Riccardo Chailly to step down at Leipzig

[Darkbloom]

Other candidates mentioned: Christoph Eschenbach, Semyon Bychkov, Vladimir Jurowski and Gilbert.

What a weird list!! Two utter cast-iron mediocrities (Gilbert and Eschenbach), the excellent Bychkov, and if we aren't talking of Jurowski as one of the greatest of all conductors in a couple of decades something must have gone awfully wrong somewhere. Eschenbach is great if you are holding a fancy dress party and want someone to come dressed as Patrick Stewart in Star Trek, but he's no great shakes with the stick, and I haven't heard many people say nice things about him. Gilbert is simply a nonentity; he might be an excellent musician in some ways, for all I know, but his performances are so lacking imagination that they appear to be conducted by a robot. Last year's Beethoven was a case in point, when he clearly had no idea what to do with the piece and just stood there beating time. Nelsons is great, but he is in danger of getting overexposed, and I thought his BSO Mahler sounded like he needed to do more work with his orchestra before they start to mould as a team, so I don't think he needs another string to add to his bow as he has already re-signed in Boston.

I'm still sad that Chailly has gone. He was doing great things, but perhaps it's time to move on when you are still at the top rather than slide slowly down the slope and audiences are glad to see the back of you. I felt that MTT and the SFSO sounded that way, although I think I was in the minority there.

[Demetrius]

Though I don't think it will happen, this also presents a chance to go for someone who might broaden the repertoire. The Gewandhaus is top notch at what it does, but there are few to no pieces this season that are not bog-standard core repertoire, with the exception of one or two commissions that will likely sink into oblivion as soon as they have been performed. The bold choice of the season is to play more ... Mozart. And the new colour scheme for the season brochure.

The Gewandhaus might profit from adding just a little bit of lesser known repertoire. The Leipzig audience is actually receptive for that, as the MDR SO continues to prove.

[gurnemanz]

The Gewandhaus might profit from adding just a little bit of lesser known repertoire. The Leipzig audience is actually receptive for that, as the MDR SO continues to prove.

It tended to be that way in the the 70s with Masur and the Gewandhaus ploughing a conventional furrow and Herbert Kegel doing more adventurous stuff with the Radio Symphony Orchestra (concert Parsifal, Wozzeck, Henze Floß der Medusa, Blacher, Lutoslawski)

[Petrushka]

What a weird list!! Two utter cast-iron mediocrities (Gilbert and Eschenbach), the excellent Bychkov, and if we aren't talking of Jurowski as one of the greatest of all conductors in a couple of decades something must have gone awfully wrong somewhere. Eschenbach is great if you are holding a fancy dress party and want someone to come dressed as Patrick Stewart in Star Trek, but he's no great shakes with the stick, and I haven't heard many people say nice things about him. Gilbert is simply a nonentity; he might be an excellent musician in some ways, for all I know, but his performances are so lacking imagination that they appear to be conducted by a robot. Last year's Beethoven was a case in point, when he clearly had no idea what to do with the piece and just stood there beating time. Nelsons is great, but he is in danger of getting overexposed, and I thought his BSO Mahler sounded like he needed to do more work with his orchestra before they start to mould as a team, so I don't think he needs another string to add to his bow as he has already re-signed in Boston.

I'm still sad that Chailly has gone. He was doing great things, but perhaps it's time to move on when you are still at the top rather than slide slowly down the slope and audiences are glad to see the back of you. I felt that MTT and the SFSO sounded that way, although I think I was in the minority there.

I'd go along with most of this especially the comments re Alan Gilbert. I was present at the two Gewandhaus Proms last season conducted, in place of the ailing Chailly, by Gilbert. The Beethoven 9 was one of the most dire performances of the work I've ever heard and I'd be very surprised, not to say disappointed, if the baton passes to him.

As for Eschenbach...

[bluestateprommer]

The choice will likely be a relatively conservative in regard to his/her preferred repertoire, Gilbert would fit in that regard, too.

http://klassiker.welt.de/2015/09/04/leipziger-gewandhausorchester-chailly-geht-kommt-nelsons/

"Am nächsten Mittwoch schon soll der 20. Gewandhauskapellmeister verkündet werden." Next Wednesday, so tomorrow. The article suggests that Chailly did not step down before the next candidate was found and confirmed. The article also suggests Nelsons, which would be brilliant, but I don't think that will happen (and the article suggests more arguments against than for that event as well).

Other candidates mentioned: Christoph Eschenbach, Semyon Bychkov, Vladimir Jurowski and Gilbert.

Like the BPO, the Gewandhaus has a tradition of relatively long reigns; possibly, they would rather go for a younger option than Bychkov, though of course a conductor in his early 60s could still fill the post for 10 years or more.

Now I see where IGI's note about this Wednesday featuring an announcement came from; thanks, Demetrius, for the link. Also, seeing the author, Manuel Brug, makes me wonder, as he strikes me as a German version of Lebrecht (take that as you will). Brug is wrong in the article when he mentions Jacques Lacombe as the new Beethoven Orchester Bonn conductor, as Lacombe got a 2-year gig at Bonn Opera recently, not the concert orchestra - the latter is with Christof Perick (his original surname lacks the 1st vowel, but he uses "Perick" outside of Germany). However, he did get it right when he mentioned that the Bamberg Symphony would announce a new chief conductor this past Monday, which they did (Jakub Hrusa). I think that he's totally off base with Nelsons, and definitely a case of wishful thinking, especially as Nelsons has signed a long-term commitment to Boston.

