Another principal leaves the Berlin Philharmonic
OrchestrasWe have obtained confirmation that principal flute Sebastian Jacot will leave the orchestra in November, after failing to ‘pass the probation period.’ An audition for his successor will be held in March.
The section also has a vacancy for second flute (with piccolo).
Jacot, 36, was on his way to become principal flute at the San Francisco Symphony when a call from Berlin derouted him two years ago. The Swiss virtuoso was acclaimed as a rock star in his previous post at Leipzig. But Berlin is Berlin and Darwin’s law applies.
Following yesterday’s shock departure of concertmaster Vineta Sareika, its first woman leader, the orchestra may need to reflect on its recent comings and goings. The Berlin Phil is unquestionably the most challenging gig in the orchestral world but, like Manchester United under Alex Ferguson, it is a winning team, not a happy one.
Petrenko’s job is to maintain standards and reputation. That obviously comes with the need for discipline and musicians who really want to be orchestral players. The first love of the concertmaster appears to have been chamber music and so it is entirely possible she simply wants to return to that sphere.
As for this flautist, being ‘acclaimed as a rock star […] at Leipzig’ seems a strange qualification for his Berlin job. It’s often said the Berlin Phil is full of big egos, but those egos are only good if they serve the music and not just the individual.
Darwin’s theory includes both natural and sexual selection.
Music, with all its superfluity and ornamentation, is, if anything, a result of sexual selection, since music does not actually increase the probability of survival, yet superfluity and ornamentation may signal biological fitness and resourcefulness of males to females and can thus indirectly increase mating opportunities and reproductive success.
That may be one reason why mainly male composers took it to ever greater extremes (Berlioz, Wagner, R. Strauss, Mahler).
If a composer cannot convince the female sex with size and length (Wagner, Mahler), then they may attempt to do so with sheer productivity (Mozart, Mendelssohn, Segerstam).
In biological terms, the behavioural syndrome of male dominance in music does not automatically mean that all male composers/musicians have increased reproductive success (Schubert, Bruckner) but on average and over historical time they have (Bach).
Today’s imposed equality regime is an attempt to overrule Darwin’s “rules”. But it is still a long way to change such principles, which are deeply rooted in the biological basis of anisogamy.
This may be the stupidest thing I have read in 20 years
Neo-Lamarckist?
Yup…pretentious and condescending.
Lucky you!!!
And that means quite something here…
Sir, this is a Wendy’s.
But Darwin’s law applies, nevertheless.
Perhaps you need a whole lot more music and a whole lot less Jordan Peterson and Andrew Tate. But what do I know? I’m just a guy who likes to touch grass on occasion.
Long as you don’t make the next leap to Fentanyl. 🙂
I thought anusogamy was more an opera thing?
Anisogamy
Should we light up a cigarette after reading this post?
Sad indeed, but I’m sure he’s gonna be fine . Maybe back to Leipzig?
Unbelievable Sebastien Jacot is an incredible musician. So many fantastic players thrown on the garbage in BP
Examples? Does not passing the probation period mean your are “garbage”? In that case there must be many thousands of musicians around the world alive today who equally are garbage.
Not all winning orchestras are happy ones: see Vienna Phil or Dresden Staatskapelle. They often have toxic atmospheres, but they are great orchestras nonetheless.
Extraordinary that such a player might not pass his probation. Berlin’s loss will be another top orchestra’s gain.
Jacot is a wonderful and fine musician and flutist. Sure he will find a place in a top orchestra.
Despite that it was huge shock for me, it was not 100 % surprise. In fall 2022 Vincent Vogel, Barbara Kehrig, Diyang Mei, Tobias Reifland and Bertold Stecher started almost same time with Jacot and all of them had already passed their trial periods. Also three violinists who all started months later had passed their trial. So when Mr. Jacot was not in this group, I started thinking that there might be something… and I was right.
