Zubin adds another role
mainZubin Mehta has been named honorary chairman of the George Enescu International Music Festival in Romania. He inherits the title in 2017 from Ioan Holender, former head of the Vienna State Opera who continues as the festival’s artistic director.
Mehta, 79, said yesterday: ‘I can hardly wait to return to Romania. You have the most beautiful festival in the world.’ Mehta is music director for life of the Israel Philharmonic and chief conductor of the Maggio Musicale in Florence.
I don’t think I’m mistaken that Enescu was a composer.
Why is this that there are numerous of these competitions, festivals bearing the names of composers, and yet it’s all part of a whole scourge where there’s no composers much nurtured. Instead the repertoire that’s already in existence seems to be exploited like a dwindling resource, something akin to what’s happening to the rainforest…
I mean it would be interesting to actually go back in history, and if these are all about the amazing (as Zubin says, since he’s so happy to be honorary chariman of it) delights of performing at the most beautiful festival in the world, then find someone, some great performer from the time period of the composer and call it their festival, except it would fall a bit short, I think.
To have the so-and-so-I-won’t-embarass-to-mention festival in 200 years from the list of performers now… well……..
sigh……………………
A member of Ioan Holender’s ‘musical mafia’. Put the money in at the top and the notes come out of the bottom.