Exclusive: Gatti takes Hong Kong
OrchestrasThe Italian conductor Daniele Gatti, new chief of the Staatskapelle Dresden, has taken another job as ‘artistic partner’ of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. The announcement has yet to be made.
HK Phil lacks a music director at present, following the departure of Jaap Van Zweden.
Not exactly.
Intendant Benedikt Flor told the press that the title of Artistic Partner is a biennial project (2024-2026) with Daniele Gatti also involved in masterclasses with local students.
“Due to his European engagements, he sadly will surely not take the role of Music Director”, said Flor.
Gatti’s name is transliterated in Mandarin (even though Hongkongers speak Cantonese) as “Add Stem” (hmmm… I wonder what subliminal message the Chinese are trying to convey)
“Lio Kuokman”, the local conductor, is transliterated from the Cantonese with the surname in the front, whereas “Long Yu”, the mainland conductor, is transliterated from the Mandarin, with the surname at the end. (hmmm…subtle political statement or identity crisis with the motherland?)
Writing isn’t generally transliterated “from Cantonese” or “from Mandarin,” but from written Chinese. The transliteration of Chinese names isn’t standardized.
After JvZ’s leaving and Long Yu’s arrival, this orchestra is sadly jeopardizing its once excellent renommee. Although Gatti is a good conductor, his history of power abuse won’t help.
JvZ shares the same time with Long. Long is mediocre but not destroying the orchestra, while JvZ improves the discipline under him (and him only) he destroyed everything musical with the orchestra built by Edo de Waart. Every concert with JvZ has no soul.
Long Yu is only a Principal Guest and arrived several seasons ago. He conducts hardly any subscription concerts. He is far too busy with all his mainland appointments thankfully.
Long Yu is everywhere, director in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, in addition to roles in Hong Kong. At one time he had a role with the NY Philharmonic: He’s the most visible off-stage conductor.
I have only ever seen him conduct once and it was maddeningly dull. Was it possible to fall asleep in the Montagues and Capulets in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet? A coffee at intermission was not enough. Fortunately my partner pinched my thigh (he has strong hands). This was many years ago. Maybe Maestro Long has improved.
I might say Bradley Cooper is more convincing, however;
conducting is an actor’s silent role.
Long Yu is a terrible conductor but a fantastic politician with ties to very high regions of the Chinese government.
Artistic Partner, sounds like Playboy Playmate
I wish they would bring back Yip Wing-Sie. Her tenure was wonderful, and she did more to engage young people than any other conductor I have ever seen.
Yip is very mediocre though, makes music steadily without fail but never shines. And she even stepped down already from HK Sinfonietta to become Emeritus.
Well, she had done about 18 years…hardly a dropping out.
And she was only in her 20s when she led HK Phil. She took that orchestra forward, even if undramatically. She has been loved in HK — her job was not just to make music but to get people to come along with her to care about it, and in that I think she achieved a great deal.
V Lind is not accurate in her comment on Yip Wing Sie. She returned from studies in New York to become Assistant and then Associate Conductor of the HK Phil. This was during the boring David Atherton years as MD. As such she probably conducted no more than 2 or 3 main subscription concerts per year. She was never Music Director. And I suggest E obviously knows little of her music making and career. She is a very fine conductor who, over her 18 years as MD of the HK Sinfonietta developed it into a splendid orchestra.
Gatti is a temporary fill in as I understand that Covid truncated the search for JvZ’s replacement as MD. Yet next season JvZ still conducts more subscription concerts than Gatti’s 3. The conducting roster also includes Paavo Jarvi, Manfred Honeck, Elim Chan, Vasily Petrenko and Tan Dun. Interestingly, in view of the search for an MD, of the really young generation Tarmo Peltokowki returns for a third successive season. After closing the present season next month with soloist Cho Seong-Jin playing Prokofiev 2 followed by Mahler 5, he opens the next in September with Bruckner 9.
Asian orchestras always seem to be more tolerant of sexual harassers than those in the West. Didn’t Dutoit find refuge there after his troubles in Montreal? I don’t know what’s up with Dresden.
In the DDR, Dresden was called “Tal der Ahnunglosen” because it was the only spot where people could not receive the signal of Western television. Now, they can watch Western TV, but apparently, they still don’t know what is happening in the real world.
Maybe a dose of common sense?