Yannick Nézet-Séguin is the new music director at Philadelphia? Am I the only one who has never heard of him?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/arts/music/14phil.html?hp
I knew of him from his Bruckner recordings - he's a little guy with a big heart. Reviews of his Bruckner have been mixed; good luck to Philly.
Heard him live last year. Wasn't all that impressed.
He's definitely good for his age; but Robin Ticciati, for example, is younger, while at the same time seeming more interested and capable of exploring the 'underbelly' of a piece than Nézet-Séguin. So based on my experience, I'd say 'exciting but superficial', at the moment.
He might improve in time. Edit: Improve further - make no mistake, he's a competent conductor.
News coverage from Philadelphia at
http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20100613_In_a_bold_return_to_previous_eras_of_youthful_leadership__NO_HEAD_SPECIFIED.html?viewAll=y
He conducted a concert in Vancouver a couple of years ago, and participated in one of the pre-concert talks. Falla: Noches in los Jardines de Espana, Debussy: Ibéria... Ginastera Variations Concertantes.
Knew the works in detail, spoke well, and appeared to have a very good relationship with the orchestra.
This is the guy who recommended Mahler 3 recordings by Klemperer and Walter...
I wish them the best, but this looks like a snap decision rather than anything well-considered.
I think the orchestra has been having problems of a "corporate" nature and needed a deipnosophist as much as a musician.
i was listening to a chat show this morning on Philly's NPR station, and the two music critics from the Philadelphia paper were quite enthusiastic about him. Good luck to them, but to tell the truth, I don't pay much attention to the Philadelphia Orchestra. I can't afford to subscribe anymore, what with the economy in the state it's in. And you all know my repertoire of choice --- it's music my hometown orchestra has consistently ignored. I go elsewhere to hear the music I want to hear.
I'm afraid this kid won't be around long. The days are long gone when someone like Eugene Ormandy would make his home here and devote his life to the orchestra. (Of course, travel was slow when he and Stoki were young. You couldn't jet off to Milan or Berlin at a moment's notice.) Besides, no one settles in Philadelphia if they don't have to. I'll be surprised if he lasts five years.
And the name is unfortunate. It's too close to Yanni, who is who I've been picturing every time our new music director is mentioned.
Quote from: Joe Barron on June 15, 2010, 09:57:28 AM
I'm afraid this kid won't be around long. The days are long gone when someone like Eugene Ormandy would make his home here and devote his life to the orchestra. (Of course, travel was slow when he and Stoki were young. You couldn't jet off to Milan or Berlin at a moment's notice.) Besides, no one settles in Philadelphia if they don't have to. I'll be surprised if he lasts five years.
And the name is unfortunate. It's too close to Yanni, who is who I've been picturing every time our new music director is mentioned.
You're not very optimistic. By the way, I like his name, and I don't connect it to "Yanni"; actually, I never think of Yanni who is just a forgotten joke in my world.
Gesundheit.
Quote from: Bulldog on June 15, 2010, 11:56:39 AM
You're not very optimistic. By the way, I like his name, and I don't connect it to "Yanni"; actually, I never think of Yanni who is just a forgotten joke in my world.
Well, I've never been optimistic. Just the way I am, I guess, but brief tenure have been the rule of late.
In my world, Yanni is a constant, malign presence.
Jo Barron,I think you're being premature when you say that Nezet-Seguin "wopn't be here long" ,especially before he's even assumed the position in Philadelphia.
What you say about the "good old days" when music directors supposedly "stayed put" with one orchestra and devoted themselved to it is nothing but a myth.
In those bygone days, orchestra seasons were much shorter and orchestras played far fewer concerts per season, and there were no Summer residencies for them such as Tanglewood for Boston etc.
Today, no music director can conduct 150-200 concerts with an orchestra and stay there from September to June.
That just isn't fesable.
And Stokowski did a lot more guest conducting all over the world than you might realize, and Ormandy did his share of it,too.
So far, I've only heard Nezet-Seguin in Carmen from the Met on PBS and was quite impressed with his talent.
I'll have to wait and see how he handles the orchestral repertoire. But from all reports he is a genuine and major podium talent. Let's give him a chance to show what he's got.
No management agency can just pick some mediocrity out of the blue and artificially manufacture a brilliant career for a conductor through slick publicity alone, contrary to reports.
No world-class orchestra is going to accept a conductor as its music director this way. Orchestral musicians can't be fooled for a minute. They can recognize whether a conductor has the right stuff or not instantly.
