by a fjord? Or consulting with Norman Lebrecht?
Only time will tell. Give him a chance. He is talented. I just hope he is somebody who can listen (and that he doesn’t listen too much to his manager).
Mäkelä has nothing to show for, at least as far as recordings go. His Sibelius cycle was impossibly bland, and his two recent Stravinsky discs are nothing to write home about either. He’s just an over-hyped boy toy.
I believe all these questions are overridden by one simple fact — namely, that the musical world has not experienced such a level of eagerness and anticipation for a conductor in a very long time. Regardless of how one feels about Mr. Mäkelä — and there are a few remarkable conductors in the world today — it is rather clear to me that he is well on his way to becoming a legendary figure in the history of conducting, and that fact alone overrides any subordinate issues. He is still a very young man and cannot be expected, at age 28, to be able to navigate with complete fluency all the intricacies and subtleties demanded by the more administrative responsibilities of a music director. I’m sure he’ll be able to learn much on his own, and will probably be mentored into this role by the people surrounding him. I suspect his prime concern (which it should be) is solely to make music at the highest level possible, because ultimately that’s really what matters most. The rest will take care of itself. This is what happens when you have a kind of talent so rare that it occurs only once every few generations.
This is largely hyperbolic and the suggestion that conducting and other artistic matters (programming, auditions etc.) aren’t the most important and time-consuming part of a US MD job is proof that this writer likely never had any firsthand insight into that level of the profession.
Read the author’s posts on the Minnesota Orchestra lockout. You simply have no idea who she is.
What if the (an) orchestra wants a conductor which is musical director on paper but not in the reality?
Musicians choosing an MD should get the best quality conductor as long as we trust the talent of the musicians. CSO sees the world’s best conductors week in and out. They know quality and conversly they know showmanship. They responded to Makela’s artistry, are thrilled to welcome him to the job, and we, the public, should trust their judgement. Having someone they are excited about on the podium will enhance the experience for the audience a lot!
Why all the drama? The questions brought up are just as relevant for a Music Director in their 50s as it is for one so young. That he is so successful should be a good thing! His artistry is resonating across the globe and Chicago gets to be one of his home orchestras. Lucky for CSO!
Do not compare Klaus Mäkelä with Buttigieg. Buttigieg is a phony, while Klaus has real talent. Whether this talent will translate into greatness, only time will tell.
That said, I would have preferred someone more mature. Look at the disaster at the Met and at Philadelphia, which also hired a talented (though brainless, which KM, from what I can tell is not) hotshot. There are exceptions, obviously, but some of the most successful partnerships between American orchestras and their music directors are with maestros hired at mid-careers: Honeck in Pittsburgh, Vänskä in Minneapolis, Noseda in Washington.
Still, let’s wish Klaus and the CSO success and hope that the partnership will work out and mature.
It seem that at the CSO, you think you are in a democracy and work in a dictatorship…very disappointed in the board…
This is the 5th post on this site about Makela’s appointment to the CSO.
To put things in perspective:
The NYT only wrote one.
For Dudamel’s move to NY, the parish rag wrote about 5, which is understandable for the hometown newspaper, but mostly fanboy articles about how much a Latino savior he is.
When Muti was appointed way back, the NYT wrote 3 articles, but mostly about how the NY Phil (and NY) lost out to Chicago, so that too was understandable.
A British blogger is more concerned about Chicago than the New York Times.
“There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” Oscar Wilde
I have a lot of spare time and I like to party; think I will start applying for conductor jobs… maybe the Compton Sinfonietta.
But seriously, American corporate board room culture is just not conducive to the needs and aspirations of these European maestros.
If Makela is considered a wunderkind then that bar has been lowered considerably judging by his last 3 recordings.
Written better than anything I have read elsewhere on here for ages. And she’s not wrong with her questions, either. An excellent read.
I was privileged to attend a performance of the Mahler Resurrection Symphony conducted by George Solti immediately after he was named the new Chicago music director at the beginning of April 1969. Tonight, exactly 55 years later, I’ll be even more privileged to still be around and be able to hear the newly named music director, Klaus Mäkelä, conduct his first performances since being appointed.
The last thing I want to read about and contemplate upon are the multi-dimensional crisis and management challenges to be facing this man down the road. He won’t be here to deal with any of this for years yet. Can we just now please focus on the music that he is going to start to deliver?
