Maestro move: St Louis goes French
mainThe St Louis Symphony has appointed Stéphane Denève to succeed David Robertson as music director in 2019.
Denève, 45, has been music director in Scotland and Stuttgart. He is presently with the Brussels Philharmonic.
He has guest-conducted in St Louis since 2003.
France, Russia, Italy and Austria are the countries which cherish and take care of classical culture as their national property … just my opinion, of course …
P.S. … a little bird told me recently there are no quality sound concert venues of in London…. hopefully “still no”
I think he’s terrific. But why didn’t Stuttgart keep him after the merge?
ask the players….They are happy, that he s gone
Wow. And happy about Currentzis? ???
I don’t know what the players think about Denève or Currentzis but after Johannes Bultmann was appointed “künstlerischer Gesamtleiter” (joint artistic director) and was in part tasked to oversee the finalisation of the merger, Denève was never going to get an extension anyway. Denève’s contract ended in 2016 and Bultmann wanted a new chief conductor for the new orchestra.
And this also precluded the talented François-Xavier Roth.
Stuttgart lost TWO good ones and has chosen a weirdo.
I agree. Stuttgart’s loss is Cologne’s and St. Louis’ gain.
Re. Currentzis, you might enjoy reading this piece by Martin Hufner:
http://blogs.nmz.de/badblog/2017/04/06/was-sind-schon-worte-teodor-currentzis-wird-chef-des-swr-symphonieorchesters/
Danke!
A side-link to Max’s link: very interesting, http://www.swr.de/swr-classic/donaueschinger-musiktage/programme/2012/donaueschinger-musiktage-2012-schweigen-bei-herrn-currentzis/-/id=9888204/did=10469818/nid=9888204/1nxq27s/index.html
Thanks, Bruce. It’s sad to remember that the Freiburg orchestra founded the festival and had all that good history, now ended — and really the state is divided culturally by the hills: Freiburg is quite distinct from Stuttgart, Baden from Württemberg, closer to France in several ways, so two orchestras did make sense. I get that they want to be on a level with München … . Still.
in London 🙂
Heard him in New York a few years ago and I was hoping he’d be in the running toi replace Gilbert.
A very charismatic and charming maestro. It is difficult for me to imagine him as a strong music director.
Ah, yes … . It’s too bad.
In Philadelphia Deneuve has proved charming as well as a man of substance. Perhaps the imagining of him as a strong music director has to do with his love of John Williams,
his chatty introductions (what’s not to like with that French accent even if the intros are sometimes a bit long), and the fact that most of the musicians and even the audience like him.
Surely a recipe for disaster.
Deneuve: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Catherine_Deneuve_1995.jpg
Deneve: http://classical-scene.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Stephane-Deneve-leading-the-BSO-Stu-Rosner.jpg
😀 😀 😀
He’s quite chatty during rehearsals too, in case anybody is curious.
my modest comment. I would translate ” künstlerischer Gesamtleiter” as general artistic director.
Where were you when all I had were ruddy online dictionaries, everyone with a different translation?
😉
Artistic Total-Leader — to convey the flavor.
His engaging personality and self-deprecating style essentially guarantee that both musicians and audiences will like him initially. However, in longer terms this does not always translate into a fully successful musical directorship. If he lasts as long and as successfully in StLouis as has his predecessor, all fans of his musicianship including me will be delighted for him as well as for the orchestra’s musicians and local audiences.
St Louis have a bit of history regards not hitting it off with their music directors. Most notably- the talented Belgian- Van Remorteel in the 60’s I think- whom they gave a very rough ride. I suppose Slatkin is the only one who made much of an impact- turning them from a modest group into a very slick symphonic machine to rival the big 5.
Well, sure, he did so. But the achievements of David Robertson are great too.
Having worked with both of them as guest conductors on many occasions, I have a feeling that while LS may be a more meticulous orchestra builder, DR is certainly a more exciting and inspiring performer.
That’s my view too. They are both wonderful people.
They really are, and Stephane Deneve makes an equally positive impression as well.