Despite that it’s sad news, Jacot has nothing to prove anyone – he is clearly one of planet’s best flutists and the world is open for him. His old chair in Gewandhaus is still free or if he want to go something other orchestra there is e.g. Bavarian radio (Germany’s No. 2nd orchestra) which is still looking successor for retired Philippe Bouckly. Or if he want to be soloist or (full time) teacher – all is possible to him.
Whatever he decide to do in future, he is already a winner. Not every guy and girl win Berlin Phil’s auditions and got opportunity to play with them. He and his stellar playing will stay in history!
Currently, BRSO is most certainly Germany’s top orchestra.
Bavarian radio ‘s principal flute position has been won by Lukas Spagnolo and it’s not available
Oh wow! Great to know!
Are we sure that it is the orchestra’s decision? Perhaps Jacot decided that he didn’t want to stay if the culture is toxic.
I think that if the culture would be toxic – no one current member want to work with there. Usually many players have done decades career with there so if the culture would be toxic – no one would do long career in that kind of working place.
And I’m sure that no one here are is not playing with Berlin Phil so we can’t say / speculate that environment is toxic. Doing music as job is same kind like doing sport as job = it’s a tough job in any professional musical ensemble
I mean, let’s face it, the best flutist of the universe, James Galway, once left the Berlin Philharmonic.
So what.
That’s a very subjective view of Galway!
But justified.
Hmm, Nicolet, Zoeller, Blau, Pahud???
It was the orchestras decision. That’s how it works here. A vote.
Not if the player says ‘**** you, I’m out of here!’
And any musician would need to align with the leftist political hegemony, I’m absolutely sure.
Not in the case of Galway, I assume. Was probably Galway who was fed up of Karajan? Or vice versa?
I tend to think it’s true. On the DCH I noticed he’d given up his beloved wooden flute soon after joining and seemed to be trying out different gold flutes and looking miserable. If the rumors were true that they didn’t feel he “blended” and that he was trying out different flutes to appease them, it finally makes sense.
They have the wrong conductor in charge.Hes clueless.Their atrocious Bruckner 5 at the Proms recently showed how bland they’ve become. Not that you’d know that from the woke music press in the UK. It reminded me how bad the BBC Philharmonic became under Tortelier after the golden years under the great Edward Downes.
What an absolutely rubbish comment! You did not like that particular interpretation? Your loss for not being open. But to call Petrenko clueless and BPO bland is simply absurd. Unless you have something against him, in a deeper level that has nothing to do with music… just saying…
What does “woke” mean in this context other than something you don’t agree with?
Oh, where to begin……..
You may begin with the VPO hiring a female harpist
I watched their Bruckner 5 on the Digital Concert Hall and look forward to hearing such atrociousness at Carnegie Hall in a couple of months. I also heard Karajan’s Bruckner 5 with the BPO at the Festival hall in 1981, a different approach (Schalk version with quadruple woodwinds, 6 trumpets, 6 trombones and doubled timpani). Some might also find that atrocious. Was it though?
Pray tell, how exactly does the British press praising a mostly white male orchestra with a white male conductor playing the symphony of a white male become “woke?” Seriously now.
(Not that I have any problem with Petrenko or the orchestra; quite the contrary.)
I wouldn’t go so far as to call the interpretation “atrocious” but I have to say that the almost total drooling over it by the London critics doesn’t say very much for their understanding of Bruckner. I’m normally a fan of Kirill Petrenko but this was his very first Bruckner symphony and his lack of understanding of what makes this composer so special was painfully obvious. Yes, at a technical level the playing was superb but the frequently sharp-edged attack of the strings, the forceful phrasing and absence of “Luftpausen” yielded a very unconventional reading. But perhaps that’s what the critics like: being different for the sake of it.
it was just mesmerizing unlike the bad critics and you like
clean your ears
Like cheer-leading, is there a role for the music critic in the 21st century? Give me an N, give me an O.
