Prom 55: 27.08.16 - CBSO/Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

[Petrushka]

Ms MG-Tyla remindes me of one of those contestants on a TV programme a few years ago where Celebs tried the 'art' of conducting and were judged by their ability or lack of it - I seem to remember Ms K Dereham there, once, having a go. They all seemed to have exaggerated, alarming arm movements and pointing at orchestra members as if they needed reminding it was their turn to play. All rather off-putting and I deleted my Humax recording. There also seems a gross difference in the pronunciation of Ms Tyla's name, between Sarah Mohr-Pietch and Katie Dereham. Sort of Grashzinter and Grashzineeter. Most confusing.

There did seem to be a lot of arm flailing going on to little purpose so far as a non-musician like me could tell and a good deal of unnecessary energy expended. Time will tell whether MGT is right for the CBSO but a few of the old sweats in the band did look less than enthused. One hopes that the CBSO haven't gone for reverse sexism here but my own feeling on this showing is that a couple or three more years as an assistant conductor would have benefitted MGT.

[kernelbogey]

From what I could see of her on the tv broadcast, she communicates a great deal with her face and her eyes. And has a strong beat with the baton, always. And the CBSO voted for her: a couple of members, interviewed for the programme, spoke highly of her unconventional thinking.

[Ravensbourne]

Ms MG-Tyla remindes me of one of those contestants on a TV programme a few years ago where Celebs tried the 'art' of conducting and were judged by their ability or lack of it - I seem to remember Ms K Dereham there, once, having a go. They all seemed to have exaggerated, alarming arm movements and pointing at orchestra members as if they needed reminding it was their turn to play.

I'd been wondering why the last episode of Proms Extra 2016 had included footage of Katie conducting as a highlight of the season. I realise now that this was Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.

[ucanseetheend]

There did seem to be a lot of arm flailing going on to little purpose so far as a non-musician like me could tell and a good deal of unnecessary energy expended. Time will tell whether MGT is right for the CBSO but a few of the old sweats in the band did look less than enthused. One hopes that the CBSO haven't gone for reverse sexism here but my own feeling on this showing is that a couple or three more years as an assistant conductor would have benefitted MGT.

agree totally, looked an absolute novice! Clearly the CBSO have gone for a young attractive person to promote itself, just as the BBC proms TV does with SMP. Its all about "attracting new audiences" with superficial methods.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It might be interesting to hear views from Forumistas about how this "absolute novice" could negotiate Abrahamsen's score so well.

[makropulos]

It might be interesting to hear views from Forumistas about how this "absolute novice" could negotiate Abrahamsen's score so well.

Quite so. I can't quite believe some of the things being written here about MG-T. She may be young but she is absolutely not a "novice". Is it worth reminding people that she has worked for several years as a conductor at opera houses in Berlin, Bern, Heidelberg and elsewhere, with quite an extensive operatic repertoire? Or that she has been a successful guest conductor of orchestras in Europe and the USA for the last six or seven years - at least?

And frankly I'm dismayed by some of the remarks about how her conducting "looks". I first heard the CBSO Prom on the radio, and what it sounded like was enough to get me very interested in her musical ideas. Plenty of fine conductors have rather distracting visual technique, but it's the musical results that matter. MG-T's immediate predecessor at the CBSO is, arguably, a case in point. The young Noseda was another.

Incidentally, to suggest that players in the orchestra aren't happy is absurd. As at least one poster has noted, this is an unusually democractic orchestra and the members chose her.

[EdgeleyRob]

All a bit harsh IMV.
She'll be my heroine if,as seems possible,she introduces Weinberg to British audiences.
I feel a trip to Brum coming on in a cuppla years maybe.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Well, indeed; the visual appearance of many conductors might strike viewers as less than elegant - the test is how the orchestra responds to them. The Tchaikovsky (to chose the work probably most familiar to audiences) was not the sort of performance that characterises an orchestra on "auto-pilot"; it had an individual "interpretation" that came from a conductor who can persuade an orchestra to perform it as she thinks it should be performed. No "absolute novice" could manage this.

I wasn't particularly won over by the resulting performance (preferable, however to Silvestri's - and I would never consider him an "absolute novice") but that is a separate matter entirely from the professional competence of the conductor.

[Maclintick]

It might be interesting to hear views from Forumistas about how this "absolute novice" could negotiate Abrahamsen's score so well.

Quite. Some of the comments about MG-T on this board strike me as patronising sexist claptrap -- maybe it's because she's beaten some British male stick-twirlers to this coveted post....

[kernelbogey]

Quite. Some of the comments about MG-T on this board strike me as patronising sexist claptrap -- maybe it's because she's beaten some British male stick-twirlers to this coveted post....

[ardcarp]

I too think this....

looked an absolute novice! Clearly the CBSO have gone for a young attractive person to promote itself, just as the BBC proms TV does with SMP. Its all about "attracting new audiences" with superficial methods.

...is extremely harsh.

I doubt that the CBSO, players or management, would have appointed anyone who wasn't extremely competent or who didn't have some track-record. As for 'an absolute novice', that's just ridiculous.

[jayne lee wilson]

Only just looked at this thread closely - good grief. How utterly dismaying. Thank goodness for the last 6 posts to restore sanity. The CBSO appointing a young woman as principal conductor and artistic director on grounds of positive discrimination, inverse sexism or the youth vote? The CBSO? Come on guys, PLEASE....

As makropoulos pointed out, time for a few MCPs here to consult Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla's artistic history (via, you know, google, wiki, ever heard of them?).... I only heard part one of the Prom, unwell and unable to focus, but it sounded fine. I'll try to go back for another listen after all this...!

Patience now. Use your ears more than your eyes. Wait for the recordings, and if a CBSO concert turns up on R3 this autumn, listen closely and comment....

[Thropplenoggin]

Use your ears more than your eyes.

[jayne lee wilson]

http://www.theartsdesk.com/classical-music/prom-55-hannigan-cbso-gražinytė-tyla

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/28/prom-55

https://bachtrack.com/review-prom-55-mirga-grazinyte-tyla-barbara-hannigan-cbso-august-2016

...ETC.!

***Excellent article by Mark Swed of the LA Times here...

http://www.cami.com/worddocs/worddocs2551/CBSO%20Appointment-%20Grazinyte-Tyla%20combined%20coverage.pdf

[french frank]

Jayne got in before me, but:

Guardian 'Spellbinding Bewitching'

Telegraph 'A compelling force on the podium'

Times a paltry 'Bags of musicality'

No shadow of doubt expressed anywhere (don't know about Morrison in The Times as I could only see the first couple of pars).