Breaking: 2 in 3 of his musicians say they want John Eliot Gardiner back
NewsWe have received a statement claiming to represent 123 musicians of the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras.
It reads:
We, musicians of the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras (MCO) are deeply saddened to learn that our founder and Artistic Director, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, will not be returning to the organisation.
Contrary to recent suggestions in the press, we have no desire to sever ties with John Eliot. A recent poll of 173 of our musicians indicated 96% support for his return to conducting us. We fully uphold MCO’s commitment to hold John Eliot accountable for his actions and create a safe working environment, but we believe that this was achievable with him returning to the helm.
Our Board and Management have successfully allowed us to fulfil engagements over a challenging eleven months and we are grateful to the conductors who have worked with us during that period. However, we regret that, while implementing policy designed to ensure dignity and respect in the workplace, the views of musicians were ignored.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to John Eliot for over sixty years of extraordinary music-making and look forward to many more opportunities to join him in the future.
Kati Debretzeni – Leader, English Baroque Soloists representative
Alex Ashworth – Baritone, Monteverdi Choir representative
Marten Root – Principal Flute, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique representative
and 120 Musicians of the MCO.
The numbers here are slightly confusing. There are around 360 freelance musicians presently on the books of the MCO. Kati Debretzni (pictured), whose name is at the head of the petition, has announced that she is sending in a letter of resignation. Marten Root is based in the Netherlands.
What we are seeing is a tussle between pro-JEG and anti-JEG musicians, with the overall majority probably neutral.
UPDATE: We’ve received this reponse from the MCO, claiming a dirty tricks campaign:
We question the authenticity of, or true support for, the claims made by three musicians, two of whom have resigned from the ensemble and have been canvassing for support for disruptive acts of sabotage which are not reflective of our community of passionate and talented players.
This statement feels like part of a dirty tricks campaign against the MCO by a small group, who have been undermining the organisation for some time and who seemingly do not accept the decision that the MCO Board had to make last week, tackling a problem not of its own making and driven by our commitments to uphold the necessary standards of fairness, inclusion and safety for all our people, audiences and stakeholders. Our resolve on this matter is strengthened by the sad attempts by a small group to undermine our people and our organisation.
We have held open meetings with our players for some time and the vast majority of our 360 musicians have had expressed overwhelming support for the difficult but right decision we had to make last week.
The higher you fly, the harder you fall, SIr John.
The letter of support from these musicians will not float you back to the top following your reprehensible actions of the past, which have now also become indelible.
It would be sensible that if MCO wants to sever ties with its founder, that they disband and those who want to form a new ensemble. I’m sympathetic to the argument that any organization is bigger than one man, but if that is the case, there should be no issue in starting anew, under a different name, and getting people to attend their concerts for the quality of the musicianship and not the name of the headline conductor. Unless you agree with the other point of view, that musicians have come and gone from the ensemble over the decades and the only constant, and important draw for audience-goers, has been the name of its founder.
The power of cult of personality!!!
Or Stockholm Syndrome…
I think, all things considered the MCO board still made the right decision. While there are mixed emotions around the situation, it is clearly far more nuanced, and many more things to consider, than just what some of ‘his’ musicians want.
The musicians are what have made the band what it is over the last 60 years, not the board. To pretend that the musicians were consulted and on board with the board decision is wrong. Will there be different opinions within an orchestra? Of course, but Kati and Martin have played with JEG for over 25 years, so to accuse completely dedicated musicians of this is disgraceful.
Very confusing narrative and figures don’t add up. Baffling too, that these people are still defending him. If any other person in the orchestra had assaulted someone, they would have been sacked without question. Why is the decision still being questioned?
Really? Time to move on methinks!!
Thank you Norman for letting us have a voice in this.
BUT I don’t agree with your last paragraph at all as I know that we are not « neutral ».
I do not know where you have seen these numbers you’re giving. The only ones that are to be trusted are the ones we’re writing in our statement.
Also, this picture is not ORR nor EBS, it is not relevant to the matter in question.
Of course, I am grateful to MCO for working so hard to continue supporting us (and them) and making our last concerts happen.
But they are wrong; this is not a rebellion caused by 3 lost souls and IT IS HYPOCRITICAL to imply that they did that on their own, not considering what the musicians (and most of the choir) thought.
We have been kept in the dark for a very long time and it is after we insisted so many times that general meetings were put in place – but nothing major was ever said or mentioned.