you know absolutely anything as the Bruckner 5 was the best in years and wished any other orchestra could come close – Petrenko since Kleiber the most exciting around – you ought to start listening to music and just clean your ears before
Well, this comment is clearly over the top. Petrenko is not clueless, and he is a good conductor. But he is not perfect. Nobody is. He and his agent built a bubble around him that protects him from criticism – no interviews, few empty statements (he is not highly academically educated, and he doesn’t have much to say) – dedication to music, low-key persona. This gives him an allure of seriosity – and he truly is a serious musician. But even in the orchestra, there are critical voices (control freak, not letting the orchestra play, privileging his buddies, lack of deepness). All this is more than usual, and his Bruckner – let’s face it – is not good, but the last good Bruckner we heard from Berlin Phil was Karajan’s (or Thielemann’s, or Blomsted’s, when they guest conducted).
I always wonder about comments like this. When you say there are critical voices in the orchestra and then go on to list the complaints, what’s your source? Are you a connected person who has a beer with members of the orchestra from time to time? Or what is the basis for knowing what players think in an orchestra known for secrecy?
I think the idea that there’s a bubble around Petrenko is a stretch. He’s not a PR guy, unlike Rattle, but the nearly unanimous praise from professionals and amateurs alike is surely not due to his agent sheltering him! We’re supposed to take it from you that is Bruckner isn’t good, as if it’s a matter of course, but I read around a dozen reviews his Bruckner 5th that were almost completely positive. I don’t sniff a conspiracy to protect him; I think a lot of people happen to find his music-making unbelievably compelling (myself included).
I never said he was terrible; on the contrary, he is one of the best conductors around, I only didn’t like his Bruckner. And my opinion is that we last heard great Bruckners from Berl Phil with Karajan, with the noted exceptions. That’s it. I just reported not only rumors but also opinions I heard firsthand. I didn’t agree with all of those opinions either. But I also know not only him but also his agent, who is one of the smartest guys in the business, and he knows exactly how to guide and protect him.
So you’re an anonymous commenter who relates with Petrenko, his agent, and members of the orchestra firsthand? I just want to be sure I’m understanding.
sorry you are totally wrong and though he isn’t perfect (who is…?) he got the Berliner back after awful Rattle years and his last Proms showed that this orchestra seems a group of singularly soloists you don’t hear anywhere else – again since Kleiber no one has excited us more than him – he is absolutely fantastic and most people with knowledge agree
I agree with you; he is a relief after Abbado and Rattle. But the orchestra has always been terrific. But I have, like you, an opinion – we should agree to disagree – that his Bruckner is not nearly good as Karajan’s, or Blomsted’s or Thielemann’s.
” the most challenging gig in the orchestral world”
But is it the highest paying gig?
That is, for all that headache and heartache, do you get paid more for it?
Add to the fact that you have no longeavity: the Berliners really, really, really encourage early retirement if you can no longer hang with the young ones, whereas in the US, to begin with, there is no mandatory retirement age, and your colleagues are much more humane.
The Berlin Philarmonic cull their weak and old.
Now that you all have that information make your plans accordingly.
It can’t be a toxic atmosphere – when Vincent Vogel, Barbara Kehrig, Diyang Mei, Tobias Reifland and Bertold Stecher and three violins made it during the same time?!
For people who don’t know the inside world of the best orchestras it’s hard to imagine this, but those ensembles have personalities as a group and an identity in terms of sound.
Also passing the trial means potentially becoming a member of the orchestra for the next 30-40 years. If there’s the slightest doubt, I find it very sensible to have even the best players not pass probation.
It’s not about quality, it’s about blending into a very specific context. In terms of sound, in terms of personality.
So, it’s NOT about diversity but homogeneity after all! Well, who in the world would have thought??!!!
Finally, some sense. Thank you.
I noticed that in last season Jacot was no longer playing his wooden flute, changing to a silver one. I wondered if this had something to do with his status in Berlin.
I did too, he was known for the wooden flute, it was his identity. He dropped it pretty soon after joining and seemed to be trying a bunch of gold flutes and looking miserable as he did.
what did he play the audition on?
To lose one principal may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness.
