Nezet gets matching watch

Nezet gets matching watch

Orchestras

norman lebrecht

September 03, 2024

The Metropolitan Opera and Philadephia Orchestra conductor has been visiting his favourite Swiss gnomes with husband Pierre Tourville.

Apparently, they now make his-and-his watches. (Not availablle in Swatch). Nezet was ‘welcomed into the Rolex family’ three months ago.

Note to street-gangs: he never wears it.

Comments

  • John Borstlap says:

    With all due respect, but this commercialization of conductorship is disgusting and parasitic in relation to the art form.

    • Tiredofitall says:

      Are you speaking of Rolex or his career in general?

      The brand Blackglama still exists. I doubt Yannick gives a fudge about PETA.

    • Chicagorat says:

      At least they are honest and upfront about marketing watches.

      Can this be said about others? When I look at this ridiculous picture, I have doubts: https://symphonystore.com/products/verdi-otello-muti?srsltid=AfmBOoobwalhup493zY5RrZag3z1SWRz9hYDsQp6h_H93Ch7bfrYR4FK

      But surely Tier 1 watch marketers know what they are doing. For example, the Philadelphia orchestra boasts 1.1M monthly listeners on Spotify. The CSO, conducted by Muti for ages, is not coveted by Rolex as they have a meager 493K monthly listeners as of today (and my guess is that they are dropping).

      • Chiminee says:

        I assume that Philadelphia’s partnership with DG is what’s driving those streaming numbers because the label is helping to promote the recordings.

        The real question is why Chicago is making so few recordings. While Cleveland is sticking with self-produced recordings, for example, at least they have a steady stream of new recordings.

    • Supportive says:

      I don’t hate this – for those of you who decry this as the end of music, a sponsorship with a world-wide company like Rolex only gets more eyes on classical music, which helps us all in the end. Maybe I’m too woke, but I welcome non-white, non-european ears and eyes to this music.

      • John Borstlap says:

        Sponsorship is always excellent, but it should be related to the institution, not directly to the musicians, who then dress themselves up like prostitutes.

    • Chiminee says:

      Meh, complain to Karajan. He was all about this weaving his conductor image with material objects. For example, Porsche made a custom 911 for him in 1974. DG even put photos of him in it on album covers.

      • John Borstlap says:

        Yes the same parasitism. However gifted they may be, wave a couple of banknotes before their closed eyes and they rush to kiss the mammon’s feet.

        • Nick2 says:

          Commercialism in the arts has been around in some form or another for many decades if not longer. Just get used to it because it is not going to go away!

          Anyone in almost any of the arts, entertainment and sports businesses perceived to be some sort of ‘star’ is up for grabs by all manner of commercial entities. Where do many of the sports stars make most of their oncome? Prize money? Don’t you believe it! It’s from commercial endorsements.

          I don’t like chunky Rolex watches and would never wear one or be influenced to wear one just because YN-Z or Domingo etc. wear their freebies. Come to think of it, I actually hate to think how much of the cost of just one Rolex watch goes to the worldwide marketing budget! Probably a considerable amount.

    • Peter San Diego says:

      Well, Karajan was certainly not averse to commercialism, so this is nothing new…

    • Mark Mortimer says:

      I agree John- he maybe a very nice guy & all that- but is he actually a good conductor? If he isn’t- the ‘fashionista’ bit is both irrelevant & laughable at the same time.

  • Genuinely curious says:

    Why was my comment censored? Was it touching a nerve @bore-man?

  • Joe Civitano says:

    Everything wrong with The Met in one photo….smh

  • chrispy says:

    With all the defunding of arts these days what alternative do these artists have to earn a decent living? Only major donor contributions are left for survival. Hope everyone is giving their fair share.

    • Mark Mortimer says:

      Really Chrispy- does he really have an alternative? He’s taking home over 2 million bucks a year for his dual director positions of the Philadelphia & Met orchestras- thats a pretty decent living in my book! What, I think, you’re getting at, many other talented artists are having to seek opportunities elsewhere in an ever diminishing market?

  • Sue Sonata Form says:

    Rolex does make elegant watches. Thank heavens for their sponsorship of the tennis and the arts!!

  • V.Lind says:

    I don’t understand why you do not use his correct name.

  • Player says:

    I am not against this entirely, but how does he manage to be so irritating?

  • Mystic Chord says:

    “Here’s to many more years of c̶o̶l̶l̶a̶b̶o̶r̶a̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ freeloading!!”

  • Ed says:

    A true man of the people.

  • Tiredofitall says:

    I would have thought him more of a Swatch guy than a Rolex man.

    • Nick2 says:

      My guess is that he had absolutely no choice. Rolex would have come with an offer to him – not the other way around. Someone in Rolex clearly thought he would be useful in marketing the Rolex brand to a certain section of society. That’s the way that cookie crumbles!

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