Osmo Vänskä resigns from Minnesota Orchestra

[amateur51]

After having seen Bychkov destroy Tristan this summer, I can't concur.

What do you mean by 'destroy Tristan' Throppers?

I've found many of Bychkov's concerts to be very exciting, the Proms Verdi Requiem of a few Summers ago, for example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hlo1I3rx6n4

No conductor gets everything right all the time, of course ...

[Thropplenoggin]

What do you mean by 'destroy Tristan' Throppers?

I've found many of Bychkov's concerts to be very exciting, the Proms Verdi Requiem of a few Summers ago, for example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hlo1I3rx6n4

No conductor gets everything right all the time, of course ...

Good question. I had supposedly excellently seats - best available for that price bracket - I was sat in stalls 'O', behind the singers () which didn't help. But I spoke to others who were sat in different parts of the arena, and all felt he controlled the orchestra badly, drowning out the singers (even Prommers struggled to follow some arias!). The BBC SO were superb, and certain singers (the Korean bass, Kwangchui Youn bass as King Mark and Japanese mezzo, Mihoko Fujimura, as Brangäne) were able to project over the orchestra and cope. The European singers fared worst. RDS could be forgiven for being a last-minute replacement. Those I spoke to - Wagnerites - had seen the early installments of the Ring, and said Barenboim had controlled the orchestra much better in this respect. Even Mrs. T noticed this on the radio - I was flying solo that night. A disappointment for me, especially given the money.

I have liked what I've heard of Bychkov on disc, hence my excitement for him in Wagner, which he's conducted in Paris. He supposedly had 60 hours (?) of practise with the BBC SO beforehand. Obviously it wasn't in the RAH. That said, I felt the chemistry betwixt orchestra and conductor was electric...but in Wagner one needs to be able to hear the singers (though I expect some would have been very happy to have had with my experience )

[amateur51]

Good question. I had supposedly excellently seats - best available for that price bracket - I was sat in stalls 'O', behind the singers () which didn't help. But I spoke to others who were sat in different parts of the arena, and all felt he controlled the orchestra badly, drowning out the singers (even Prommers struggled to follow some arias!). The BBC SO were superb, and certain singers (the Korean bass, Kwangchui Youn bass as King Mark and Japanese mezzo, Mihoko Fujimura, as Brangäne) were able to project over the orchestra and cope. The European singers fared worst. RDS could be forgiven for being a last-minute replacement. Those I spoke to - Wagnerites - had seen the early installments of the Ring, and said Barenboim had controlled the orchestra much better in this respect.

Many thanks.

The RAH is a notoriously difficult place in which to get a good seat and it's clear that you were disappointed having generously laid out the cash. However to claim that Semyon Bychkov destroyed the piece is surely over the top, given these alternative reviews

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/proms/10207072/Proms-2013-Wagner-Tristan-und-Isolde-review.html

http://boulezian.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/prom-19-bbc-sobychkov-tristan-und.html

The reviewer for this next website, David Fay, refers to the problems that you identified but in much less aggressive terms:

"This is not to say the orchestra’s performance was faultless. Circumstances are not in your favour when you are a soloist trying to compete with a symphony orchestra in a massive space like the Royal Albert Hall. I felt at times Bychkov could have tried a little harder not to drown out the singers completely. Sometimes this was not a problem: when the lovers meet in the King’s garden in Act II, the overwhelming, climactic music expresses their feelings far better than the enamoured ejaculations of the singers, and so Bychkov cleverly allowed the vast wave of orchestral sound to engulf their voices completely. And yet, in general, more slack could have been cut for the soloists, who battled valiantly, but often in vain, to bring their lines out. Worst suffering in this respect was Robert Dean Smith, who, as a stand-in for Peter Seiffert, proved a too-easily-overcome Tristan. I got the impression that we neither witnessed Dean Smith nor Tristan at their best tonight"

http://www.bachtrack.com/review-bbc-prom-19-2013-bychkov-tristan

The artsdesk reviewer, Sebastian Scotney, gives additional context for this performance:

"The role of Tristan makes huge demands on a Heldentenor. John Mitchinson reckoned it took him a week to recover every time he sang it. Jon Vickers talked about "wrestling" with it. From where I sat in the hall, Robert Dean Smith, an 11th-hour replacement for Peter Seiffert, appeared to be having a difficult night in the cavernous Royal Albert Hall, showing signs of vocal strain. He was sometimes overpowered by the orchestra and his vocal line got lost"

http://www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/prom-19-tristan-und-isolde-bbc-symphony-orchestra-bychkov-0?page=0,1

None of these critics seems to have reacted as badly as you did to the performance,
but then it is likely, of course, that they were fortunate enough to receive a comp ticket, À chacun son goût!

[Thropplenoggin]

Many thanks.