I vote for Lady Bracknell to be a principal Tam Tam for the BPO.
I find it outrageous that, in all these years, Vineta Sareika was its first woman concertmaster. I think that’s all we need to know about why she left.
Playing in a major orchestra is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. Navigating the brutal audition process is only the first challenge. Keeping the job once you are in is an even greater challenge because there’s another audition every time you are on stage. Yes, it’s a brutal profession but it’s the most rewarding job in the world. How fortunate we are to have great music in our lives!
Bravo.
In the end, it’s all about the music.
The Berlin Phil needs to change its appointment system. It is ridiculous to appoint a principal or Concertmaster, welcome them into the orchestra and list them as players, and then fire them after a probationary period. It might work for rank-and-file string players, but for principals it would be better to give them a (6- to 12-month?) trial during which they are not regarded as permanent members. Then decide whether to keep them. I love the BP, but these practices worry me.
Dude, in Berlin Phil, they have a 2 year probation period. Not 6 or 12 months.
Yes, it’s on paper 2 years but it can be shorter like e.g. Andrej Zust had one year. There’s several other players who had in my understand shorter trial period (e.g. Busk Sørensen, Tarkövi, Stecher, Rabchevska) but I don’t know the 100 % exact time / months. If they notice that new players is clear cut suitable, they don’t wait. But it looks that 1,5 years have been quite common time to pass trial (e.g. Egorkin, Vogel, Kehrig, Mei, Reifland).
But I must say that because in my country all jobs (orchestral also) the trial time is 6 months so in orchestral world I think that one season (from september to may) is more than suitable trial time to see that is the new player suitable for them or is this job / orchestra right place for me
“….the orchestra may need to reflect on its recent comings and goings.”
Sounds like a veiled threat to me.
They’ll end up with someone like Jasmine Choi, Lorna McGee, Dennis Bouriakov, I also LOVE the current principal of Frankfurt!!! Jacot is wonderful, I would love to see him here in the U.S. maybe Pittsburgh, Los Angeles if Bouriakov gets Berlin.
Montreal? Probably just a matter of time before Tim Hutchins retires.
If you mean Clara Andrada, everyone loves her! But the other Frankfurt principal is also excellent – did you mean him?
I was speaking about Clara, but both of Frankfurt’s principals are absolutely wonderful! There is just a commanding presence she has while playing, which for me puts her right to the front of the line. Also, I feel like it’s time to have a principal female woodwind player again, and she’s stunning!!!
“Wonderful” is highly subjective. I actually cancelled my Digital Concert Hall subscription after they hired Jacot. He should have kept his job as a “rock star” in the Geschwand House Orchestra. When Pahud and Dufour set the bar so high, everyone else is bound to fail, including the “Ivan Drago of the flute.”
Lorna McGhee is just starting with Boston SO so I doubt she would be in the running but Bouriakov is an interesting suggestion
anyone know what happened to Andreas Ottensamer?? hes on the website as principal clarinet but i haven’t seen him on DCH for a long time.. wondering how he can still have the job with a schedule packed of conducting..
I have been wondering the same. He is on his third year of sabbatical
I’ve wondered same but I’m guess he is just sabbatical to cocentrate conducting. Recently I read and interview ( https://klassik-begeistert.de/interview-andreas-ottensamer-soloklarinettist-der-berliner-philharmoniker-klassik-begeistert-de/ ) where he said that he can not choose one career between clarinet playing and conducting so at least when he is listed in their website, he is still member.
I also once read that musicians in Berlin Phil can take breaks / go to their other works quite easily but they must make sure that there’s someone who will play their parts when they are in free time or doing other works. So I believe that he and Mr. Fuchs are managed things quite well. Also I’ve seen lot Matic Kuder (2nd/E-flat) and Andraz Golob (bass) playing 1st part so there’s always tutti players who can play 1st parts (like e.g. Romano Tommasini once lead 2nd violins when no one principal was not in action)
His situation looks kind of similar than what Pahud had in 2000-2002 when he was sabbatical (he teached that time in Geneve). Future shows that is he might doing same like his predecessor Karl-Heinz Steffens who leave BPO’s principal clarinet chair in 2007 to become full time conductor.