This also does make me wonder at how stage-managed all this is, as the announcement of Chailly leaving was definitely a huge shock, maybe to make us all go "Oh no!" for concern. But if they already have a guy (and it probably is a guy, not a gal) lined up, then the Gewandhaus management may be playing us all for fools, perhaps.

[Il Grande Inquisitor]

For IGI's comment, where did you hear that about an announcement this week? (Unless it was meant as snark....)

Let's just say that in my job you get to hear these things. I could also add my take on the possible runners and riders, but you probably wouldn't give them any credit. I don't do 'snarky', but I could start...

[Bryn]

[bluestateprommer]

Let's just say that in my job you get to hear these things. I could also add my take on the possible runners and riders, but you probably wouldn't give them any credit. I don't do 'snarky', but I could start...

I sort of see what you mean. In 24 hours, I suppose we shall all see. To quote the one line from the Star Wars franchise, "I've got a bad feeling about this", if the LGO is foolish enough to choose the one conductor wants on this thread that no one wants them to choose. I hope that I'm wrong on that.

[french frank]

Lebrecht reports - or reports that it's been reported - that it's to be Nelsons.

PS He also reports that it won't be Alan Gilbert

[Demetrius]

Lebrecht reports - or reports that it's been reported - that it's to be Nelsons.

PS He also reports that it won't be Alan Gilbert

It would help if Lebrecht could read German a bit, I suppose.

http://www.lvz.de/Kultur/News/Chailly-Nachfolge-in-Leipzig-Alles-spricht-fuer-Andris-Nelsons

The paper suggests that everything suggests that it will be Nelsons.
They then go on and tell absolutely nothing that suggests that except that Andreas Schulz said "no comment"

Basically, its an enormous amount of wishful thinking.
They could still be right, of course, and if they are, they can celebrate that they guessed right. It is still a guess, though, nothing more.

[Barbirollians]

Hard work to carry both the LGO and Boston jobs for Andris Nelsons - marvellous conductor that he is .

[bluestateprommer]

It would help if Lebrecht could read German a bit, I suppose.

Or at least read the Google Translation more intelligently. (Plus, his habitual use of "We" is annoying, arch, pretentious, pompous, and a host of other negative adjectives. Queen Victoria he is not. Plus, his slap at Alan Gilbert also reflects his not-so-subliminal anti-New York City bias, as he never resists any chance to take a cheap at shot at New York City in any way. Even if you have a low opinion of Gilbert musically [which is often justifiable], Lebrecht has a history and agenda of hostility towards NYC that should be kept in mind any time he 'tweets' on his blog on any NYC institution.)

The paper suggests that everything suggests that it will be Nelsons.
They then go on and tell absolutely nothing that suggests that except that Andreas Schulz said "no comment"

Basically, its an enormous amount of wishful thinking.
They could still be right, of course, and if they are, they can celebrate that they guessed right. It is still a guess, though, nothing more.

Korfmacher makes at least one small error of fact when he states the end of Nelsons' CBSO tenure as 2014, rather than 2015. It would be hugely embarrassing for him and his paper if, at the Gewandhaus announcement in a few hours, it turns out to be someone completely different. Maybe Korfmacher has inside information and is just priming the public pump. But Barbirollians is correct; if the LGO does go for Nelsons, it's hard to see how he can cover both Boston and Leipzig. He'd have to cut back on a lot of other guest conducting engagements, not to mention put extra stress on his health, especially for someone who doesn't like airplane travel. Boston will probably fume if Leipzig does announce Nelsons.

It also is all the more curiouser and curiouser with the timing of this conference, in light of the Chailly announcement just a few days ago, that the two are so close to each other. It can be inferred that something must have been going on behind the scenes for months, since it's almost unheard of for an orchestra to announce this kind of quick change within a week, given the way the orchestral world works with music director/chief conductor searches. Anyway, the press conference is in just about 2.25 hours.

[Demetrius]

Also, the Gewandhaus made quite some effort to praise their connection and long standing collaboration with Boston when they presented their season earlier this year.

Oh well. 1 hour, 12 minutes

[gurnemanz]

In that LVZ article it was interesting to read about the Links between Boston and Leipzig: The Boston Hall was modelled on the second Gewandhaus concert hall in Leipzig and key orchestra members were trained at the Leipzig Conservatory founded by Mendelssohn. Nikisch was at Boston from 1889 to 1893 before going to the Gewandhaus from 1895 until his death in 1922.

PS The second Gewandhaus was only partly destroyed in World War II and allegedly (my wife is from the city) perfectly restorable - pic from 1947 below. Many Leipzigers were furious when the communists pulled it down and put a car park on the site.

[french frank]

New York Times says it's Nelsons.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/arts/music/andris-nelsons-named-music-director-of-leipzig-gewandhaus-orchestra.html

"But Boston and Leipzig are working to make a virtue of Mr. Nelsons’s involvement with both orchestras. The Boston Symphony will perform in Leipzig, and the Gewandhaus Orchestra will perform at Symphony Hall in Boston. They are starting a joint commissioning program that will begin in the 2017-18 season with a new work by the German composer Jörg Widmann that will be played in both cities. And over the course of that season, the Boston Symphony will hold a “Leipzig Week in Boston” and the Gewandhaus a “Boston Week in Leipzig,” with each ensemble playing repertoire the other is known for."