Exclusive: Europe’s worst-run orchestra lets another manager go
mainWe hear that the board of l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva has parted company with Jean-Pierre Rousseau, its stand-in manager for the past two months.
The vastly experienced Rousseau, a former Radio France exec, left on Monday. The board, apparently refused to renew his contract, described as ‘ad interim pour une durée indéterminée’.
But with Rousseau gone there is still no-one else in sight to replace Henk Swinnen, who vanished in February. It may be that no manager of quality would go near so tainted a board of management.
The OSR holds its annual press conference this Thursday. Rousseau was meant to present it.
Meanwhile, the intended music director Jonathan Nott is still withholding ink from a contract.
Anywhere else but Geneva, the orchestra board would be held accountable by media and politicians.
But this is Switzerland, Fifa land.
Ask no questions.
I do not think FIFA has anything to do with this orchestra.
Nott signed his contract over a month ago. Trust NB to miss the positive news and, as usual, only on the negative. And I’m frankly not surprised they got rid of ROUSSEAU. Waste of space, as he was in Paris.
Well, it is always Rousseau’s fault of course, but Radio France and the OSR hired him so the questions are the following :
Was Rousseau the best of all candidates ? (and as he is a “waste of space” what can we think of the others candidates ?) Or are the boards of Radio France and the OSR a bunch of incompetent people who hire a “waste of space” ?
I’m not swiss but Switzerland is (musically speaking) a very lovely country: think to the Opernhaus Zürich or de Luzern Festival
Not to mention Verbier.
And the Tonhalle in Zurich.
The problem with the OSR is that it still believes to be a world-class ensemble, which it is not – it was not even under Ansermet’s baton. If they cannot get on with capable managers, trying to save them, and always want to know better, it’s their own fault.