But quite recently Concertgebouw published principal clarinet audition when Mr. Palermo moved (one year ago?) to Tonhalle orchester so they are now looking new 1st player.
Surely sabbaticals after a number of years are standard in most major orchestras? As for the comment that those on sabbatical “must make sure that there’s someone who will play their parts when they are in free time or doing other works.” That worked for many decades with most London orchestras. Not sure if it is still the case and I would bet a considerable amount that in the BPO it is definitely not the player on sabbatical who decides who deputises for him/ her.
Same, he seems like he’s decided to become a conductor. I understand 1-2 years sabbatical for personal projects or to explore other things, but into a 3rd year of what’s clearing become a full-time conducting career, you have to wonder why he hasn’t resigned. Seems like the right thing to do for the organization.
How long can Ottensamer be “on sabbatical?” How much is he even playing the clarinet? Has he ever even played with his two wonderful new colleagues on 2nd/bass (Golob) and 2nd/Eb (Kuder) if the winds are so concerned about “blend?” Seems a legit question if Jacot has been rejected for this reason!
I don’t know but I hope he comes back. He’s an incredible clarinetist. What are the chances he becomes an equally distinguished conductor? A few years ago the fabulous oboist Lucas Macias Navarro gave up his job in the Concertgebouw to become a conductor; I gather he’s doing fine but also a loss, IMHO.
He will not come back, nor play clarinet on the highest former level anywhere else anymore.
There’s a regular dep playing principal clarinet. Does anyone know who he is?
Orchestral musicians don’t need to be “rock stars.” They must merely be competent, and capable of following a conductor. There are no classical or modern orchestra scores that cannot be handled by a new graduate of a music academy, or even a talented high school player. Moreover most conductors are not worth much technically and any of the first chairs could easily lead the “band” ( and that’s all an orchestra is) just as well if not better. Last, these orchestra players are all union or contract members so the musician labor market is subject to labor distortion that blocks many more talented players from entering the corporate orchestra sector—and these are corporations.
Interestingly, the San Francisco Symphony’s principal flute, Yubeen Kim, who joined this year, has performed multiple times as guest principal flute of the Berlin Phil, including on its concert with John Williams in late 2022.
As a long-time subscriber to the Philharmoniker’s Digital Concert Hall, I’m deeply disappointed that Ms. Sareikis and Mr. Jaquot will be leaving the orchestra. Both are exceptional musicians and added to the ensemble. Vaneta has had a magisterial presence on the stage and her soloing in Heldenleben was quite remarkable; similarly, Sebastian’s recent performance in Rachmaninoff’s Third Symphony was exceptional. One can only speculate on what “the truth” is here. It would seem that in Vaneta’s situation at least the Kapellmeister must have played some role. It’s also possible, of course, that factors other than “musical” were involved in the decision-making process; perhaps, one or both individuals were not considered compatible as colleagues over the long term. I wonder how difficult it will be to replace them: Yes, it’s great to be at the summit, but if you can be hurled off the cliff, why would it be worth it?
Calling Petrenko a “Kapellmeister” is silly.
That aside, I doubt he had much to do with it. The BPO members are famously protective of their prerogative regarding personnel. The Sabine Meyer case being perhaps the most famous example.
Sebastian Jacot is a brilliant flautist (doesn’t he play on a wooden flute & still manages to get a beautiful timbre)- what do the BPO expect from him? Their loss will be someone else’s gain. Welcome to the world of professional orchestras- thank the Lord- I’m just sitting behind a computer screen.
Sabastian is the absolute best flutist. As a former colleague of him, I was totally impressed by his artistry, professionalism, and fantastic sound! His flute solo not only once touched my heart and made my tear pour out on stage. There is no one in the planet has his ability on flute. He never is not good enough for any orchestra. Berlin’s decision is unfair and evil.