Daniele Gatti Sacked by the Concertgebouw

[ahinton]

Indeed; could one imagine Carlos Kleiber "conducting" himself in such a manner?...

[Stanfordian]

Cornelius Meister gets my vote for the job.

[ahinton]

I attended a Concertgebouw concert under Gatti as recently as May at Kulturpalast Dresden - performing Mahler Symphony No. 1 it was a remarkable concert with stunning playing.

OK - and, well, that's good to know, of course - but, as Richard Barrett points out, "Gatti's musical achievements...of course have no relevance at all in the current context".

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes - I only know Gatti from broadcast concerts, which have all seemed fine. I was surprised to hear the reasons for the Concertgebouw's severing his contract as I didn't think anyone behaved in such infantile ways theses days. (I am incredibly naive about such things. )

[Stanfordian]

OK - and, well, good - but, as Richard Barrett points out, "Gatti's musical achievements...of course have no relevance at all in the current context".

What's your problem? Since when have you been the self-appointed arbiter of forum posts!

[ahinton]

What's your problem? Since when have you been the self-appointed arbiter of forum posts!

None whatsoever; does quoting from posts make one an "arbiter" - "self-appointed" or otherwise - thereof?! - or am I missing some good-humoured sarcasm here?!...(oh and it's "Daniele", by the way - a pedant writes...)...

[greenilex]

I think it was the “well, good” that was being objected to, but I read that as concession rather than any kind of arbiter stance...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I think it was the “well, good” that was being objected to, but I read that as concession rather than any kind of arbiter stance...

[Stanfordian]

None whatsoever; does quoting from posts make one an "arbiter" - "self-appointed" or otherwise - thereof?! - or am I missing some good-humoured sarcasm here?!...(oh and it's "Daniele", by the way - a pedant writes...)...

What on earth are you on about?

[ahinton]

I think it was the “well, good” that was being objected to, but I read that as concession rather than any kind of arbiter stance...

I'd not appreciated that (and it was not mean sarcastically) so I've amended my post accordingly!

[ahinton]

What on earth are you on about?

I think that you'll find the answer to that in my most recent post!

[HighlandDougie]

Cornelius Meister gets my vote for the job.

That's an interesting suggestion - and he has conducted the orchestra reasonably recently. What I've heard on disc (Martinu etc) and from ORF concerts via 'Orchestra on Demand' has usually been interesting - he doesn't conduct on auto-pilot. But would he be able to take on the RCO's core repertoire - Mahler, Mahler and more Mahler - as well as the 3 Bs? They might go for Ivan Fischer pro tem as he is a frequent guest with the orchestra. Not, though, Simon Rattle as I seem to remember that he has only conducted them once and that that was not a marriage made in heaven. I'm probably completely wrong, though.

[Dave2002]

OK - and, well, that's good to know, of course - but, as Richard Barrett points out, "Gatti's musical achievements...of course have no relevance at all in the current context".

Agreed. I have enjoyed performances by Levine and recordings by Toscanini, who have both had accusations levelled against them, and in one case seemingly well justified. Musical talent does not necessarily imply good behaviour.

However, I hope that due care has been taken re the allegations. It's not completely unheard of for people to either misunderstand, or make false accusations.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Not, though, Simon Rattle as I seem to remember that he has only conducted them once and that that was not a marriage made in heaven. I'm probably completely wrong, though.

It's a report I've heard, too - though the encounter was many years ago at the start of Rattle's career, and the Concertgebouw must have almost entirely different players these days. (And, if course, Rattle is a different conductor these days, too!)

[Richard Barrett]

That's an interesting suggestion - and he has conducted the orchestra reasonably recently. What I've heard on disc (Martinu etc) and from ORF concerts via 'Orchestra on Demand' has usually been interesting - he doesn't conduct on auto-pilot. But would he be able to take on the RCO's core repertoire - Mahler, Mahler and more Mahler - as well as the 3 Bs? They might go for Ivan Fischer pro tem as he is a frequent guest with the orchestra. Not, though, Simon Rattle as I seem to remember that he has only conducted them once and that that was not a marriage made in heaven. I'm probably completely wrong, though.

It could be that they'll want a conductor who's going to change the direction of the RCO's core repertoire, which for example in its pre-Haitink days lent it a strong reputation for performances of French music. Everyone does Mahler now. Strangely, in a city where contemporary music generally has quite a high profile, the RCO probably plays less recent repertoire than even the London orchestras do.