US citizen is named Court Kapellmeister

US citizen is named Court Kapellmeister

News

norman lebrecht

December 07, 2022

Whatever happened to the Battle Hymn of the Republic?

New Yorker Alan Gilbert is ‘deeply honored and grateful for the appointment as Court Kapellmeister from His Majesty the King’ of Sweden.

Gilbert, former music diretor of the NY Philharmonic, has been in charge at Royal Swedish Opera for the past year.

He’s not the first American to love a royal title. Andre Previn, who had an honorary KBE from the British Crown, used to style himself Sir Andre on concerto programmes anywhere outside the UK.

Comments

  • Anonymous says:

    Alan Gilbert, a sad case. I’m not sure what any orchestra sees in him. Poor track record, stuffy personality, not a great combination.

  • Barry Guerrero says:

    ? . . . why should there be the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”?

  • Court Masur says:

    John Williams, who has an honorary KBE from the British Crown (EIIR).

  • lamed says:

    If Britain is going to go so far as to give a foreigner a knighthood, I don’t see why Britain doesn’t go just that extra step to confer British citizenship as well, so that the poor guy can call himself “Sir”. Good enough to be a knight to the Queen but not good enough to get be a tax paying citizen?

  • Anonyo says:

    He is not just an American citizen. He’s also has a Swedish citizenship and lives in Sweden with his family according to the announcement.

  • Petros Linardos says:

    “Royal Court Kapellmeister”: a German-English medley in Sweden? I am confused.

  • Petros Linardos says:

    Murray Perahia has also been knighted and lives in London. But is he also a British citizen? Does he ever go by “Sir”? (He has already proved himself on the keyboard.)

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