Finally, because I feel from the comments I read on this that I need to defend myself… I can absolutely say I, personally, do not have a cult of personality with JEG, but I am not ashamed to write here that I am proud to have worked with him. His style, bravery and vision are one of a kind. I wish for every musician that I know to experience that same thing one day with somebody. I am not ashamed to admire someone I work with; it’s called music, passion, beauty.
The world needs more of it.
Fantastic! Thank you so much to stand up against it. THAT’S what it is!
Agree!!
BRAVO!
bravo
Well said Morane. There are many commentators here who don’t know the whole truth.
It’s baffling that anyone would think the MCO board have handled this well. They’ve made it unnecessarily ugly, and have caused what will, probably, cause fatal harm eventually to their own organisation – surely not the point of any board.
Thank you for standing up for music and musicians. Look at the entirely corporate make up of the board. I’ve seen it so many times before (most recently somewhere in the West Midlands) – some know all trustees stepping out of their expertise and harming arts organisations, while telling everyone they’re saving them…
Exactly!
Standing up for musicians? Perhaps you’re being sarcastic Steph. I wonder how you think it makes the musicians whom he badly treated feel? Or those who have felt silenced by countless other powerful abusers in our industry when said powerful people are simply allowed to carry on because of “genius”. It’s not as simple as standing up for music. It’s been handled terribly by the board but they’ve finally come to the right, and only possible decision for the good of musicians of the future.
Or, just maybe, I know more than you. I know what actually happened – everyone who knows the situation would say that there is another, as yet untold, side to this story.
Yes, I stand up for music and musicians. I know so many ORR and EBS colleagues who knows all about JEG, his faults, and also know that they owe him a lot.
Is it really so difficult to realise he has done so much more good than harm? How many lives has he enriched? How much work has he created for musicians that simply would not have existed without him?
Can you really not see why some would ask for a different outcome?
I will always maintain he has done far more for UK music than people often admit. The positives are always downplayed, and the negatives overplayed.
I don’t think it’s wise to presume you know more than me about it just because we disagree. I was there and know what happened.
I love the MCO and know that many extraordinary musical moments are thanks to JEG. I never said I can’t see why some would wish for a different outcome (of course they would!)
I’m simply saying that more broadly, I believe it’s probably better for the future of the industry (yes: music and musicians!) that this type of abusive behaviour/physical assault is finally held to account. Of course he has enriched lives – but he has also made many peoples lives very difficult – and I find it strange not to care about that. Why can’t we just be thankful for what he’s given us thus far, musically? It’s been a lot!
I think it’s fairly safe to assume that some of us disagree with you BECAUSE we know more about it than you do. Unless you were there? I was.
“Zemlinksy” – Afraid I Don’t know who you’re referring to because Norman’s comments section is crap. But yes I can disagree with you and know what happened and have been there. Quite a lot of people were there and know what happened – and disagree with you! Having worked for him for many many years and As sad as it is, I’m more and more confident with how I feel about it as more and more crazy sounding colleagues stand up for him with increasing lack of nuance. It’s depressing.
Exactly!!
Absolute respect for this comment!! I am not a singer or a player of the choir/orchestra, but I met Sir John Eliot Gardiner for the first time, when I was an 18 year old schoolboy, madly interested in music and all aspects of performance. I will never forget how this man treated me and how much I learned and still learn from him up to this day. All the baiters, so keen to have a go at him, should finally come back to reality….
I can’t say I ever found him to be one of a kind as a musician. Perhaps in the UK, as other groups’ budgets mean no one else has time to rehearse and explore music in any depth. But elsewhere I’ve encountered several, usually with manners and consideration for other human beings.
It’s possible to be proud to have worked for him; be sad not to get to do so again; admire his musicianship AND believe it’s the right decision for him to stand down. (Also of the 360 musicians “on the books” I’m sure the majority probably are neutral, since many of those will have only worked a handful of times with MVCO)
Notwithstanding any of this, shouldn’t there already be succession plans in place given JEG’s age?
There are or there were, and I think the board and management used this as an opportunity to try and start them
Were? Try?
It’s hard to put a succession plan in action, or even to plan it fully, when the person being succeeded won’t leave.
You must care much more about your job and prospects at continuing to tour vs. your morals.
