John Eliot Gardiner - the pros and cons...

[Ein Heldenleben]

I remember hearing a piece on R3 where he was driving around his farm in Dorset and bantering awkwardly with some of his underlings on the farm. He has barns named after particular works he had conducted in the past, like 'Cellini' (or something like that anyway, the exact details escape me). In interviews he always comes across as thoughtful and charming, it's hard to imagine him going into a rage fit but I don't doubt anyone's experiences. This latest outburst does seem genuinely deranged and makes you wonder whether he's fit to carry on working if he's liable to go off like that. It was such a petty little thing that set him off too, not that it would have been any better if it had been something more serious that caused the incident.

He’s an absolute master at doing the Farmer Giles act to polish his PR. The number of journalists who’ve gone to his farm and written puff pieces. One fawning Guardian piece even linked to his wife Isabel’s recipe for venison stew. One PR tip always buy or even better cook the journalist lunch . They’ll be so surprised you can guarantee good coverage.
If you’ve got the time the whole story of Gardiner’s reviving his ancestral farm is very interesting. I don’t doubt for a second his commitment to organic farming which I share even though it’s an expensive middle class indulgence obvs - might save our soil though.

[Darkbloom]

He’s an absolute master at doing the Farmer Giles act to polish his PR. The number of journalists who’ve gone to his farm and written puff pieces. One fawning Guardian piece even linked to his wife Isabel’s recipe for venison stew. One PR tip always buy or even better cook the journalist lunch . They’ll be so surprised you can guarantee good coverage.
If you’ve got the time the whole story of Gardiner’s reviving his ancestral farm is very interesting. I don’t doubt for a second his commitment to organic farming which I share even though it’s an expensive middle class indulgence obvs - might save our soil though.

Maybe he works off some of his rage issues on some of the cattle marked for slaughter - it's a pity he dislikes Wagner, I could imagine him wielding the poleaxe while pretending to be Donner in Rheingold. I don't know how deeply into farming Gardiner is compared to someone like Alastair Cook, who is a genuine farmer and spends a lot of time out on the tractor when he isn't playing cricket. Perhaps it's such a small concern that he can combine the two, otherwise I don't see how he can combine a music career with being a full-time farmer.

[alycidon]

I was born six days before JEG in April 1943 and have followed him with interest, so it is with sadness that I read of his recent antics. Knowing how I feel at age 80 suggests that maybe it is time for him to consider retiring, but it is a pity that it might have to end like this.

[Alison]

New recordings look unlikely but I feel we could see reissues of JEG greatest hits.

[ardcarp]

I did a lot of singing with a guy of about my own age who had been a Choral Scholar at John's, and who was an early member of Jegger's Monteverdi Choir. This chap has sadly died recently so I won't say too much, but the bare facts are that he parted company with The Monteverdi Choir quite early on for reasons not related to his (excellent) singing!

[MickyD]

New recordings look unlikely but I feel we could see reissues of JEG greatest hits.

[Ein Heldenleben]

New recordings look unlikely but I feel we could see reissues of JEG greatest hits.

Well it would suit the rock n’ roll “ let’s set this out in the band trailer”: aspect of his career .

[Nick Armstrong]

New recordings look unlikely but I feel we could see reissues of JEG greatest hits.

PS:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/replace-charismatic-conductors-with-technocrats-and-classical-music-will-die/

[RichardB]

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/...usic-will-die/

So according to this individual, the choice is between bullies like JEG on the one hand and "technocrats" on the other. Seems to me he should get out a bit more.

[Simon Biazeck]

PS:

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/replace-charismatic-conductors-with-technocrats-and-classical-music-will-die/

Twaddle. I guess he doesn't rate Haitink and Rattle to name just two great conductors? - charismatic and with impeccable manners. (I have worked with both of them extensively). Others - Andris Nelsons, Jakub Hrůša, John Wilson and we can go way back to find more. One can fill concert halls and garner plaudits and awards (I now that's not all that matters) and not make a habit of lamping colleagues. This journalist likes the sound of his own voice very much and John Eliot was right to brush him aside.

[Nick Armstrong]

So according to this individual, the choice is between bullies like JEG on the one hand and "technocrats" on the other. Seems to me he should get out a bit more.

Quite. Or in the elegant words of Patrick Allies in a tweet this afternoon: The Spectator has come out against faceless time-beaters. Does this mean they prefer timeless face-beaters?

https://x.com/patrickallies/status/1...7lp00O9QkktiLw

[Old Grumpy]

Quite. Or in the elegant words of Patrick Allies in a tweet this afternoon: The Spectator has come out against faceless time-beaters. Does this mean they prefer timeless face-beaters?

https://x.com/patrickallies/status/1...7lp00O9QkktiLw

Or in other words: It's The Spectator, what did you expect(ate)?

[Joseph K]

Or in other words: It's The Spectator, what did you expext(ate)?

What did you expectorate?

[Old Grumpy]

What did you expectorate?

Dunno, didn't look

[Dave2002]

That is true, and something we faced with my mother(fortunately not resulting in eviction), but the impression I get is that JEG has long had "anger management" issues. They might have got worse due to medical factors or the general changes that come with increasing age but essentially have always been there.

It is difficult to know. There are people who may resort to physical violence or verbal abuse at the slightest trigger, which I would suggest is unnacceptable. OTOH others may be so calm that they are ineffective. Just as we hope to modify the behaviour of young children who show "robust" tendencies - perhaps with some success - but to an extent excuse what was their earlier bad behavioiur - we may also decide that as it becomes increasingly difficult to modify the behaviour of older people sinking into dementia, that to some extent we also have to tolerate or excuse their behaviour as it gets worse. However we do not have to accept this in society at large.

It does not necessarily follow that people who showed "anger management" issues throughout much of their life will become more prone to violent outbursts as they get older, nor that generally placid people will not become almost inexplicably angry and difficult to handle in old age. I don't know whether there have been any studies on this, but I would be surprised if there were strong correlations between earlier and later behaviour in those who suffer from dementia.

Of course ulitmately the issues fade away with the demise of the protagonists.