Interview with Simon Rattle (Hay Festival) - Sky Arts

[Nick Armstrong]

I nearly tiddled myself with delight when that happened, almost as good as when the Tories declined to elect Heseltine.

But I can be funny that way

Easy, Tiddles!

[amateur51]

Easy, Tiddles!

I didn't want to disturb the tuk-tuk driver

[Beef Oven]

Cali - Amsy's (Tiddles) link gives the flavour. I can't remember the precise words of Rattle, it was a long time ago now, but he more than questioned Sinopoli's integrity as a musician. I was a subscriber to the Philharmonia and loved the Orchestra dearly back in the day.

Most musicians and fellow-travellers simply didn't understand Sinopoli.

He was a giant. It's hopeless to try to put it into words (well, certainly for me) but he got so much deeper into the psyche and raison of the great works. Check out his, Schubert recording of the unfinished, FM's Italian, Elektra, Bruckner 5 with the Dresdeners, various Mahler, Second Vienese school recordings and more.

From the Evening Standard 11th Feb 2004 :-

".....Twice in as many years, I have seen a music director run out of town. The first was Giuseppe Sinopoli, who arrived at the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1984, with an 80-disc Deutsche Grammophon contract and a winning smile. Intelligent and affable (he held a medical doctorate and medals in archaeology), Sinopoli was a capable opera conductor who had yet to prove himself in the unsparing light of concert sound.



The cerebral Italian spent rehearsals waffling on about the neuroses of Mahler and Schumann when all the band wanted to know was whether he wanted them to play louder or softer. The reviews were so awful that some critics refused to attend another concert and guest conductors backed off. In 1994, the orchestra dropped Sinopoli. He died, poor chap, three years ago, aged 55, while conducting Aida in Berlin.

I once suggested that the Philharmonia had split on his merits, only to receive a correction from the chairman who insisted that no more than five players ever thought he was any good. The rest put up with him for the record deal. In Sinopoli's case, the verdict of musicians and critics was pretty much unanimous. "



The truth is, he just did not fit the stereo-type - an amazing musician and a beautiful human being.

There, got that off me chest (aided soley by Pepsi Max!)

[Nick Armstrong]

Thanks Beefs. I agree. I have his Schubert/Mendelssohn, and a number of others. Latterly I was enthralled by hearing his Mahler 7 on the radio - in fact, I came in part way through Mvt I and stuck with it, trying to work out who was performing. When I found out it was the late lamented Dr Sinopoli, I meant to get the CDs but never did. I might now.

PS I have this too. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Sympho...9162793&sr=8-7 Terrific "In the South" (ditto his "Enigma" recording). Good reviews on that page...

You should start a thread about him, Beefy, see what others think!

[Beef Oven]

Thanks Beefs. I agree. I have his Schubert/Mendelssohn, and a number of others. Latterly I was enthralled by hearing his Mahler 7 on the radio - in fact, I came in part way through Mvt I and stuck with it, trying to work out who was performing. When I found out it was the late lamented Dr Sinopoli, I meant to get the CDs but never did. I might now.

PS I have this too. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Elgar-Sympho...9162793&sr=8-7 Terrific "In the South" (ditto his "Enigma" recording). Good reviews on that page...

You should start a thread about him, Beefy, see what others think!

Yes, I forgot about his Elgar!

Good suggestion Cali, I may start a thread. We need to have what is said about him put right - a sort of 'right said thread'.

[zola]

It turned out to be interesting, so anyone who gets the chance to see a repeat would probably enjoy it. What I did not realise, having just had experience of Tom Service as a writer in The Guardian, is how much he has yet to learn as an interviewer. His questions were often longer than SR's answers. It was a giveaway when, at the end, he asked whether the audience had any questions for "Simon or me". He's the star and you are an interviewer, Mr S!

To be fair to Tom Service, The Hay Sessions are from the book festival and Service is the author of the book that was involved with the Session, "Music and Alchemy" time spent with contemporary orchestras and conductors, not just Rattle and the BPO. So it was reasonable to ask if the audience had any questions for either of them.

[Stanfordian]

Cali - Amsy's (Tiddles) link gives the flavour. I can't remember the precise words of Rattle, it was a long time ago now, but he more than questioned Sinopoli's integrity as a musician. I was a subscriber to the Philharmonia and loved the Orchestra dearly back in the day.

Most musicians and fellow-travellers simply didn't understand Sinopoli.

He was a giant. It's hopeless to try to put it into words (well, certainly for me) but he got so much deeper into the psyche and raison of the great works. Check out his, Schubert recording of the unfinished, FM's Italian, Elektra, Bruckner 5 with the Dresdeners, various Mahler, Second Vienese school recordings and more.

From the Evening Standard 11th Feb 2004 :-

".....Twice in as many years, I have seen a music director run out of town. The first was Giuseppe Sinopoli, who arrived at the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1984, with an 80-disc Deutsche Grammophon contract and a winning smile. Intelligent and affable (he held a medical doctorate and medals in archaeology), Sinopoli was a capable opera conductor who had yet to prove himself in the unsparing light of concert sound.



The cerebral Italian spent rehearsals waffling on about the neuroses of Mahler and Schumann when all the band wanted to know was whether he wanted them to play louder or softer. The reviews were so awful that some critics refused to attend another concert and guest conductors backed off. In 1994, the orchestra dropped Sinopoli. He died, poor chap, three years ago, aged 55, while conducting Aida in Berlin.

I once suggested that the Philharmonia had split on his merits, only to receive a correction from the chairman who insisted that no more than five players ever thought he was any good. The rest put up with him for the record deal. In Sinopoli's case, the verdict of musicians and critics was pretty much unanimous. "



The truth is, he just did not fit the stereo-type - an amazing musician and a beautiful human being.

There, got that off me chest (aided soley by Pepsi Max!)

I agree wholeheartedly with you Beefy. I have always considered Maestro Sinopoli to be unfairly maligned. I greatly admire his recordings of Webern’s Works for orchestra with the Staatskapelle Dresden on Apex. Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Webern-Somme...9199305&sr=1-2 I also value his account of Verdi Macbeth on Philips: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Macbet...9199340&sr=1-1

[Beef Oven]

I agree wholeheartedly with you Beefy. I have always considered Maestro Sinopoli to be unfairly maligned. I greatly admire his recordings of Webern’s Works for orchestra with the Staatskapelle Dresden on Apex. Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Webern-Somme...9199305&sr=1-2 I also value his account of Verdi Macbeth on Philips: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Verdi-Macbet...9199340&sr=1-1

Yes! I have those Webern recordings and the Schonberg & Berg recordings in the same series - wouldn't be without them!

I Have heard his Macbeth, but I do not owna copy. I have his 'La Forza Del Destino' which I think is very good indeed.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Did "On Her majesty's" do his usual schtick of summarising his interlocutor's responses for us poor nitwits at home? His other example of interviewing "technique" is to ask a question and then breathlessly talk around it, giving all possible answers before passing the baton over, at which point the poor interviewee generally looks bewildered. Although, I expect Rattle had sufficient artillery to get in a few telling shots of his own.

Panjandrum, surely you're getting Mr Service confused with Mr Rafferty!

[Panjandrum]

Panjandrum, surely you're getting Mr Service confused with Mr Rafferty!

Must be a malaise that's spreading through them all.