Men make Better Conductors

[Beef Oven!]

A brief interview with Marin Alsop on Today on R4 this morning at about 8.50 - she was asked if she'd spoken to Vasily Petrenko about his comments and she said she hadn't had time.

She added that she knew all about remarks being taken out of context, and that she couldn't imagine that was really how he thought.

She's obviously at the top of her game; political savvy, enormous talent, focused and ruthless. My kinda person!

[teamsaint]

She's obviously at the top of her game; political savvy, enormous talent, focused and ruthless. My kinda person!

does she spend most of the year on holiday too?!

[jean]

...and in today's Guardian, a profile of Marin Alsop by Fiona Maddocks can't avoid a mention of Vasily (with picture):

...She has already had a fanfare of publicity. Then just when the subject seemed exhausted, with that impeccable sense of timing expected of any conductor, in rushed her Russian colleague Vasily Petrenko with some ill-advised comments on female conductors. Petrenko's main, possibly ironic, opinion was that women are a distraction and that "a cute girl on a podium means that musicians think about other things". As others may have noted, when it comes to cute on the podium, the handsome Petrenko – principal conductor of the National Youth Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic – is quite a distraction himself...

I like that possibly ironic. It's a good let-out.

[Anna]

.. As others may have noted, when it comes to cute on the podium, the handsome Petrenko – principal conductor of the National Youth Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic – is quite a distraction himself...

Yes, but the first time I saw Petrenko I thought to myself - he's as gay as a daffodl! (I found out he isn't), but he's still - in that horrible Amercian expression - eye candy - and he knows it!

[french frank]

I like that possibly ironic. It's a good let-out.

Or, possibly, an admission that she isn't really in a position to know what his intention was?

[jean]

I meant it was a good let-out for him.

[Mary Chambers]

Yes, but the first time I saw Petrenko I thought to myself - he's as gay as a daffodl! (I found out he isn't), but he's still - in that horrible Amercian expression - eye candy - and he knows it!

There is no doubt at all that he knows it! The audiences only encourage him. He said in some interview that he gets 'approaches' from both males and females.

[Black Swan]

Anna,

I love you, I thought the same thing that Pentrenko was gay. Obviously, my gaydar was wrong.

[Black Swan]

She may never make it as a journalist but unlike Petrenko, she will never make it as a bigot either.

[jean]

...He said in some interview that he gets 'approaches' from both males and females.

Yes he did - I wish I could find it now; I think he was talking about young players he was conducting, and he did say it was a very bad thing.

[visualnickmos]

I hope this thread is not going to become yet another pointlessly obsessed one about a person's sexuality.

[Beef Oven!]

does she spend most of the year on holiday too?!

Three months = 25% of a year.

[teamsaint]

Three months = 25% of a year.

less than you then !!

I calculated that if a person works a four day week, they are "only" at work half the year.

[Beef Oven!]

less than you then !!

I calculated that if a person works a four day week, they are "only" at work half the year.

teamsaint, it's not how much time you spend at work that's the issue, it's what you do when you are there. If you deliver on your targets more effectively, you'll find that you don't have to be there as much

[teamsaint]

teamsaint, it's not how much time you spend at work that's the issue, it's what you do when you are there. If you deliver on your targets more effectively, you'll find that you don't have to be there as much

er, in the real world,(not "consultancy") if you "deliver on your targets" they give you more to do.

Even in Turkey.

I keep asking to move departments, but they won't let me cos I sell too much.