At the end of the day its all the same: you know the MCO is basically over without the old boxer, and that you could still tour the Americas, Asia and other places much more alt-right, as if to make a point.
Without JEG how long until the organization is irrelevant? 3, max 5 years?
At the end of the day, lets be honest: its not the vision, or the music, bravery or any of the other BS you list – as if to convince yourself.
Its plain old paychecks and bread on table.
Money is the only reason they want him back! Many who have committed solely to him are terrified it could be over. So they’d rather try to buy a couple of years and reinstate an octogenarian bully with a history of violence than try their skills out in a less closed environment. Has any of them considered that the biggest backers might have threatened to pull out, rather than be associated with JEG? He isn’t the financial pull that some think he is. But his continued presence could have crippled them. The board probably had no choice.
Clearly never worked with a genius. Good with bad in equal measure.
Oh aren’t you just the cynic! I’m one of those has worked for him for a great deal of time now and although I accept almost all work I’m offered by the MCO, I can assure you that I make far better money working for other people. My teaching pays me a lot more per day!
The reason I accept work for JEG is purely for the quality, integrity and excitement of the performances.
The MCO are largely privately funded and, as a consequence, finances are tight. I wonder what gives you the insight into how much of my income MCO work represents?
If you wish to snipe, then please find something which is at least plausible.
Have you anything to say about the quality of the ensembles perhaps? Are you going to reveal how much of a musician you are?
Lucky you. Many don’t make more elsewhere, and for some it’s their only regular source of work. I can’t say more than that, but I do know it to be fact.
Indeed finances are tight. Hence the issue with backers. It seems to be an open secret elsewhere!
And how does one quantify? Is it measured in decades of experience? I have several, if that helps, including having worked for and walked away from JEG. Not as a victim, but as someone unwilling to pander to it. A decision never regretted. I’ve had no issue finding work of similar quality elsewhere. Perhaps not in the UK, where rehearsal is always limited and results often slap-dash. But it exists, and doesn’t require bullying or assault to get there.
Look, if you don’t actually know something is true, stop making stuff up! The idea that there are some of us who rely solely on the EBS or the ORR is plain silly. There simply isn’t enough of it, even if one played for both orchestras, to make a living. Also, members of the orchestras have largely been selected to play as a result of having been extremely busy elsewhere.
I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that it is not luck which favours me either. I happen to be rather good and yes, like you I work overseas too.
You know what? You made your choice. Stick with it. It was YOUR choice.
This is OUR choice.
Pity or deride us if you wish to. Just stop talking nonsense.
You forgot about the choir though, didn’t you? Quelle surprise! The point stands.
Well said.
You sound like a hostage who has come to identify with their abuser. I guess you and your colleagues in this orchestra have never known anything other than abuse, so why would they not expect that’s just the way things are.
Try and step back and see that by defending him, you’re defending bullies and tormenters – not a good look for classical music at a time when it’s struggling to find new audiences.
As I have already said. I work for all kinds of other people. How am I a hostage?
The egoism of the baiters, similar to the egoism of the uncultured bankers in the board who thought they can have a go at Sir John Eliot Gardiner, forbids them to see any other opinion than their own. It’s similar to modern day politicians, completely out of touch with reality.
Thank you!
Garder Gardiner MCO, C’est sa création ! ! Honteux de vouloir l’éliminer de la sorte !
I am having my management put a “hit back” clause in my contract. Conductors better watch out…..
How do you know who threw the first punch? Maybe JEG was hitting back.
Stop making stuff up it’s not helpful. You want to believe that, but I’m afraid it’s not true.
Because witnesses have made it very clear, and even JEG has had to admit to being the aggressor. Next…
Has anyone ever asked the question, if this whole so called event maybe was staged to play into the cards of this board? Or, another question, why did this come up so quickly, after Sir John Eliot Gardiner correctly criticised the BBC after the coronation?? Ever thought about that? I know it doesn’t fit into the narrative of the baiters and the bankers, but I could not care less. Uncultured people think they can have a go at the best conductor of our time…. Poor society
I did wonder what this was all about. All seems a bit over the top for one punch. Stupid old fool, of course, but not exactly a hanging offence….
Not one punch, allegedly. Ask a certain London-based brass player.
Yawn. Sure, ask them – it was a rolled up poster backstage at the Barbican. And the brass player kept winding him up by deliberately calling him the wrong name.
What, his real one?
As far as i know they’re not planning on hanging him.
