Alan Gilbert leaving New York

[Brian]

Alan Gilbert will step down as music director of the New York Philharmonic in 2017, after eight seasons, the orchestra said on Friday, setting off what promises to be an intense search for a successor to lead the ensemble through the planned renovation of Avery Fisher Hall.

Mr. Gilbert, 47, who has brought a spirit of experimentation to the Philharmonic and has been the first native New Yorker to lead it, said in an interview that he had decided to leave then to allow the next music director to build a relationship with concertgoers before construction begins on the hall, which is now expected to start in 2019, moving the orchestra out of its Lincoln Center home for two seasons.

"It's become clear that the next chapter, logically, has to carry the organization through to the opening of the hall, which is at the earliest 2021," Mr. Gilbert said in an interview in which he praised the players in the orchestra and spoke of some of his innovations. "It's a wonderful atmosphere, which of course I will be sorry to leave. But as I've thought about it, the next logical step — it's just longer than I want to stay around. It's actually that simple."

But as the timeline for the project extended farther into the future, with construction tentatively set to begin in the summer of 2019, it became clear that staying with the Philharmonic until the opening of the new hall would extend his tenure there to at least 13 years, longer than he had ever imagined staying. So he decided to leave when his contract was up, at the end of the summer of 2017.

Mr. Gilbert, who still has two and a half seasons left with the orchestra, said that he hoped to be able to play more with some of the European orchestras he had been conducting in recent years. He said that he was enjoying conducting Mozart's "Don Giovanni," which opened at the Met on Wednesday, and that he hoped to do more opera in the coming years.

"If anything," Mr. Gilbert said, "I would certainly rather leave slightly too early than slightly too late."

Full Times article has much longer writeup and analysis.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I never heard him, either live or on recordings. But I appreciated the innovative and unusual programming he brought to the NYPO. Maybe someday, after Mr. Conventional (Muti) leaves Chicago, they could hire Gilbert here.

[Mirror Image]

I never heard him, either live or on recordings. But I appreciated the innovative and unusual programming he brought to the NYPO. Maybe someday, after Mr. Conventional (Muti) leaves Chicago, they could hire Gilbert here.

Chicago needs Petrenko. With the CSO, he could not only help increase the orchestra's prominence in terms of recordings, but he could also bring down the concert hall with sizzling performances night after night. His choice of repertoire would also be wide-ranging as well. Chicago needs a fiery Russian. It's that simple.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Chicago needs Petrenko.

Another good option. I heard him with the CSO in 2012, a great concert of Elgar, Barber and Shostakovich. I would also like someone who conducts plenty of American and British music, and he seems to fit the bill there.

[Mirror Image]

Another good option. I heard him with the CSO in 2012, a great concert of Elgar, Barber and Shostakovich. I would also like someone who conducts plenty of American and British music, and he seems to fit the bill there.

Imagine Petrenko conducting W. Schuman's 3rd? That would be one scintillating performance. Oh, the possibilities of the Petrenko/CSO partnership.

[MishaK]

Strange how this discussion turned to the CSO... I can tell you that Muti/CSO right now is an ideal symbiosis as between the musicians and their music director as well as between Muti and this city that he has adopted more so than any of his recent predecessors, and the audiences love him. Ticket sales under him are way up despite increased prices. So, you and I might consider him "Mr. Conventional", but he ain't going anywhere anytime soon. (And he's not all that conventional, really. I'm looking forward to the Casella/Respighi (!) program announced for next season - who ever programs that kind of stuff?)

Gilbert in NY wasn't even plan B. Because the board didn't really have a plan for when Muti said no. It is one of the artistically worst managed orchestras in the US as far as I can tell. First they boot a guy who really rebuilt the sound of the orchestra, gave the musicans a new sense of purpose and ensemble and was loved by the musicians (Masur), replace him with an overpriced technician who had nothing new to say (Maazel) (they even considered Jansons at a time and declined to offer him the job, AFAIK, imagine that), and then they completely screwed up the succession, even though they had ample time to plan. Gilbert turned out better than expected in many ways, especially in his programming. But he doesn't have the sort of star power that the leading ensemble in a market like NY needs, and will need to get through the renovation phase and playing in alternate locations.

As to CSO when Muti leaves, there will be several younger maestros who have established a much closer rapport with this orchestra during their visits who will be considered way ahead of Gilbert or Petrenko (either Vassily or Kirill, both of whom have conducted here, though I assume you mean the former).

