For those Cleveland Orchestra lovers following this thread, below
is another intriguing press release from The Columbus Dispatch.
The paragraph in parenthesis is particularly intriguing --
CLEVELAND CHOICE; CALCULATED, BUT RISKY
By Barbara Zuck
For The Dispatch
Sunday, June 13, 1999
To outsiders, the announcement Monday that Franz Welser-Moest will
become the seventh music director of the Cleveland Orchestra may have
seemed like a hasty move aimed at putting Cleveland first in the
current Pick-A-Maestro Sweepstakes under way at some of the world's
greatest orchestras.
In fact, the selection of the 38-year-old Austrian conductor was
highly calculated, a management-inspired choice that was years in
the making. Welser-Moest's appointment even flies in the face of
that Cleveland tradition of "triumphant concert quickly followed by
contract," which is what occurred with George Szell and Christoph
von Dohnanyi, the orchestra's most respected and successful leaders.
In 1982, Dohnanyi had one remarkable week with the orchestra (some
still remember the electricity of his Dvorak Eighth) and was quickly
named music director-designate. He took over the podium in 1984.
Welser-Moest has appeared with the orchestra each of the past six
seasons. He may be an unfamiliar face to the U.S. musical community
at large, despite being a guest conductor with other American
orchestras, but he is not an unknown quantity in Cleveland. Moreover,
he will conduct the orchestra each season until he actually assumes
the post, in September 2002.
All of this adds up to the possibility that, in Cleveland, the
honeymoon between orchestra and maestro may be over before cohabitation
begins.
Three other internationally renowned orchestras are searching for
leadership in the new millennium. Kurt Masur, Wolfgang Sawallisch
and Claudio Abbado all are poised to step down from the New York
Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic,
respectively, around 2002.
What the Welser-Moest appointment may suggest as much as anything
is the panic some of the top symphonies, especially those in
less-than-glamorous locales, may feel in an era in which experienced,
inspiring, internationally acclaimed maestros of an appropriate age
(some time before dotage or death) are in short supply. Talented
and deserving conductors may exist in the shadows, which still includes
much of the United States, but few have passed muster where it really
counts, and none has risen to stardom. The giants -- the Bernsteins,
the Karajans -- are long gone.
Some close to the Cleveland Orchestra, for instance, feel that the
orchestra -- often declared the best in the United States, if not
the world -- is playing at such a level of technical accomplishment
and interpretive sophistication that no conductor presently available
could carry them higher.
Which prompts comment on another dimension: the difficulty of leading
an orchestra that is not always easy to lead. Besides being considered
one of America's finest, the Cleveland Orchestra has another, less
widely known, reputation: It is a confident (some say arrogant)
ensemble that has been known to unravel many a maestro. As one person
with some experience at the helm of that orchestra observed, "You
have to prove yourself on an ongoing basis. This is an orchestra
with a mind of its own. It talks back."
(In the early 1990s, Dohnanyi had an especially dark period with the
orchestra and actually took his analyst to rehearsals. The mind-medic
is said even to have accompanied him on tour.)
Will Welser-Moest have the stuff to succeed in Cleveland?
First, he has a tough act to follow, just as Lorin Maazel did in
1972, after the heady Szell years. Even though Dohnanyi's honeymoon
with the orchestra ended some time ago, the musicians still have
enough respect, either for him or for themselves, to rise to most
occasions.. Dohnanyi is credited with restoring the renowned ensemble
to pre-eminence. He certainly fine-tuned personnel: Virtually every
seat he filled added distinction to an already distinguished group.
And recent tours have earned kudos for him, as well as for his band.
Second, Welser-Moest is comparatively young. At 38, will he have
the experience to lend a personal stamp to interpretations, let alone
teach the Clevelanders something new? It is difficult enough to
command respect at an institution with such an illustrious history,
that is held in such universally high regard and with such a high
opinion of itself, without being a comparative youngster in your
profession.
Third, he already has had a less-than-stellar track record at the
one orchestra he has served as music director, the London Philharmonic.
Those familiar with the London situation, though, say that difficulties
there are customary.
Finally, his reception in Cleveland, apart from the expected public
expressions of enthusiasm, has been mixed. Assessments from those
who've heard him conduct range from "wonderful" to "boring."
Some wonder why Christoph Eschenbach, outgoing music director of the
Houston Symphony and at one point a candidate, wasn't tapped instead.
Eschenbach may be idiosyncratic at times but he is known for power
and excitement, descriptive terms not often associated with
Welser-Moest.
For better or worse, Cleveland has made its choice. In the end, what
will matter most?
The music-making, of course. All that has transpired so far really
won't count if Welser-Moest makes it, because everything can be
forgiven and forgotten in the face of great artistry.
Cleveland Orchestra lovers can only hope that that will continue in
the cultural capital up north.
Mark Seeley <[log in to unmask]>
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