I suppose the MCO board is seeking to protect at least ‘1/3’ of the musicians who do not seem to be particularly encouraging towards a JEG return—their safety is important too for old JEG could line them up and aim for their jaws one by one after the A-415 is settled.
“Oh oh oh, I was conducting a little too close” he could say. Perhaps the best thing for him to do is write another book: JS Bach meets Discipline and Authenticity: Pounding Towards 20 Kin
Dear Gerry. If only this were true! The FACT is that it is not 1/3 but significantly less than 5% of musicians.
Spoken like a true snowflake. My preccccious!! (Apologies to Tolkien).
A bad divorce, with the kids drawn into the battle.
The official response, though, with it’s usage of “sabotage” does feel too NKVD for my taste.
The text says 96%, the signatories claim to be 120/173; should that be 69%?
The 96% refers to a poll that was taken, not the number of signatories.
No Emil. The figure of 360 musicians is a conveniently inflated figure, conveniently and very creatively drawn out of a hat by the MCO management and includes a stupidly inflated number of musicians, some of whom haven’t worked for the group for years and sone of whom may only have worked on one occasion.
It’s also true that NONE of them were consulted (so how anyone might conclude that they were “neutral” I have no idea) by the MCO. None of us were either, which was why we elected representatives to talk to the management on our behalf.
Regardless of the veracity or falsity of these claims, MCO without JEG is in a very precarious position. In fact, they may have even sealed their own demise. After all this, there is not a single A level conductor that would even remotely consider taking the position. I can even imagine that the thought of dissolving the organization as a result of the separation even entered their minds. Well, they may have no choice now!
They’re in a very precarious position *with* him. Big financial backers don’t want the association. They will make it work, and very well, whether it’s in the manner of “Have I Got News For You”, or by waiting for the right permanent director to reinvigorate it for another generation. Someone had to.
They could have easily carried on with JEG after his year in the wilderness if the players wanted that. I think that was probably also the expectation from audiences. Sadly, without JEG I dount there much long-term future for the organisation but only time will tell. On the other hand JEG will happly carry on guest conducting, so it’s really only the MCO that ends up suffering here.
Isn’t it lovely to see loyalty! If jeg was so awful, why they put their heads above the parapet in support. Yes, jeg shouldn’t have smacked the singer. However we should just accept the apology , anyone who is offended to a degree where they are the ones who should move on.
Terror at losing work and having been off the market so long that they’ve been left behind!
So insulting. They all work on and have gigs. They are all incredibly talented. They just want exceptional back.
Not all, by any means. Some have bought in so far they have little outside. I’d say it goes for a significant chunk of the singers.
Again! This is a completely false notion. You couldn’t actually be more wrong if you made it up (which you clearly have). If you look at the voting patterns, the choir is marginally less in favour of him returning, with a total of five voting against. The instrumentalists were 98% in favour of him returning.
If you don’t know, DON‘T pretend to be speaking from a position of authority.
Just so you know… we’re all still working. As I pointed out in my earlier reply, none of us work exclusively for the MCO. I‘m certainly not being left behind. I’d just like to work with JEG again. That’s all.
It is absolutely true that the board of the MCO had to make a difficult decision not of their making. They have to consider more than the opinions of the orchestra but also their stakeholders and their insurers. JEG did something really stupid and it hurt everyone. I wish he hadn’t and it is all very sad.
As a long-standing member of one of the MCO ensembles I would like to take this opportunity to correct a gross miss-representation. 2 in 3 musicians is not an accurate figure. In a poll of active musicians (NOT the wider fixing list, many of whom may have only worked once with the ensembles) more than 90% of active members agreed that they wished for JEG’s return.
The three musicians spoken about in the MCO’s counter statement were elected by the performers to act on our behalf. Until they did so, none of the performers were so much as asked for their opinions by the MCO board. The musicians spoken about so poorly in this counter statement have the full support of the significant majority of the performers.
But why have many of the others on the list stopped working for him? It certainly isn’t a question of quality in many cases.
Ok. You apparently seem to have made the decision yourself some years ago. I stopped working for other groups. Sometimes one gets offered more lucrative work: a teaching job in Australia, a professorship in Germany.
It’s a freelance gig. Go figure!
