Tony Duggan passes on a London Times article which ends:

>Yet for years most conductors have refused to look out beyond the
>gravy-trains of their own careers to the wider world that supports
>- or increasingly, doesn't support - orchestral life.  Now they
>must change or perish.  We need giants again, not time-servers and
>time-keepers.  Berlin could send out a signal next week that would
>electrify the musical world.  Let's hope that boldness prevails over
>caution.

1. The giants of the past were not jet setters with major posts in cities
separated by thousands of miles. That seems to be part of the problem.
Rattle did not follow the jet setters path . He made guest appearances
- some great ones in Boston!_ but Birmingham was always his main focus.
Perhaps that will be the model for the future.

2. Charismatic is nice, but good music making can go on without it, as is
clear from some of the non-charismatics mentioned in the article - Haitink,
Chailly, etc. Then suddenly Georg Tintner appears on the scene late in
his career - having labored in relative obscurity, at least in terms of
international reputation. In an earlier era Horenstein, Scherchen, Karl
Ristenpart, made major contributions through recorded music. Life is
refreshingly complicated and full of surprises, and music goes on without
charisma.

B Chasan