Conductors' allergic reactions?

[cloughie]

You're absolutely right, of course. Personally, I'd prefer to hear Haitink's Ravel to Dutoit's, but I can see why others would disagree.

Depends which recordings - maybe Haitink's Boston Recordings match Dutoit's Montreal but his earlier Concertgebouw were rather tame and as mentioned earlier his Live LPO 1979 Daphnis -no. Interesting how since about 1990 the estimation of the two conductors seems to have gone in opposite directions. Everybody seems to like Uncle Bernie. Charles Dutoit I always think looks a bit like Russ Abbott!

[amateur51]

Depends which recordings - maybe Haitink's Boston Recordings match Dutoit's Montreal but his earlier Concertgebouw were rather tame and as mentioned earlier his Live LPO 1979 Daphnis -no. Interesting how since about 1990 the estimation of the two conductors seems to have gone in opposite directions. Everybody seems to like Uncle Bernie. Charles Dutoit I always think looks a bit like Russ Abbott!

Fair's fair cloughie - the Swiss maestro has been tonsorially challenged and taking increasingly bizarre steps to conceal it for a lot longer than Russ.

I gave a commentary on his Proms concert with Ben Grosvenor last year - more Cherry Blossom than I've seen in a long time

[Barbirollians]

Barbirolli conducting The Firebird , Rite of Spring and Petrushka I should have loved to hear .

[Richard Tarleton]

Funny how one conductor - JEG - has turned out in recent years not to be allergic to some of the composers to whom, on the basis of much of his life's work, one might have expected him to be - he's positively eclectic.

[gradus]

Surely the conductor's taste in music has to be respected. Other than for money, why would conductors offer stuff for which they feel no affinity. So what if Haitink doesn't direct Sibelius, there are plenty who do it well.

[Roehre]

Surely the conductor's taste in music has to be respected. Other than for money, why would conductors offer stuff for which they feel no affinity. So what if Haitink doesn't direct Sibelius, there are plenty who do it well.

In 1978 Haitink was due to conduct the premiere of Peter Schat's Symphony no.1 op.27, a Concertgebouw Orchestra commission for its 90th birthday celebration, November 10th 1978. Haitink disliked it that much that he refused. Therefore Colin Davis did the job (and -to be fair- the premiere and the performance the following day are AFAIK the only ones ever sofar )

[visualnickmos]

Didn't Eugene Ormandy once say in an interview, or was quoted as saying that he never conducted or recorded Sibelius's third symphony because he "didn't understand it"?

[Dave2002]

Surely the conductor's taste in music has to be respected. Other than for money, why would conductors offer stuff for which they feel no affinity. So what if Haitink doesn't direct Sibelius, there are plenty who do it well.

Up to a point, Lord Copper. If BH doesn't like or understand Sibelius or Nielsen that's fine, but it seems a shame to me that such a generally superb conductor doesn't want to try. I think he could deliver some unique insights - but then I could be wrong.

[cloughie]

Up to a point, Lord Copper. If BH doesn't like or understand Sibelius or Nielsen that's fine, but it seems a shame to me that such a generally superb conductor doesn't want to try. I think he could deliver some unique insights - but then I could be wrong.

Uncle Bernie also seems to avoid Prokofiev!

[Dave2002]

Uncle Bernie also seems to avoid Prokofiev!

That also appears odd, given how he tackles Shostakovich.

[Petrushka]

Uncle Bernie also seems to avoid Prokofiev!

There are live recordings of the Violin Concerto No 1 (with Oistrakh) in 1972 and the Piano Concerto No 5 (with Ashkenazy) in 1977 included in the Radio Recordings set but you're generally right. I can't recall hearing any Prokofiev from him in the many concerts I've seen him do.

[Alison]

Uncle Bernie also seems to avoid Prokofiev!

I once heard him do Prokofiev 5 at the RFH when deputising for Tennstedt. An absolutely pulsating account.

And he recorded the Love of Three Oranges at Glyndebourne.