Sleeveless is the new conductor trend

Sleeveless is the new conductor trend

Orchestras

norman lebrecht

May 18, 2024

This is Teodor Currentzis, the Putin collaborator, conducting Bruckner’s 9th last night in Hamburg.

The orchestra was his own Utopia pickup band.

Comments

  • Dimitri Vassilakis says:

    The air- condition system was
    Not work ont , the heat on stage was unbearable

  • Anmarie says:

    I hesitate to think what’s next.

  • John Borstlap says:

    What an utterly unpleasant way of dressing-up for a classical conductor. Tasteless.

    • Michael says:

      I wonder if his teachers – I am guessing he had musical training – told him that when conducting an orchestra you should display a much sweaty hair as possible.
      This reminds me of an evening at Covent Garden when the conductor – I’ll not name him – wore a black sleeveless vest/jacket/waistcoat and a white shirt. The sight of him flailing two white-clad arms like a would-be Odette (no, it wasn’t Swan Lake!) has never left me.
      I wrote to the then-head of Covent Garden saying that this was very distracting for me and probably 3/4 of the audience, only to be informed that the house does not have a dress code for its conductors.
      What was more surprising was that no one in the house had thought to have a quiet word with him about his distracting dress choice, or maybe someone did and received short shrift.

      • spoko says:

        You managed somehow to take a poll of the audience? Or you just assume that if it bothers you, it bothers 3/4 of the audience?

  • Ricky says:

    Women go sleeveless. Why men can’t?

  • George Lobley says:

    Possibly just as daft as conductors wearing what I call those black gowns which are featureless eg. SImon Rattle, Roger Norrington. They should wear short jackets nowadays rather than the old fashion tails.

    • John Borstlap says:

      In contrary, they should wear the oldfashioned gear of black tails and white shirt + vest + white tie, as in the best days of classical music concerts. This much enhances their performance qualities.

  • Nicholas Stix says:

    Calling him “the Putin collaborator” is as irrelevant as calling someone “the Zelensky collaborator.” However, it is disgusting for an orchestra conductor to work that way. (And I’m sure that his t-shirt was insanely overpriced.)

  • Phillip says:

    We have to thank him. He kept his pants this time.

  • Fred Funk says:

    I’ve seen viola players that dress better than him……

    • Duncan says:

      As a viola player I resent the implication. Our dress sense is only one step behind our technical skill…! mmm…did I mean to say that?!!

  • Edoardo says:

    R.I.P. good taste.

  • CRwang says:

    He’s an entitled douchebag. Dress for the gym while musicians have to dress up.

  • zandonai says:

    This isn’t new. Friedrich Gulda always conducted like it’s Casual Friday.

  • James Kunkle says:

    I have his Don Giovanni & Cosi von Tutti, both the best I’ve heard. Conducted as clean and accurate performances. However Currentzis’ political affiliations and views cannot be ignored. Hopefully he’ll extricate himself from Putin. He is an amazing conductor and musician and educator.

    • Tiredofitall says:

      It’s a little late to extricate himself. The stench is permanent. Just stand near Gergiev if you don’t believe me.

    • Adam Stern says:

      Um…”Così fan tutte”, perhaps?

      • notacynic says:

        cosi von tutti (1765-1814)was a well-respected austrian composer of several now-forgotten light operas.

        • John Borstlap says:

          Yes, and his comic opera ‘Die getilgte Braut’ (1792) is very entertaining. The story goes that it gave the emperor the idea of commissioning Mozart for his ‘Cosi fan Tutte’ because of the title.

          • Genius Repairman says:

            I find Cossi von Tutti’s comic operas to be trite and unfunny. However, his completely forgotten chamber music contain one or two gems. May I recommend his flugelhorn sonata (1811) on C3PO?

  • Corno di Caccia says:

    Lennie Bernstein used to conduct rehearsals topless, apparently, but always ‘dressed up’ for concerts. I can’t see the Currentzis look catching on, or would want it to. The fact that his players have to sweat it out wearing standard concert dress and concert hall lighting whilst he directs looking like a Gym Bunny hardly seems fair. This reminds me of the images of his Komrade Vladimir Putin riding Horses topless; Putin, not the Horse. Maybe Klaus ‘Baby’ Mäkelä will be tempted by this new look. Who knows? Hardly suitable for Bruckner anyway!

    • Tiredofitall says:

      I’ve seen Bernstein’s turtlenecks in rehearsal, but topless? Please give an example.

  • Jed says:

    Even if he wore that to a nightclub I’d think he was having a mid-life crisis.

  • Michael says:

    So Yuja can show her legs but Teodor can’t show his arms?
    Sounds like a double standard to me.
    I don’t care how they dress. After all, a concert is about the music not the dress sense, surely?

  • Boris Cross says:

    And I thought people went listen to the music not for a fashion show.

  • CHRIS OWEN says:

    What a lot of blather!

  • Petros Linardos says:

    Cheer up, folks. It’s just a headline.

  • Tamino says:

    People get what they want. Narcissistic showmen doing emotional, in this case even partially physical, striptease. He just goes further where others stay with the convention. Yuja does the same. (but she can play)

  • chet says:

    Flabby underarms, he needs to work on his triceps.

  • WillymH says:

    Do I see a violinist with bare shoulders????? Gasp.

  • Helpsalot says:

    Sleeveless in Hamburg, a full length movie, starring Teodor Correntzsis.

  • Robert HolmĂ©n says:

    On women, the wobbling upper arm flesh displayed by sleeveless outfits is known as “Mermans.”

    I don’t know if that is also the male form.

  • Henry williams says:

    I have been to a wedding where the groom wore
    A tea shirt…when i got married i only had ÂŁ5 in my pocket. Today nobody cares.

  • Save the MET says:

    Finally we have reached rock bottom in Maestro attire. Bruckner is rolling in his grave. Sadly, many Maestros do not respect their orchestras and where whatever they feel like, generally with really bad fashion advice. Nelsons and Zweden wear Uncle Fester in oversized frock coats….with the beard Nelsons is more like Rasputin. Barenboim started that trend with an ill fitting frock coat without a tie that made him look like something out of a Maurice Sendak children’s book. The Canadian flash in his ill fitting pink and purple velvet Baby Gap sportcoats and t-shirts looks like a bad day on the streets of Rio. The girls in many cases try to dress like the boys, I’ve seen
    few in tail coats, like a bad acid trip in 1960’s London. Literally a business can be made of dressing modern day maestros and maestrettes in outfits that respect the orchestra and allow them a little differentiation if that’s what they feel they have to do. I’m all for going back to white tie and tails. This is a straight guy who has seen enough of the stupidity.

    • Petros Linardos says:

      White tie and tails attract no attention. What’s not to like?
      Personally I try not to pay attention in the first place. But it’s getting quite silly, I agree. I don’t believe, however, that Currentzis is a trendsetter; he is just good at attracting headlines.

  • Stevenketola says:

    Having read the review of Dau, I can’t but wonder how that dovetails with Vlad’s espousal of “traditional” values.

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