Maestro stays: Esa-Pekka is happy where he is
mainHe could have been music director of the New York Philharmonic, if only Matthew VanBesien had offered him the job after fuelling speculation in the local media.
But Esa-Pekka Salonen, coming up for 60, has now reached ten years as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor with the Philharmonia in London and he’s not going anywhere soon. His new deal is ‘a rolling (evergreen) contract’, which usually means that the two parties walk on together, hand in hand into the unseen.
Esa-Pekka Salonen said: This is my tenth season as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra, but it’s also something like the 34th year for me appearing with them as a conductor. In 1983, I took over a programme from Michael Tilson Thomas on short notice. I flew to London from Helsinki stepped onto the podium in front of the Philharmonia and was astonished by the warmth and flexibility I received from the players; I’ll never forget that.
It’s fun to look back, but better to look forward: this is a remarkable orchestra, and I’m honoured and excited to be part of it as we push into the 21st century together.
I can’t believe they’re not BORED with him.
How’s his Mozart these days … ?
As in any really good marriage, things get better instead of worse over time, because people grow downwards into interiority and not merely forwards on the time line.
And Mozart’s Esa-Pekka seems to be doing quite well.
Maybe they can discern things that you can’t.
Either that or nobody asked their opinion before extending.
That happens too :\
His Mozart has never been as good as his Haydn, but so what? No one is equally great in everything.
Who says New Yorkers want him?
You asked ’em, have you?
As everyone knows, if Matthew van Besien had asked Salonen to take the NY Philharmonic music director position, Salonen would have said “NO!” He never wanted it, and he certainly doesn’t need it.
I seem to remember a NY Times interview where he (Salonen) said as much. Let me see if I can find it.
Ah, here it is. Just over a year ago. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/23/arts/music/esa-pekka-salonen-says-being-new-york-philharmonics-maestro-still-isnt-a-goal.html
So — “could have had the job” doesn’t necessarily mean he wanted it.
On the other hand, saying something like this in an interview does not necessarily mean that he would have declined such an offer if it was made to him. Considering the timing of all this, there is a distinct possibility that both he and Manfred Honeck were made aware that someone else was being offered the job which is why both of them made similar statements professing no interest at almost exactly the same time.
Always fun to read the insignificant sniping from the as-usual-know-it-all peanut gallery.
True. Rather a lot of trollish characters on here, are there not? Of course, if NL decides to venture into politics, one might as well re-name the blog ‘Slippery Trolls’.
“A wise man counters his trolls in the valley before he climbs the mountain” (To-Fu, 8th century AD).
In a crappy world this is by far the best news in a long long time!
Such a great conductor, and (in my humble opinion) the greatest living composer. I listen to his compositions most days.
His Beethoven performances are stunning, as if written just the day before.