Originally posted by Old Grumpy
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Lebrecht on Rattle
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Originally posted by gradus View PostRe the BPO, odd that he should have been the orchestra's choice only to find them difficult to work with.
As one who went to many of Rattle's CBSO concerts he's dead right when he says that we didn't know how lucky we were."The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard Haitink
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Originally posted by oliver sudden View PostAnyway it’s quite a nice article and you’d never really guess that Mr L had a hand in it.
I also hope Rattle is happier in Munich than in Berlin. As far as I’m concerned it’s by no means an inferior orchestra and there’s quite a lot of repertoire I would rather hear them in than the BPO.
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Originally posted by Petrushka View Post
Presumably, the difficulties came from those, and it wouldn't need many to cause trouble, who didn't vote for him? Personally, I think that at that time Barenboim would indeed have been the better choice. It's also my opinion that Karajan would have done better to have spent more time with the Vienna Philharmonic.
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Originally posted by oliver sudden View PostAnyway it’s quite a nice article and you’d never really guess that Mr L had a hand in it.
I also hope Rattle is happier in Munich than in Berlin. As far as I’m concerned it’s by no means an inferior orchestra and there’s quite a lot of repertoire I would rather hear them in than the BPO.
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Originally posted by Petrushka View Post
Presumably, the difficulties came from those, and it wouldn't need many to cause trouble, who didn't vote for him? Personally, I think that at that time Barenboim would indeed have been the better choice. It's also my opinion that Karajan would have done better to have spent more time with the Vienna Philharmonic.
As one who went to many of Rattle's CBSO concerts he's dead right when he says that we didn't know how lucky we were.
Following on from Rattle's comment about how lucky we were and, linking to the CBSO, I enjoyed the free music provision of those times, including residential courses for the County Youth orchestra tutored by the likes of Felix Kok, his brother Bobby, and Harry Danks for the strings.
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Originally posted by Maclintick View PostSince HvK was at the helm for 34 years, these orchestral hit-men must have been extraordinarily incompetent assassins ...It isn't given us to know those rare moments when people are wide open and the lightest touch can wither or heal. A moment too late and we can never reach them any more in this world.
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Originally posted by Maclintick View PostThat orchestra famously, of course, decided to dispense with the post of chief conductor over 90 years ago, and it doesn't seem to have done them any harm. I was intrigued to read of Sir Simon's encounter, on being appointed to the Berlin job, with the widow of HvK who rather melodramatically suggested that the orchestra had killed him, and would have done for Abbado as well had he not retired with ill-health. Since HvK was at the helm for 34 years, these orchestral hit-men must have been extraordinarily incompetent assassins ...
In an elite status organisation of 120+ people like the BPO there are going to be a lot of large personalities. Rattle suggests it was a vocal minority that gave him grief. The orchestra extended his initial contract so presumably the majority of them regarded him positively but a recalcitrant 20-30 could still create a lot of trouble.
Regarding his development as a conductor and whether he has fulfilled his early promise, he made his name initially with repertoire outside the traditional 19th century Austro-German stalwarts (Mahler wasn't one in the 1970s). He's not quite hit the highest of heights in the likes of Beethoven but any 21st century conductor has the problem of comparison with 100 years of recordings in this repertoire. More generally it is perhaps unrealistic to expect conductors to excel in a very wide repertoire although this doesn't stop some trying.Last edited by duncan; 19-08-24, 17:43.
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