Tarmo: How I look so young

SC says:

I said it the other day, I’ll say it again: Young Finnish conductors could pass gas and the media circus would turn their toilet rolls into newspaper headlines.

Today’s Headline News: Tarmo Leads a Rehearsal

Merely an observer says:

As Panula neared retirement from the Sibelius Conservatorium, he set up a fee-paying weekend conducting school which accepted very young students in their early teens. Panula has a very hands-off teaching style, preferring to not engage with his students while they’re on the podium, but later, in one-on-one conversations, where youthful egos are not challenged. His comments usually concern articulations and balance, rather than conducting technique per se. The repertoire covered is limited to the classics. This results in the high-level of experience in a limited repertoire, super confidence and perceived preparedness that we see in this generation of conductors coming from Finland.

Panula also has an extensive network with Finnish orchestras, of which there are many small ones in the provinces. If he likes a student, he’ll give a provincial orchestra a call, suggesting they hire one of his students. Those lucky ones then repeat the same programme at several orchestras in the provinces and by the time they arrive at a larger orchestra, the repertoire and gestural choreography is memorised. This also gives the advantage of knowing where rehearsal issues might arise, so giving the impression that these lucky students have excellent musical hearing. And at this point, Panula gives a call to an agent to come to the concert. The results are predictable.

But of course the music and the musicians suffer, as the conductors have super charged egos, the gestures are choreographed with no actual shaping of the sound, and rehearsals are scripted without spontaneity. But this pleases the greed and insatiable appetite of the classical music industry.

Yes, there are other ways of training conducting students, where they must first master their instrument and gain experience in chamber music or orchestras, then slowly learn their technique and podium presence, with a good dose of humility and empathy with the orchestra. But this way produces conductors in their 30s, who have lost by this stage their youthful looks and therefore marketability, according to the mendacious and corrupt classical music ability, who is focussed on perpetuating the cult of youth. It sells, see?

Maria says:

Where is the interpretative experience of Wagner?

From someone who actually knows something says:

It breaks my heart to see these comments. Tarmo is one of the kindest people I know. Just talk to him and you will see.

Also, he worked really hard from a very young age and he was always brilliant – nobody was surprised he made it.

I am not a conductor but studying in Finland – that story about Finnish conductors and Panula is completely bullshit. Panula is known as an extremely strict and demanding teacher, no ego boosts from him.

Please leave Tarmo alone. Nobody deserves these comments.