Just in: Israel Phil renews chief conductor
OrchestrasA players’ meeting of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra voted last night to extend Lahav Shani’s contract as chief conductor by five years to 2029.
Shani, 35, is also chief conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic for another two years. Then he takes over at the Munich Philharmonic.
He is based mostly in Berlin.
The IOP is a cooperative society, run by its’ members who are only the musicians. Lahav Shani has done very well in very difficult times. He is well liked by the crowd and by the musicians. Good luck.
Can you please elaborate on difficult times? We all know what is happening between Israel and Palestine: how is the IPO doing these days and how is Shani responding to any challenges?
Shani had to manage an orchestra who had to abandon a complete pre-paid subscription season due to Covid. Than the IPO had to manage a weekly disturbance: Each saturday since January 23 large scale very noisy political protests take place nearby.
Many of the audiance take part in the strugle to fight off Netaniahu anti-democratic initiative and could not attend concerts. The IPO and Shani himself made a stand and took the democratic side – this is a dangerous move for an organisation that expects public funds.
Since october 7th the IPO had to carry on in spite of the war, the fact that Tel-Aviv was repeatedly under fire, and the audiance (and musicians) had personal grief and anxiety to deal with.
The real wander is that inspite of all those difficulties the orchestra realy improved under Shani.
I hope to hear Lahav Shani in NYC or Boston with the IPO at some point in the future. My one experience hearing Lahav Shani live was when he guest conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and it was not a good one (actually, it was the worst concert of the season of the 11 concerts I attended). It was clear Shani had no chemistry with the BSO and it was an unsuccessful concert. Shani gets so much good press elsewhere that I’d like to hear him with an orchestra that he has mutual chemistry with. And that’s definitely not the Boston Symphony Orchestra (nor the Chicago Symphony Orchestra based on a what a friend told me who heard him in Chicago around the same time Shani was in Boston).
I dont quite understand why maestro Shani spends so much time in Germany
His wife works in Germany.
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Lots of armchair conductors will need a cuddle chair.