LSO loses second principal to China
mainLorenzo Antonio Iosco, principal bass clarinet of the London Symphony Orhestra has announced he’s moving to Hong Kong in November as principal bass clarinet of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
Last week, principal viola Paul Silverthorne let it be known that he’s moving to China as professor of viola at Soochow University.
It’s starting to look like a trend.
Not the first move from a major London orchestra to Hong Kong. Back in the early 1980s Carl Pini, then leader of the Philharmonia, moved to the HKPO along with his colleague from the Philharmonia’s first violin section Benedict Cruft.
Maybe Iosco wants to work with Van Zweeden.
Paul Silverthorne’s departure need not be a surprise. This is a 64 y.o. looking to wind down his full-time playing career and do something else. He possibly wants to quit before people start to suggest his standards are slipping. Lorenzo Iosco’s departure is altogether ore puzzling, since it seems like a downwards move musically, although the salary in HK is doubtless good.
Why downwards? No doubt better salary, tax at just 15%, better conditions, better teaching facilities at the splendid Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts with probable forays to the Conservatoires in Shanghai and Beijing, a now excellent HKPO with a splendid array of soloists and conductors, a new concert hall on the way . . . add to that a less demanding schedule and everything concentrated in one small area unlike London. Downwards?