Vienna Philharmonic picks pilot for its summer show
mainThe Vienna Philharmonic has confirmed its Summer Night Concert for Friday, June 18 at the Schönbrunn Palace Park.
The conductor, ffor the first time, will be Daniel Harding, a part-time Air France pilot. The soloist is Igor Levit. Contents includes works by Bernstein, Verdi, Rachmaninov, Sibelius, Elgar, Debussy and Holst.
Good! I like so much this concert like Waldbühne and the one of Chailly at the Duomo
Rumor has it he’ll arrive on stage by landing his Airbus A380 on the lawn with the entire Philharmonic on board.
What does Rumor know about it?
So is he not really a conductor because he also flies a plane? I understood the attention it got when it was a new thing, but now that the novelty has worn off I don’t understand the continuing preoccupation with it.
Apparently Karajan also wasn’t a conductor, seeing as how he flew his own plane.
Back in the late 80s — or it might have been the early 90s, my chorus was booked for a Royal Festival Hall performance of Mahler 2 with a hitherto unknown young conductor whose dad had financed the entire show. We probably told ourselves that here was another somewhat talented individual being indulged by his daddy. We were wrong – it was Daniel Harding!
Who is “another”… “worse than most”?
I have known Daniel and his family since he was a small boy learning violin, pre-trumpet, pre-conducting. His father, John, is a delightful modest man , and a man of modest means. His funding an entire show at the RFH is exceedingly unlikely. Daniel was never an unknown conductor. He was an unknown trumpeter, but when conducting became his musical goal he quickly had the ear and guidance of Simon Rattle.
I am delighted that Daniel has more than one possible job in these day but he remains a brilliant conductor I first heard in Aix en Provence in 2002 and have been a fan ever since.
Why No Mozart,Bethoven,Brahms,Haydn on the programme?
Any body has any thoughts?
Curious
They don’t have to be included in every concert the orchestra play. I am sure there are other weeks where the music of those composers is played.