Breaking: 2 in 3 classical musicians are masochists with self-esteem issues
Democracy against righteous thinking…easy to know who will win…
Presumably this is just the two thirds who have only witnessed or experienced bullying, humiliation and abuse, and not the ones who have been punched, slapped, groped, or objected to racist language and have therefore already walked away? This dinosaur needs to depart and take his toxic apologist acolytes with him
Exactly this. Thank you.
His behavior was indisputably wrong. But let’s see how long the institution will last without him.
Baroque specialists suffer from Stockholm Syndrome with baroque bows and no endpins. Heifetz and Gould are The Real Deal.
Mr. Rosen, I couldn’t agree more!
Does the audience have a say? I don’t want him back.
Nonsense. I’ve seen with and without. Night and day.
Nobody is forcing you to go to his concerts, you can stay home and watch Strictly Come Dancing if you like.
Too many unsupervised viola players running around….
Everyone deserves a second chance if mistakes from the past are sincerely regretted. Why do we have to judge so harshly today? Why is it so difficult to approach each other and forgive?
Second?! Who are you trying to kid?
Sigh. As someone who worked for him once upon a time and vowed never to do so again after witnessing his behaviour (not against me, I hasten to add), I find it terrifying that people still wish to enable him. That said, it is one of those groups where musicians put all their eggs in that one basket, and I can understand that they might genuinely fear for a large chunk of their income. It’s that or Stockholm syndrome. I hope the board will remain resolute. If there are many who refuse to continue, I might attempt a comeback!
Well, people willingly take their kids to sing in churches knowing perfectly well what happens in the sacristy when the mass is over between the Priest and the choirboys.
This should surprise no one.
It would surprise anybody who has been in a sacristy after mass. It is a hive of activity and the opportunity for sexual activity of any kind, licit or otherwise, is precisely nil. Not is it a place frequented by choirboys for that matter.
This kind of accusation was actually brought against that great Catholic bishop Cardinal George Pell by his enemies in the Vatican and elsewhere. It was pointed out in court that not only was the sacristy an improbable venue for pederasty but that His Eminence would, like most celebrants, have been at the opposite end of the cathedral at the time, greeting his congregation as they left.
I do wonder reading these comments if no one here has ever done anything unsavory that could have career implications. Clearly hitting someone is unacceptable and should receive consequences. But is an automatic ending of a career warranted? Elsewhere on this site, someone referred to JEG as a “piece of shit.” Really? I’m just confused why more people don’t respond by thinking (1 what happened was unacceptable and JEG needs a break and therapy and (2 hopefully he can make progress and be back on the podium at some point.
Or maybe I’m mistaken and everyone commenting here are perfect little angels.
Most of us musicians are not indispensable/famous enough to have the luxury of a 2nd chance if we behave unprofessionally. In the freelance world especially, careers have ended over far, far smaller offences than hitting someone. It is harsh, but our profession is so competitive that many capable musicians do not even get a 1st chance.
@SVM
Yes, it’s a competitive field and JEG has done very well. I’m not cynical about that; I think he is a rare talent who works hard and isn’t easy to replace. If someone who was barely competitive musically who had a similar offense, there would be less reason for colleagues to hope for restoration. Is that unfair? Perhaps. But it’s simply the case that people are more accommodating for people with rare gifts. Those with rare gifts should be held accountable, for sure, but their mistakes shouldn’t erase a legacy of valuable work. Comparing JEG to musicians who weren’t gifted enough to rise above the competition in the first place just doesn’t seem warranted. Ultimately the competition is about one’s ability to perform at an extremely high level musically. I worry that much of what happens in a case like this one is that less gifted people are glad for an excuse to take someone down who is far above them. JEG isn’t a “dinosaur” or a “piece of shit,” as commenters here have said; he’s someone that has more to show for with his life than probably every last person on this forum. It seems strange to rule that out of the equation.
You have to draw a line somewhere in a professional setting though – can’t judge the bad behaviour depending on how talented someone thinks you are!
Name another place of work where punching your young employee in the face as you reach retirement age wouldn’t get you promptly (and permanently) removed!
Decades of “mistakes” can’t be overlooked yet again.
Well said! Glasshouses!
Is a small village in Nidderdale, just outside Pateley Bridge, but what does that have to do with anything?
With regard to MCO’s severing ties with JEG, all I see is a great deal of pettiness under the guise of social justice.
However, it will be simple economics that comes to pass. Demand for JEG is still high and will continue to be high, whether certain people like it or not and that demand will be considerably higher than anything MCO can generate without him. They should think very carefully about their sensitivities.