The RAH is a notoriously difficult place in which to get a good seat and it's clear that you were disappointed having generously laid out the cash. However to claim that Semyon Bychkov destroyed the piece is surely over the top, given these alternative reviews

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/proms/10207072/Proms-2013-Wagner-Tristan-und-Isolde-review.html

http://boulezian.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/prom-19-bbc-sobychkov-tristan-und.html

The reviewer for this next website, David Fay, refers to the problems that you identified but in much less aggressive terms:

"This is not to say the orchestra’s performance was faultless. Circumstances are not in your favour when you are a soloist trying to compete with a symphony orchestra in a massive space like the Royal Albert Hall. I felt at times Bychkov could have tried a little harder not to drown out the singers completely. Sometimes this was not a problem: when the lovers meet in the King’s garden in Act II, the overwhelming, climactic music expresses their feelings far better than the enamoured ejaculations of the singers, and so Bychkov cleverly allowed the vast wave of orchestral sound to engulf their voices completely. And yet, in general, more slack could have been cut for the soloists, who battled valiantly, but often in vain, to bring their lines out. Worst suffering in this respect was Robert Dean Smith, who, as a stand-in for Peter Seiffert, proved a too-easily-overcome Tristan. I got the impression that we neither witnessed Dean Smith nor Tristan at their best tonight"

http://www.bachtrack.com/review-bbc-prom-19-2013-bychkov-tristan

The artsdesk reviewer, Sebastian Scotney, gives additional context for this performance:

"The role of Tristan makes huge demands on a Heldentenor. John Mitchinson reckoned it took him a week to recover every time he sang it. Jon Vickers talked about "wrestling" with it. From where I sat in the hall, Robert Dean Smith, an 11th-hour replacement for Peter Seiffert, appeared to be having a difficult night in the cavernous Royal Albert Hall, showing signs of vocal strain. He was sometimes overpowered by the orchestra and his vocal line got lost"

http://www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/prom-19-tristan-und-isolde-bbc-symphony-orchestra-bychkov-0?page=0,1

None of these critics seems to have reacted as badly as you did to the performance,
but then it is likely, of course, that they were fortunate enough to receive a comp ticket, À chacun son goût!

If an amateur critic can't employ a bit of self-righteous hyperbole every now and again, what is this world coming to?! Let's hope you never stumble across my reviews on Amazon...

I'm sore at the Proms for selling me a ridiculous ticket at great expense. Behind the singers. At an opera! FFS! I'm sore at Bychkov for making me strain to follow the vocal line, but given my seating, it was a Herculean 'ask' (to use the lamentable parlance of our times). I'm guess I'm sore because the experience was memorable for all the wrong reasons. The Jansons Mahler 2 made up for it, tho' (much better seats!) There the only problem was an intoxicated twerp sat next to Mme. T who kept banging on about how many Mahler 2's he owned, fidgeting, and wafting his boozy breath all over us.

[amateur51]

If an amateur critic can't employ a bit of self-righteous hyperbole every now and again, what is this world coming to?! Let's hope you never stumble across my reviews on Amazon...

I'm sore at the Proms for selling me a ridiculous ticket at great expense. Behind the singers. At an opera! FFS! I'm sore at Bychkov for making me strain to follow the vocal line, but given my seating, it was a Herculean 'ask' (to use the lamentable parlance of our times). I'm guess I'm sore because the experience was memorable for all the wrong reasons. The Jansons Mahler 2 made up for it, tho' (much better seats!) There the only problem was an intoxicated twerp sat next to Mme. T who kept banging on about how many Mahler 2's he owned, fidgeting, and wafting his boozy breath all over us.

Surely you could see from the ROH seating plan where you would be in relation to the singers. It's certainly the Proms' (who they? ) fault.

I've checked out your Amazon reviews and they are similarly over-the-top, and Mr Levit should consider suing.

[Thropplenoggin]

Surely you could see from the ROH seating plan where you would be in relation to the singers. It's certainly the Proms' (who they? ) fault.

Ah, but that is precisely the point. The 'O' stalls are shown to be AHEAD of the stage, not behind it, on the Proms site, else I would have changed my tickets, even if it meant going to the back of the queue.

[bluestateprommer]

Minnesota Orchestra contract agreement (it seems)

Latest update on the saga of the Minnesota Orchestra meltdown, namely that the lockout is nominally over:

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/240153421.html

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/01/14/minnesota-orchestra-settlement

What will happen regarding future concerts in the newly refurbished Orchestra Hall, who knows. Kind of sick that the Minnesota Orchestra board was so gung-ho about raising funds for renovation of the hall, which by all accounts was actually quite badly needed. But then the board decided not to exert the same efforts on maintaining musician salaries. I think that Osmo Vanska still has his home in the Twin Cities, but if he gets a new job elsewhere, again, who knows.

[Dave2002]

Latest update on the saga of the Minnesota Orchestra meltdown, namely that the lockout is nominally over:

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/240153421.html

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/01/14/minnesota-orchestra-settlement

What will happen regarding future concerts in the newly refurbished Orchestra Hall, who knows. Kind of sick that the Minnesota Orchestra board was so gung-ho about raising funds for renovation of the hall, which by all accounts was actually quite badly needed. But then the board decided not to exert the same efforts on maintaining musician salaries. I think that Osmo Vanska still has his home in the Twin Cities, but if he gets a new job elsewhere, again, who knows.

What are salaries like in the US these days? In the first article it suggests that most in the orchestra will now get around $118k p/a - which is a reduced figure. I'd be surprised if a lot of musicians in the UK got paid that much, and it's surely well above the UK national average pay.

I'm not knocking the musicians - just surprised that they appear to be getting quite a lot, but maybe $100k in the US doesn't go far now.

Is there any more news of Osmo Vänskä? He did some really good things with the Minnesota Orchestra.