M

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Strange how this discussion turned to the CSO... I can tell you that Muti/CSO right now is an ideal symbiosis as between the musicians and their music director as well as between Muti and this city that he has adopted more so than any of his recent predecessors, and the audiences love him. Ticket sales under him are way up despite increased prices. So, you and I might consider him "Mr. Conventional", but he ain't going anywhere anytime soon. (And he's not all that conventional, really. I'm looking forward to the Casella/Respighi (!) program announced for next season - who ever programs that kind of stuff?)

I admit that my complaint against Muti just relates to his programming. Considered purely as a conductor I like him, and so does the orchestra from what I've heard. However, the only Muti concert I want to see next season is the Bruckner 9. The other concerts I want to attend (like the Lutoslawski 3rd Sym. and Adams' Harmonielehre) are all under guest conductors.

[MishaK]

I admit that my complaint against Muti just relates to his programming. Considered purely as a conductor I like him, and so does the orchestra from what I've heard. However, the only Muti concert I want to see next season is the Bruckner 9. The other concerts I want to attend (like the Lutoslawski 3rd Sym. and Adams' Harmonielehre) are all under guest conductors.

Yes, I want to go to the B9 as well, though mostly for the rare opportunity to hear the Te Deum that's also on the program. I've been to all of his past Bruckner performances (1, 2, 6). The 1 was really surprisingly outstanding, really insightful and very naturally flowing. The 2nd was very good but not knockout. The 6th oddly held back and not quite on the same level as the others. Not sure that in the 9th he'll reach what Barenboim, Haitink and Eschenbach did here relatively recently, but I'm still curious. It's a bit of a 'meh' season tho. Works premiered by the CSO is sort of an incoherent thread for a season that is such an important jubilee and should have more important highlights to offer. Apart from the Respighi/Casella, I really want to hear the Dohnyani/Mozart concerts, as well as Haitink doing Alpensinfonie. Heard him do that with Dresden several years ago, which was superlative. It's also one of my son's favorite pieces and he'll be 6 by then, so old enough to take along. Harmonielehre is of course interesting, but I'm not sure I want to pay full price for Edo conducting anything. The Till could be interesting, tho, if by then they have a new principal horn. Missing from the season are all of my favorite guests from recent seasons: Morlot, Denève, Dudamel, Honeck, Sokhiev. I would have gone to hear all of them if they had been on the program, no matter the repertoire. Jansons visiting with the BRSO with M5 will be a must hear.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Haitink doing Alpensinfonie.

Forgot about that one - should be good.

Harmonielehre is of course interesting, but I'm not sure I want to pay full price for Edo conducting anything.

They're also doing it at Grant Park, under Kalmar.

Missing from the season are all of my favorite guests from recent seasons: Morlot, Denève, Dudamel, Honeck, Sokhiev. I would have gone to hear all of them if they had been on the program, no matter the repertoire.

My concert-going habits have changed. Standard rep is out, unless it's being performed by someone I really want to hear. Plus, I'd rather go to a handful of concerts and shell out for good seats than do the opposite.

[MishaK]

My concert-going habits have changed. Standard rep is out, unless it's being performed by someone I really want to hear. Plus, I'd rather go to a handful of concerts and shell out for good seats than do the opposite.

I'm the other way: I almost don't care about the rep as long as I have a decently substantiated hunch that the performers will make it an interesting and memorable performance. ;-)

[(poco) Sforzando]

Gilbert in NY wasn't even plan B. Because the board didn't really have a plan for when Muti said no. It is one of the artistically worst managed orchestras in the US as far as I can tell. First they boot a guy who really rebuilt the sound of the orchestra, gave the musicans a new sense of purpose and ensemble and was loved by the musicians (Masur), replace him with an overpriced technician who had nothing new to say (Maazel) (they even considered Jansons at a time and declined to offer him the job, AFAIK, imagine that), and then they completely screwed up the succession, even though they had ample time to plan. Gilbert turned out better than expected in many ways, especially in his programming. But he doesn't have the sort of star power that the leading ensemble in a market like NY needs, and will need to get through the renovation phase and playing in alternate locations.