Exactly. And it’s quite odd that if, as it seems, the players were not consulted properly.
In all of this particular fracas and brouhaha, we need to remember that, as reprehensible as JEG is as a human being, he IS the MCO, and I don’t mean it in simple binary terms of the cult of personality.
Yes, the MCO are of the finest players and singers in their field, but it is without a doubt the incandescent brilliance of JEG’s interpretations that have galvanised them into a formidable presence over 60 years.
Should they disband and form ensembles under other names, as has been suggested here? No. Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, and Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique are household names, and part and parcel of the very fabric of classical musicmaking.
On the other hand, how good will they continue to be without the force of JEG behind them? (And being 81, he’s unlikely to be around for very much longer).
No doubt there will be future as well as present conductors who would be able to maintain that high interpretative standard that JEG leaves behind, but that is going to be one tough act to follow.
This dispute seems no longer to be about Gardiner, but about the MCO board and its relationship to the musicians who wish for MCO’s continued success. The latest statement from the administration is really very aggressive and insulting to the musicians, using language such as ‘sabotage’ and ‘dirty tricks campaign’ and questioning the ‘authenticity’ of the signatories, who are highly respected in this field.
I wouldn’t wish to work for that kind of employer, and I have been told that a number of musicians have been submitting their resignations. The loss of experienced talent further weakens the MCO proposition.
It seems to me that the MCO administration has utterly failed. First it failed to successfully negotiate Gardiner’s return. Now it has failed to maintain a good will relationship with many of its dedicated musicians. And lastly it has failed to recruit a worthy successor to Gardiner. Given the language it is currently using, I cannot see how its search for high level talent, in terms of both conductors and players, will be successful.
The organization owns the MCO name. At this point I wonder whether the name alone has enough value for the orchestra and choir to survive.
Well put, I suspect this story isn’t over yet.
Next they can petition to perform with Alessandro Marc.
It seems as if the whole situation has reached a dead end for everyone directly and indirectly involved.
None of the arguments are plausible anymore – neither in one direction nor the other.
Thank you to all dirty tricksters!
The problem is that we don’t know exactly what difficulties there were in the talks between the MCO board and Gardiner. I would be interested to know how this decision came about and why so suddenly. Does any of the musicians working there know anything more specific?
And it is important to take the protest of the musicians, including the Leader (!) of the EBS, against Gardiner’s departure seriously and not to suppress it in an authoritarian manner, as the MCO board is currently doing. The protest shows that the board has not taken the musicians’ opinion into account sufficiently. I find it really bad how harshly (“smear campaign”) the board is attacking this protest and trying to suppress it in a dictatorial manner. Even the authenticity of the protest is being questioned, although the Leader of the EBS is mentioned by name!
This is not how employers treat employees!
It would be good if the musicians of the EBS or the ORR would comment on this again to clarify how the board has treated them now and in recent years. Did you have the opportunity to comment? Were you interviewed individually? How respectfully were you treated by the board and management?
The board cleverly says that it had open meetings with 360 musicians and that the majority supported the decision. This is very cleverly worded to attack the protest. But the board does not speak of an official survey. The protesting musicians, on the other hand, conducted a survey. The board should take a leaf out of their book. All of this shows me that this is probably not about music or musicians, but about power!
Nevertheless:
All of us who comment and discuss here lack more precise information. We do not know what exactly happened behind the scenes. I would have liked more clarity here, because otherwise it is not possible to form a serious opinion.
Sorry, I misquoted. I didn’t mean “smear campaign”, I meant “dirty tricks campaign”.
The MCO Board has failed completely to understand that 4/5 decades of promotion by DGG/Erato and others have given JEG and The MCO an irreplaceable commercial value. The MCO are traditionally one of the most high priced ensembles in the business. Ticket prices have to be high to help offset the cost. In America where there is little subsidy, the loss of JEG will be devastating. None of the conductors mentioned by the hapless management have any name recognition. Replace to board and especially the manager who have failed miserably to manage the situation.
What mighty contests rise from trivial things!! (Alexander Pope)
The sign ‘under the patronage of HM JEG’s old friend’ has vanished from their website.