You just can’t give it a rest, can you Norman? What is it that you’re trying to achieve with these pointless articles? Are you hoping that CSO board and management are going to read it and come to realize that you and the band of idiots that comment here think that you are right? You really think that musicians of 4 world class orchestras got it wrong? Btw CSO is not sharing anyone with 3 other orchestras. The 3 orchestras sharing him now are Oslo, Paris and Amsterdam. When he officially begins his tenure, he’ll only be splitting his time between Amsterdam and Chicago. Oh my God how could they? How dare they not have a music director that moves to Chicago and spends 666 weeks a season with them! Oh well, it didn’t seem to be a problem for Solti and Barenboim. It doesn’t seem to be a problem for Nelsons, I didn’t read any garbage about Shani having Munich and Israel, oh and don’t let me start about your beloved YNS and his ventures with Philly, the Met and Montreal…
As my dad always said, when you’re at the highest level and you piss so many people off, it means you did something right. Kudos to CSO for getting this done.
These people know KM is only a known entity in the everore irrelevant classical niche composed of 10 donors who won’t live to see the decade end and a bunch of octogenarian managers, right?
Its a bubble, and its abt to burst.
How are all those things a problem because he is young?
Those things are a problem for anyone taking up such a post. There are many old conductors who took up a post and… it didn’t work out.
Klaus Makela for the CSO likely will be at least a better sales-marketing opportunity than, say, a Susanna Mälkki would be for the LA Phil. New Yorker music critic Alex Ross, however, last year wrote that he favored her as a MD, but YMMV.
Something about the intangibles of an orchestra’s symbolic figurehead, affected by that person’s age and looks (also so-called charisma), not just talent per se, play a big role too. When tastes in culture, music, entertainment and politics have changed drastically over the past 60 years, everything now is open to question—and a moving target.
In a major symphony orchestra? None of this article sounds right. Number one is still the musical product. Number two is the image of the conduct, which helps if he’s young, handsome, and in demand. Meeting a concert sponsor is hardly fundraising. They have an entire department doing fundraising. Maybe what she says has more truth in a small-time, start-up regional orchestra. “punching bag”? They can quit and go to the next big Job at their level, e.g., Rattle leaving LSO and Salonen leaving SFSO.
If the questions this earnest, Midwestern blogger (Ms Hogstad) pose are so pertinent, perhaps the supposedly well-connected publisher of Slippedisc could pick up the phone and actually ask some of the concerned parties! That would be truly insightful, rather than indulging in useless conjecture and confirmation bias.
The features of Mäkelä’s appointment are far from unprecedented: Frederick Stock was 32 when he was named Music Director of the Chicago Symphony, Mengelberg took over the Concertgebouworkest at 24. More recently, Haitink, Solti, Ozawa, Mehta, Masur all successfully held two – or more – simultaneous Music Directorships. From 2026, Lahav Shani, a contemporary of Mäkelä’s, will be MD of the Munich and Israel Philharmonics – orchestras of no lesser artistic pedigree or political demands. So why all the moralistic hand-wringing about Mäkelä? It is disingenuous and smacks of envy.
Sour grapes might be good for business in the blogosphere, but reflect poorly on someone who claims critical authority. Ms Hogstad’s reflections are sincere, yet suggest limited knowledge of history or the inner workings of major musical institutions. If you are so well-informed, Norman, and have access to the music industry’s “inside track”, then live up to your claims and provide some actual insight. Ms Hogstad should be quoting you, not the other way around!
You keep talking about the CSO sharing him with three other orchestra, but when he actually becomes MD they will only be sharing him with Amsterdam. And at point he will have 20 or so weeks to conduct other orchestras. If you don’t think he’s good enough for the CSO, fine. But the “ sharing “ issue is a non-starter.
Such a sight, with him unable to do concerts with his ex. Pathetic. So he’s a real pro booking duo performances with his brilliant girlfriend. Wonder what Chicago thinks about that mess? I’ll bet the great Cleveland is NOT amused.
When KM was greeted with a rapturous ovation at his entrance Thursday night, he didn’t make a big ego thing about it but got right down to making music, and thrilling music it was. I’m not wise enough to know how much to attribute to the conductor, how much to the CSO musicians and how much to the composer, nor can I compare Makela’s interpretation with Bernstein or Mravinsky or Rostropovich. But in the end, I and the rest of the audience happily cheered a thoroughly satisfying musical evening. And that, not the conductor’s age or experience or workload, is what finally matters.
(My only regret was that I had bought a seat in the front left to see Yuja Wang play Bartok 2nd, only to have her cancel after she broke up with KM. Oh well… )
I’m sad to see Emily missed a critical detail. Based on her job description for an American MD, the only person up for the task is clearly a woman. So my looming question is “what if HE were a SHE?”
I have gone back to my day job as a statistician. I no longer read the anti-Makela pieces: I just count them.
As for me, I’ve started a count of how many Klaus ultras have stated they don’t care about these articles yet still come to comment anyway.
