The bilateral loneliness of Lorin Maazel

In an appreciation for sinfinimusic.com, I mention in passing a profound dichotomy that I always sensed at the heart of the late conductor:

He was American in his reverence for business and initiative, European in his fluent command of six languages, his immersion in musical tradition and his respect for ranks and titles.

Lorin belonged everywhere and nowhere. He was never embraced as an American marvel,  as Bernstein and Previn were, nor was he ever allowed to feel wholly at home in Berlin, Vienna or Munich, his three European bases. In Vienna, he faced an onslaught of xenophobia that was part anti-American, part anti-semitic. Lorin never acknowledged these currents (to me), but his isolation was, in 1984 Vienna, absolute.

Munich may have been a little warmer, Berlin a little worse.

After being voted down by the players as Karajan’s successor, he swore he would never conduct the Philharmonic again. He relented, once. It went badly and he vanished again.

The orchestra is now trying to put a positive spin on their fractious relationship. The tone of its statement illustrates the distance that prevailed between Lorin Maazel and many of his musicians, between his reality and theirs. Statement follows:

The Berliner Philharmoniker mourn the loss of Lorin Maazel. In the past 55 years he conducted the orchestra regularly(!), especially in the early years of his career. The many high points of this collaboration include outstanding performances of the works of Beethoven and the Russian repertoire, among others. The press wrote of the conductor’s debut in January 1959, when he was just 28 years old: “Maazel charges up the Berlin Philharmonic in a highly explosive way, the musicians play like the devil – and it sounds magnificent.” After a break (!) of almost 14 years, it was intended that Maazel conduct the Berliner Philharmoniker once again this June, and other joint performances were being planned. General Manager Martin Hoffmann: “We are very sad that this reunion is no longer possible. We will remember Lorin Maazel as a great conductor, and we have grateful, lively memories of him as a master of energetic music making with a timbral sensuality.”

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Away from these cultural misapprehensions, he found a warm, uncomplicated reception in China and Japan. The Tokyo Symphony writes:

Maestro Maazel first conducted the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in November 7, 1963. Forty-eight years later, he led the Tokyo Symphony in performances of Beethoven’s 1^st symphony and Mahler’s 1^stSymphony in a special concert commemorating the TSO’s 65^th anniversary. This concert took place after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March, 2011, which severely damaged our home concert hall, so his appearance gave us great encouragement. TSO musicians still describe that concert performed under his baton as an unforgettable experience.

We remember Maestro Maazel expressing his love of Japanese culture including Kabuki and Noh and Japanese cuisine. He enjoyed drinking Japanese green tea during rehearsals and backstage.