The amount of sanctimony dripping from so many of the commenters on here is nauseating, especially considering the fact that people who frequent this site are supposed to care about music. But clearly, many care far more about being morally correct and burning the witch du jour. Was JEG out of line for striking that singer? Of course he was. Did he deserve to be permanently severed from the orchestra he founded and led for decades, to often magnificent results? Of course he didn’t, not unless you believe the severity of his punishment should far exceed the seriousness of his “crime”. And the people who believe that the only reason the vast majority of MCO musicians want him back is because they stand to benefit financially from associating with him are really telling on themselves and what THEY would do under the circumstances. That they can’t imagine wanting to play under a superb conductor out of a commitment to excellence in music says a lot about just how impoverished their own souls are. I’m as cynical as they come, but I have to believe that the vast majority of classical musicians have chosen their profession out of passion and love for the music they perform. It’s certainly not because there’s a lot of fame and money in that racket, for chrissakes. I hope that this incipient rebellion at the MCO is real and that the entire tyrannical board is forced to resign and that JEG is reinstated, as he should be. He deserves better, and those of us who actually love music deserve to continue to hear him perform with his own band who, warts and all, clearly relish playing under him.
That’s what I wanted to say with my comment (see below): This is no longer about passion for music, but about power interests! How sad!
If the head teacher of your children’s school slaps and punches one of the dinner ladies or teaching assistants because they didn’t t exit the school dining room or classroom the correct way, would you be happy that they remain teaching your children?
No, I didn’t think so. Maybe they played school piano wonderfully for 30 years, or gave good leavers speeches but would you want the headmaster of your children’s school to be allowed back after a bit of yoga to continue bullying as they have done for decades, just because they had good connections and many friends on the board of governors…? Think about it.. any other profession or industry, this man would not be allowed anywhere near the workplace ever again.
You conveniently forget the rest over the years. If the principle funder is getting cold feet, and there are more whisperings about previous offences, it’s no wonder the board had to act.
Was the statement of the three elected representatives handled and answered according to the MCO´s Respect & Dignity at work policy?
No!
This is exactly what I wanted to express with my comment (see below).
You hit the nail on the head!
Thank you!
It’s ridiculous, if he was in a more junior position or worked in a shop there is no way this behaviour would be tolerated. I would absolutely love to know what the fate of somebody who punched HIM would have been….
Yes he is/was a brilliant musician…Unquestionably.
But do we forget the accusations of decades of bullying because he was a great conductor and musicians and singers are/were desperate for work so put up with it?
Many monsters did amazing creative work and also wonderful things for charities but it took the metoo movement and ‘Yewtree’ (look it up) to question the behaviour of certain superstar untouchables . Because they became so part of the establishment and important to many lives and livelihoods, their behaviour was excused and not talked about.
My point is that companies and society as an whole needs to protect against the cult of personality and make
stars accountable for their behaviour in what ever industry they reign.
No one is above the basic dignity and respect that each person needs to show to another and if anyone behaves in a way that disrespects the basic principles that mankind deserves, then they should be called out on it. Our post Meetoo society thankfully supports the voice that was always silenced or ridiculed
Heard final movement of Beethoven’s Eroica this morning on the wireless…Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique, JEG.
Nothing special really…even a little bland.
@all: Give him a break!
I think the entire affair has gone wildly out of proportion. JEG is guilty of hitting a musician; he apologized, took anger management training, and was punished by organizations barring him from conducting, and, worse, shamed by the press and social media ad infinitum and ad nauseam. I think it’s more than enough already.
The MCO management are arguably very self-righteous about overprotecting their musicians. JEG has not become a wolf waiting for an opportunity to slay, tear apart, and swallow musicians on and off stage. I’m sure he’ll be more careful than he ever was, and he has a lot more to lose by any misconduct. Speaking in terms of “sabotage” and “dirty tricks” is reminiscent of dark ages we don’t want to repeat, though this does happen elsewhere, as we all know.
It has been said that cemeteries are full of irreplaceable people, so JEG must be replaceable too. However, in the meantime, I believe his contributions might be more worthwhile than those of the current replacements.
@Amir
Please read the comment above by Tif, who hits the nail on the head.
(Also, imagine thinking it’s “wildly out of proportion” for someone in a powerful and responsible position with a history of bullying to be finally fired after punching a younger employee in the face!)
Tout à fait d’accord avec vous !
As the late, great Justin Hinds sang years ago (in a different musical genre), “The higher the monkey climbs, the more he’s exposed.”Dt