I was privileged to attend a performance of the Mahler Resurrection Symphony conducted by George Solti immediately after he was named the new Chicago music director at the beginning of April 1969. Tonight, exactly 55 years later, I’ll be even more privileged to still be around and be able to hear the newly named music director, Klaus Mäkelä, conduct his first performances since being appointed.
The last thing I want to read about and contemplate upon are the multi-dimensional crisis and management challenges to be facing this man down the road. He won’t be here to deal with any of this for years yet. Can we just now please focus on the music that he is going to start to deliver?
Muti was fantastic in Verdi opera. He represented the line from famous conductors like Votto and singers like Callas. He kept Verdi alive by teaching young singers. I can’t judge him in other music except the nights I saw, like when he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in their New Year’s Eve concert that was televised. He brought a delightful Italian slant to Strauss, which is usually missing when they hire other famous maestros. Muti also championed Mozart and Cherubini. I am an unabashed fan of Muti.
As much as I find the choice of Mäkelä wrong, none of the above questions would not apply to any conductor in his, let’s say, 50s.
Posts like this are predicated on a fundamental misunderstanding of what American Music Directors actually do.
They are not some kind of quasi President and CEO of the orchestra. They don’t, for example, engage in the collective bargaining process with the musician’s union which determines pay, benefits, and working conditions for the musicians. They may publicly urge management to accept terms that the union proposes, but they have no authority to accept or reject proposals, let alone bind the orchestra administration to the CBA.
They are asked to participate in fundraising events and meet with donors, but they don’t set fundraising strategy. They’re not making decisions about which grants to apply for, corporations to approach for sponsorships, etc.
Heck, even when it comes to the hiring and firing of musicians, the CBA purposely ensures that they do not have sole authority.
Music Directors are an employee. The fact that they are the most visible member of the orchestra gives them a lot of influence, but their actual responsibilities are relatively narrow. And when a crisis occurs, I’m sure most Music Directors are happy to not be the person making decisions so that they don’t take the blame for unpopular decisions, liking layoffs and program cuts.
Usually, I have to do all the work when it comes to Chicago. But this week, I kicked back, got some pop corns, and enjoyed the show 🙂
The CSO played beautifully last night — fully engaged and virtuosic. I hope they release that Shostakovich 10. Or look for it in the coming months on SoundCloud. I’ve been going to the CSO since age 16 which was 53 years ago. I think “K- Mäk” is a great talent with youth and energy and mastery of his repertoire. It is asinine to talk of him learning scores in the taxi from O’Hare. Performing great CSO concerts SHOULD go a long way in shutting up the naysayers, but bleating out “nay” seems a stylistic necessity for “critics.”
Thursday night concert was electrifying. The hall was full and the atmosphere was great. The orchestra played their best into this season. Makela showed great improvement over his last two outings. His Mahler 5 last season was rather shapeless, but this time he did not spotlight the tree and missed the forest. This Shostakovich 10 breathed, sighed and struggled against the current. A surprisingly fine start to this partnership. now lets see if he can do Beethoven, Brahms and Bruckner.
Guido Cantelli (1920-1956) was a conducting prodigy. This Makela kid, not so much!
Regarding Solti, I heard the CSO principal trombone commenting in public that he didn’t think Solti knew how to use the baton. What a bunch of dysfunctional, thin skinned players.
I told you guys — appoint Marin Alsop everywhere, she may not be able but she is certainly willing, and there will be no more controversy of any kind. There won’t be any music either but who cares about that when proving that 2 = 4 is so much easier and more popular with the crowd.
With all this drama and comment about KM and the comment about American conductors, I was put in mind to wonder what ever happened to the American David Robertson, at one time thought to be the next Bernstein.
Americans seem to like media stars and Mäkelä will fit the bill. Just like Ernest Fleiischmann made Guilini, Previn, Salonen and Dudamel media stars in Los Angeles, the CSO press machine will have an opportunity to to the same in Chicago. Give this young fellow a chance. The Chicago Symphony can play beautifully with their eyes closed.
Dudamel became LA Phil music director in 2009. Fleischmann left the LA Phil in 1998.
Yes, Fleischmann had a role in making Dudamel a star in that he was on the jury of the first Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition, which Dudamel won and where he first came to international attention. But Fleischmann did not make Dudamel a media star in Los Angeles.
Thank you so much for missing the point entirely.
Dear Russian trolls and, more importantly, their gullible dupes,
Finland is in NATO. Live within it already. The Finnish conductor you are sniping at is not an intelligence operative until proven otherwise. The musical criticism being hurled at him is way off the mark.