I agree with some of this. But Maazel could turn in some inspired performances (the Saint-Saens 3rd coupled with a concert version of Ravel's L'Enfant stands out in my mind), and Masur could be a plodder on occasion. As for Gilbert, his programmatic innovations were his best showing - the semi-staged concert versions of Le Grande Macabre, Cunning Little Vixen, and Petrouchka above all. But the NY premiere of Gruppen in the Park Avenue Armory was compromised by that hall's impossibly reverberant acoustics, and some of the other works on that program - especially the Act One finale to Don Giovanni - were a disaster. Gilbert was a good guy, tried hard, but didn't quite have it; and there have hardly been any recordings.

[Mirror Image]

Gilbert was a good guy, tried hard, but didn't quite have it; and there have hardly been any recordings.

Took the words right out of my mouth. The lack of recordings is what got me. Here is a major US orchestra with nothing to show for it. We did get a decent Nielsen cycle out of him, but I can't think of anything else.

[kishnevi]

Amazon shows besides the Nielsen cycle

The only one of these I actually have is the Mahler DVD , which is okay but to I prefer the Chailly DVD released at almost the same time.
I have 2 of the Nielsen CDs, and his Stockholm recording of Mahler 9, which is good and led me to expect greater things than actually happened in NY.

[(poco) Sforzando]

I remember these shows .. they did sell out though (big box office), received rave reviews and were even filmed, edited, mixed and broadcast on TV & Radio numerous times. Stuffing Mozart onto that program seemed out of place & unnecessary though. Ditto the Ives. The Boulez work came off well.

Granted, the Mozart didn't belong at all, but the biggest problem (even worse than the ludicrous costuming and hair for the singers) was that the performers were ranged all over the huge hall and as a result, even with two assistant conductors, the ensemble was beyond ragged. I thought the Ives came off rather well because in a slow piece, the reverberation was not as damaging. I thought the Boulez was OK but a friend who knows the score far better complained about G's conducting (can't find his exact wording right now).

To digress: unfortunately, despite much interesting programming and excellent intentions, the Park Avenue Armory is not turning out to be a good place for musical or theatrical events. The sight lines for Zimmermann's Die Soldaten were poor, the seating for Branagh's Macbeth was uncomfortable and even precarious, and both the elevators and air-conditioning broke down several times for the 5-play visit by the Royal Shakespeare. (Out of those five plays, only The Winter's Tale was a satisfactory production. The Lear and As You Like It had their moments, but the Romeo and Caesar were IMNSHO utter disasters. Worst $400 I've spent in a long time.) End digression.

Last May, Gilbert and members of the NYP also performed HK Gruber's chamber opera Gloria – A Pig Tale, again working with Giants are Small as with the Ligeti and Janacek operas. But this time the performance was not at Avery Fisher but at the Met Museum, which has one of the finest small concert halls in the city, and it was a thoroughly marvelous afternoon. Gilbert is also conducting Don Giovanni this season at the other Met, you know the one with the five arches, but I haven't heard it (I prefer getting my operas at the movies these days, though I did get in for the notorious Klinghoffer).

[(poco) Sforzando]

I think the place has potential for exploring more contemporary works where advanced spatialization (conception/realization) is an integral component (i.e. The Stockhausen Oeuvre & others). They had a run of his purely electronic masterwork Oktophonie on an advanced sound set-up (nothing to do with Gilbert etc.) which did huge box office, they had to create more dates for the high demand. Reviews were generally favorable. There are so many of his works where they could use a place like that, even as a testing ground.

I didn't get to the Oktophonie, but Michaels Reise was done last year at Avery Fisher, and worked quite well. Boulez's Repons was also done at Carnegie, with great success, as was Rituel (where the antiphonal sections were situated in all the upper tiers of the hall). The one time I went backstage to speak to Boulez after a concert, I asked if he would ever consider bringing Gruppen to NY, and he replied that there was no suitable venue. (This was obviously before the Park Avenue event.) I unfortunately lacked the presence of mind to ask if he would ever program the complete Pli Selon Pli. But if it weren't for the lousy acoustics, I could easily see Park Avenue as an ideal location for Carré, for instance. There were a lot of problems with the Gruppen concert, however. I was seated next to one orchestra and could barely hear the others, even though I paid the highest ticket price and was assured I had the best location. People who were seated dead center for cheaper seats complained of backaches from having to sit basically on the floor. A lot of kinks to be ironed out.

And where was this televised? Is it on YouTube?

[SurprisedByBeauty]

And now Gilbert has a new job, too!

Latest on Forbes.com:
Alan Gilbert's New Job means an architectural upgrade and, to some extent, a return home. It should be a mutually happy spell!