Robin Newton wrote:

>...  Not only this but he has consistently fought for better conditions
>for the players by ensuring they do not have to travel at ridiculous
>hours, that they are listened to by the orchestra's management, that
>they can have time off when it is most needed.  Having done all this, he
>is now sacked for not having fulfilled the terms of his job description
>of Music Director.  Wigglesworth was not informed of this decision: it
>was announced to the orchestra by the Director of Music, Huw Tregelles
>Williams, that Wigglesworth has resigned and Wigglesworth found out
>initially only by chance through his own manager.  What Wigglesworth has
>not done properly is not clear - when questioned privately, Tregelles
>Williams simply stated the Wigglesworth was "difficult".

This is an outrage, and I don't care if I *don't* know all the details.
Wigglesworth is the conductor on two of my favorite CD's: the BBC Music
Magazine's Mahler 10, with the very same BBC National Orchestra of Wales;
and Das Lied von der Erde (Schoenberg/Riehn version; RCA 9026-68043).
Shattering performances, both of them.

You say you are in personal contact with Mr. Wigglesworth? Would you
please pass on to him my gratitude for these two CD's, the first one of
which ignited a fascination with Mahler that is growing stronger by the
day; the second of which helped me to begin to appreciate the bare bones
of Mahlerian structure.  I wish Mr. Wigglesworth all the best, and hope
to hear of him both in the concert hall and on CD.  Isn't he in the middle
of a Shostakovich cycle?

Mitch Friedfeld