Breaking: Swiss may lose their conductor

After the chief executive’s apparent dismissal earlier this week, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande has admitted – in a press statement of quite breath-taking incompetence – that it does not know whether Jonathan Nott will be arriving as music director in September, or at all.

Here’s the statement:

Communiqué de presse

La Fondation de l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande et M. Henk Swinnen, directeur général, se sont séparés d’un commun accord ; M. Swinnen recevra son salaire jusqu’au 30 avril 2016.

Le contrat entre la Fondation de l’OSR et Maestro Jonathan Nott n’est pas encore signé. Madame Florence Notter, Présidente de la Fondation de l’OSR et Me Sylvie Buhagiar, Vice-présidente, se sont rendues à Londres pour régler la situation.

Genève, le jeudi 4 février 2016

Salient points:

– the chief exec is being paid off with a derisory three months’ salary. He may sue for more.

– the contract with Nott has not been signed, possibly because he was getting bad vibes from the chief exec, or because the board was having second thoughts.

– the two board ladies who effectively run the show have flown to London to try and sort things out with Nott’s agents at AskonasHolt.

What a laughing-stock they have made of a once-respected orchestra.