John Eliot Gardiner books comeback
NewsThe conductor, 81, plans to end his enforced sabbatical next month with a concert in Montpellier. He will conduct the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France in the south of France in Weber’s Oberon overture, Beethoven’s first piano concerto with soloist Piotr Anderszewski and Tchaikovsky’s second symphony.
Gardiner, who has been off work after a punching incident last August, has yet to be reunited with his own former ensembles, the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists.
With the recent spate of ‘bad boy’ conductor incidents, good-old J.E. Gardner should look like a saint by now. He may be tough, but he gets results.
so true and typically pushed by our hypocrite media or mafia one should say
Double-barreled conductors certainly seem to have the edge currently but with JEG it’s not boys for the job although he certainly pulls no punches.
He’s musically exciting and his performances are world class, but tough isn’t quite the word. Toughness can be an admirable quality, but insulting and humiliating musicians whose careers you control is something quite different.
Glad to see him back. Hopefully Monteverdi’s will be the next concert as despite Sousa doing a pretty good job, he’s definitely been missed.
Yes! And I hope he won’t break his fingers next time he throws a punch at someone.
It seems to me that the music and performing arts industries still have different standards of workplace conduct than others. Musicians and singers are still regularly shouted and sworn at. In virtually every other industry, if someone well past normal retirement age punched someone in the workplace, they would almost certainly never work in that industry again. I know singers who felt bullied by JEG years ago. Talent is irrelevant. You either respect people or you don’t. JEG: please just leave, enjoy your retirement and let a new generation get some experience.
I couldn’t agree more. The administrative side of the classical music world generally has this incredible lack of respect for their fellow human beings/musicians and tends to tolerate behaviour by certain “leaders” of their industry that is absolutely appalling and disgraceful, behaviour that would be unthinkable and unforgiven everywhere else.
As rightly stated above, there are no other professions that I know of where vile insults, humiliation and even physical attacks are tolerated and “punishment” is just a slap on the wrist and they return again to applause and cheers.
John Eliot Gardiner is certainly among the worst offenders imaginable and it amazes me that he has got away with his appalling behaviour for so long. I doubt that he has reformed himself or changed in any way. He may try to control his aggressive and sadistic tendencies, but having seen him in action several times, I doubt that will be possible at this point in his life.
Absolutely correct.
Not a very nice man is he? But there are plenty more like him in today’s desperate world.
What on earth does “well past retirement age” have to do with it. Abuse is unacceptable, so is ageism.
Are you suggesting what I said isn’t true? Because it’s a fact. He’s clearly been given preferential treatment because of his extended career. If you’re going to carry on working into your eighties (and I hope I do!) you still have to expect to abide by the same workplace norms as everyone else. I’m proud that our industry employs people with this experience. But other industries expect mature and experienced employees (more palatable words, Steve?) behave better, not worse, than younger ones and, rightly or wrongly, are usually judged on that basis by employers. Is it ‘ageist’ to expect them to set an example in the workplace? No, Steve, it isn’t.
You’re right….but JEG takes it to a new level. Someone who knew him at university tells me he had a vile temper as a young man.
And don’t forget the excellent Peter Whelan!
Good news. He deserves to be welcomed back with the MCO, the orchestra and chorus he founded. Welcome back JEG !
Yes, can’t wait to see who he’ll clock next.
The sad part of this is there will be plenty of people like “has-been” in the hall cheering him on. I guess it’s similar to Trump supporters – they savor the “outlaw” image that he projects.
I was one of the most skeptical about how authentic his convalescence would be, but fair’s fair for any conductor to go nearly a year without working must have been tough both mentally and financially. I hope he comes back with a renewed sense of purpose and an enlightened attitude.
I hope you’re right but he’ll be under enormous scrutiny by musicians and the butt of many jokes which I hope don’t provoke a childish tantrum.
The guy is a multimillionaire landowner farmer. Conducting his sideline, he doesn’t need the money and has certainly not been idle in the cow shed. He doesn’t need or deserve pity. Definitely not missed.
I absolutely hate it when comments like this are made by ill-informed townies. In the UK farmers practically live on the breadline, cattle farmers especially. Sure we own or lease land worth millions but none of that can be liquidated without seriously affecting the profitability (which is already miniscule) of our farms for future years.
If you seriously want to learn more about the state of farming in this country, Jeremy Clarkson’s programme gives a much better perspective than Countryfile ever has.
I think Steve above may not have claimed that farming is keeping JEG warm and fed. As someone working for high profile conductors, I can promise that just one of their paychecks would pay a few years’ of my of gas and leccy
What is ‘leccy’?
Electricity bills
They just done care. Anybody who is seen to have any assets is a convenient punching bag these days for the resentment-fuelled haters of today.
Nonsense – JEG comes from an extremely well to do family and his farm is only a ‘farm’ in name. The idea that he needs money from his farm to survive is ludicrous and ill informed
Mentally: most probably yes.
Financially: if someone with a past career like his cannot afford a year out of business, they must be terribly bad in managing their money.
JEGGY’s good to go after his period of rest.
Just don’t exit the stage the wrong way or you’ll get to experience his right jab uppercut.
I can vouch for the post-performance punch served in the Montpellier Corum bar!
I expect he’ll be a big hit 😉
One of the few HIPsters who is actually a good MUSICIAN as opposed to an academic hack masquerading as one. Good to have him back.
But there are some amazing musicians, extraordinary and talented ones, who don’t go around shouting and punching, and are incredibly courteous to singers and musicians. And many of these people often struggle to get good opportunities. Why should this guy just be able to pick up where he left off?!
So he chooses France – the country of Marquis de Sade.
I hope that he will utilize his return to conducting to setup the Monteverdi ensembles for life after him, such as officially passing the torch to a successor and shoring up the fundraising with long-time donors who he has a relationship with.
if Mr gardiner hit anybody
in a private company it would be the sack
To the best of my knowledge, Gardner has never publicly apologized for hitting a singer. Yes, he is a renowned conductor, but that hit might have caused the singer severe stress.
He wrote two pieces publicly apologising, and it was published here. I’m not sure how much more he could do?
Give the younger generation at go now, if you please.
i agree the new generation need employment. where i
worked you had to leave at 65.
JEG is clearly a very talented musician.
It is equally clear to anyone who has been in earshot of his shouting and appalling behaviour that he is a very unpleasant person. In regard to him punching a certain singer, who I had the totally uninspiring experience of working with, I completely understand JEG’s impulse to lump him..
Years ago I heard someone (half-jokingly?) refer to him as “John Idiot Gardner.”
Never understood why…
…until “the punch.”
This is great news.
Long overdue.
And don’t forget the excellent Peter Whelan!
The music business is a big joke and cannot possibly be taken seriously!!
In the normal world of humans, any assault (same as pics of willies sent to staff, harassment) would warrant jail. In the Jurassic music sphere where big headed, deluded demi-gods thrive, it does not!!!
his OWN former ensembles? give us a break, the man doesn’t own anything and isn’t owed an ounce of sympathy, entitled boomer twat thinks the world ought to give him the world on a silver platter