And they tend to be highly critical of conductors. You have to earn their respect.
yeah, but he can't really top Sawalisch. Can he? I saw a clip of sawallisch conducting a waltz the other day, and it still make very little sense to me why he wasn't invited to conduct the new year concert.
Quote from: Superhorn on June 21, 2010, 01:07:17 PM
And Stokowski did a lot more guest conducting all over the world than you might realize, and Ormandy did his share of it,too.
Of course they did, but they returned to the orchestra year after year and left their imprints on it. Ormandy made the city his home: I doubt Mr. Seguin will do that. And according to his schedule, he won't be conducting many more concerts per season than you say Ormandy or Stokowski did.
As for showing what he's got, and earning respect and all that --- I'm sure Mr. Seguin is very talented, which is precisely why he might not last here. Philadelphia is a backwater, and the green pastures of New York are right up the street. If he's as good as everyone thinks, or if he grows in teh jib and makes a name for himself, he'll be entertaining other offers soon, just as Muti did.
On the other hand, Charles Dutoit has stayed with us a good long time, even after the shabby treatment he received. So I guess loyalty still has its place.
I hope you're right about everything.
I like Nezet-Seguin's choice in repertoire: Debussy, Ravel, Bruckner, Britten, etc., but all I can say is he'll improve as time goes on. Hopefully, he'll conduct some Canadian orchestral music that hasn't been heard in the United States like Ridout, Forsyth, Somers, Coulthard, Buhr, among others. I think a little variety in the programming in Philadelphia would make things more interesting.
So much open-mindedness among commentors who confess to have not heard much from the guy! How inspiring!! His name is an issue!!!
So, basically, you guys have absolutely nothing to say about what he has achieved in recent years!
Message from above: "well, I'm starting with a very negative mind. I don't like much about this guy 'cause I don't know much about him. He better knock my socks off, otherwise he's on my blacklist for good."
Sounds like the classical music mafia to me! :P
How can one compare a young conductor, at an early stage of his promising career, with a mature Ormandy? Find early recordings of Ormandy, I means when he was in his thirties, and then compare!
As for the name, take a crash course in French...... :D
There are a lot of conductors in their 30s, and some in their 20s, that I'd take over Nézet-Séguin, and I have heard him live.
That doesn't mean he's not good per se. But - and I'm aware of my hypocrisy, given my admiration for a certain deceased Austrian conductor - some restraint might be advisable, until he's really shown what he can or cannot do; beyond earning plaudits for being 'good for his age'.
(Admittedly, I am in general not a 'he's good for his age' kind of person in attitude, which may have me err on the side of skepticism.)
Quote from: Joe Barron on June 15, 2010, 09:57:28 AM
i was listening to a chat show this morning on Philly's NPR station, and the two music critics from the Philadelphia paper were quite enthusiastic about him. Good luck to them, but to tell the truth, I don't pay much attention to the Philadelphia Orchestra. I can't afford to subscribe anymore, what with the economy in the state it's in. And you all know my repertoire of choice --- it's music my hometown orchestra has consistently ignored. I go elsewhere to hear the music I want to hear.
I'm afraid this kid won't be around long. The days are long gone when someone like Eugene Ormandy would make his home here and devote his life to the orchestra. (Of course, travel was slow when he and Stoki were young. You couldn't jet off to Milan or Berlin at a moment's notice.) Besides, no one settles in Philadelphia if they don't have to. I'll be surprised if he lasts five years.
And the name is unfortunate. It's too close to Yanni, who is who I've been picturing every time our new music director is mentioned.
Sorry, Joe, but your comments about Philadelphia are your assessment but inaccurate. It's my home town as well, and I find it to be more than attractive. In addition, culturally it needn't take a back seat to any other city in the U.S. other than New York. We have a fine orchestra, Curtis Institute of Music, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society programs which are second to none and much more classical music institutions and venues that are outstanding.
As to our newlyappointed conductor, I prefer to look at his coming positively and believe his selection was very carefully analyzed by people who have that responsibility.
Sorry that you're so negative about my town. :'(
Just up on WETA:
From Gabrieli to Now! Interview With Yannick Nézet-Séguin (http://www.weta.org/fmblog/?p=2612)
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Before that: http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2010/10/philadelphia-in-good-hands-interview.html (http://ionarts.blogspot.com/2010/10/philadelphia-in-good-hands-interview.html)