Mariss Jansons Renews Contract With BRSO Until 2021 (As BPH Gig Won't Happen)

[jlaurson]

Mariss Jansons renews contract with Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra until 2021



Mariss Jansons wasn't going to be seriously considered for the Chief Conductor
position of the Berlin Philharmonic (or maybe seriously considered but decidedly
without a hope of attaining the position, with the Berlin Philharmonic going for
someone young), so he might as well renew his gig with the Bavarian standouts...
http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2015/05/mariss-jansons-renews-contract-with.html

[Karl Henning]

Good news in Bavaria!

[MishaK]

Good news in Bavaria!

Indeed. They need him now to go to bat for them in this ridiculous political battle over a new concert hall.

[Ken B]

Indeed. They need him now to go to bat for them in this ridiculous political battle over a new concert hall.

What battle?

[MishaK]

What battle?

The Philharmonie am Gasteig is in dire need of repairs. It is a huge cavernous modern hall with questionable acoustics and it is shared by the Munich Phil, the BRSO, the Munich Radio SO and others. The BRSO also plays in the smaller Herkulessaal at the Residenz palace. All things considered, there are too many local orchestras and too few decent sized halls, and none of them in excellent acoustics. The dearth of space also is a cause why international orchestras rarely visit Munch on their tours. The need for renovations at the Gasteig opened the opportunity to build a new hall in addition to the Gasteig, so that the BRSO and the MPhil would finally each have their own home. There was initial momentum for a new hall, strongly supported by Jansons, but then the Bavarian prime minister nixed it and the situation was presented as a nearly done deal that there would simply be an overhaul of the Gasteig. Now apparently there is some backtracking and the mayor of Munich is now strongly against the idea of just a revamped Gasteig as the home for both BRSO and MPhil with no new hall. It's been hard to keep track of all the twists and turns, here's the latest from the Süddeutsche Zeitung: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/konzertsaal-debatte-reiter-sagt-zwillingsloesung-fuer-gasteig-ab-1.2470352

[Ken B]

The Philharmonie am Gasteig is in dire need of repairs. It is a huge cavernous modern hall with questionable acoustics and it is shared by the Munich Phil, the BRSO, the Munich Radio SO and others. The BRSO also plays in the smaller Herkulessaal at the Residenz palace. All things considered, there are too many local orchestras and too few decent sized halls, and none of them in excellent acoustics. The dearth of space also is a cause why international orchestras rarely visit Munch on their tours. The need for renovations at the Gasteig opened the opportunity to build a new hall in addition to the Gasteig, so that the BRSO and the MPhil would finally each have their own home. There was initial momentum for a new hall, strongly supported by Jansons, but then the Bavarian prime minister nixed it and the situation was presented as a nearly done deal that there would simply be an overhaul of the Gasteig. Now apparently there is some backtracking and the mayor of Munich is now strongly against the idea of just a revamped Gasteig as the home for both BRSO and MPhil with no new hall. It's been hard to keep track of all the twists and turns, here's the latest from the Süddeutsche Zeitung: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/konzertsaal-debatte-reiter-sagt-zwillingsloesung-fuer-gasteig-ab-1.2470352

Thanks. I thought Europeans were strong on support for arts and culture!

[jlaurson]

What battle?

This battle: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/2015/02/04/munich-bungles-concert-hall-plans/

MishaK summarizes very well, though it should be pointed out that the MPhil, BRSO and MRO (which I've never encountered in the Philharmonie but may well have played there, once or twice) do not in any way equally share the hall, but that it's the MPhil's hall... they have first dips on scheduling, they have their rooms and offices there. The BRSO, which plays maybe 1/3 or fewer of its concerts there, is just a guest... whereas the Herkulessaal would be considered their primary hall... except they haven't got an infrastructure there, either. The BRSO is, in a sense, homeless. Bit of a bum.

It's good to know that Reiter has come to his senses and nixed the worst-of-all-possible-situations, which is "dual use"... which would have been a disaster even for the MPhil, which pushed the plan because (my spin, but I think it's dead accurate) it considered itself to be a relatively smaller loser in that deal and thus gain a relative advantage. Also because the city desperately wants to have the renovation of the Gasteig subsidized by the State. (It's the whole complex that needs an overhaul... the hall isn't in that bad a shape. I've seen lots worse... including the (acoustically excellent) Grieg Hallen in Bergen, where it rained into my (expensive and bad) white wine, in the reception hall upstairs. 

[MishaK]

MRO (which I've never encountered in the Philharmonie but may well have played there, once or twice)

I may be the one misremembering. Where does the MRO play otherwise? Herkulessaal?

[Ken B]

Nice to know the country is in such good hands. 

[jlaurson]

I may be the one misremembering. Where does the MRO play otherwise? Herkulessaal?

Prinzregententheater (as they did last week, in their Sunday Concert series -- Alessandrini / Mozart / L Finta G.), mostly; tonight they played in the Herz Jesu Kirche closer to the Nymphenburg Castle (where they do their sacred music series "Paradisi Gloria"), unearthing another Braunfels work!