The Trombone Doesn't Like The Conductor. O RLY?

- Hold the front page, hot story coming in.

- What is it?

- There's a player in the orchestra who didn't like last week's conductor.

- Come again? Yeah, that's right. There's a trombone in the New York Phil beefing on his blog about the guy who did Mahler 2. Get some pictures in.

Norman Lebrecht beat us to it. I mean, seriously. It's the holidays and all, the NYT editors must be at the mall trying to return stuff or looking for that elusive new WALL*E toy, or something, but still, a player who doesn't like the conductor is like, a big deal?

Gilbert Kaplan -- whom we never met -- is neither the greatest conductor ever of Mahler's Second (that's Klemperer), nor the greatest conductor of Mahler's Second of this day and age (that's either Abbado or Haitink, with Chailly in third place). But "amateur with a baton"? Seriously? Given his monster knowledge of that work? How many "amateurs with a computer" are there at the New York Times, using the same standard?

Now, Opera Chic's regular readers know that one of her major beefs with the HIP movement is, among many others, that it has magically turned musicologists and various academics into conductors when they truly belonged more in the audience than on the podium. It's obvious that Kaplan is no conductor in the sense that he has no repertoire and has no specific training and his gesture is a mess. But except for point 1, 2 and 3 are common currency for so many HIP conductors (and if you want to discuss point 1, let OC mention Harnoncourt's appalling Aida).

Having said this -- if you don't like Kaplan, don't take his cash. And if you let him conduct your orchestra, make sure the players who get paid to play for (with, whatever) the guy are professional enough not to slam him on their blogs.

Unless you want an orchestra of bloggers unloading all their opinions and gossip online in real time -- which would make for great entertainment, but that's no way to run a major orchestra.

Comments

[Kevin Edmund Youkilis 4 MVP]

I'm glad that our newspaper of record has discovered this new phenomenon: musicians who complain of their bosses. There's a Pulitzer prize in there if they keep digging.

[Donna Anna]

Bella cica,

Kaplan has been doing this for over 25 years and has two recordings out, one with the London Phil and the other with no less than the Vienna Phil. Both have been acclaimed and sold quite well. He makes no bones about his being a one trick pony (well, two: he has conducted the Adagietto from Mahler's Fifth)and in the article, he acknowledged the musicians' resentment. My husband heard him conduct the Cincinnati Symphony in October and found the performance uneven but he said there were some revelatory moments (the 2nd is too much for me.)
As for Mahler interpreters, let me add Gielen as far as the 3rd goes. I had the amazing good fortune to sing in the women's chorus when led it here and it was life changing in the best way.

[Philip Amos]

I very much agree with you, OC, and I think Norman also was on the mark. I might add that not only have past concert performances by Kaplan been very well received, but so too were his two recordings of the work, one with the London Symphony, the other with the Vienna Phil. Very well received indeed. Both are fine, though I rather prefer the LSO version. Very worth checking out if anyone is curious. But this brings us to the point that cannot be made strongly enough: If this trombonist cares to peruse daily the arts pages and the finance pages of his local newspaper, it might eventually dawn on him that this is not the time to be cocking a snook at Mr. Kaplan. This is the time to take Mr. Kaplan's money, say "Think you, kind sir", mop the brow with relief, go out front and toot your heart out. I wouldn't want to give every billionaire the idea of giving money in exchange for fulfilling his dream of having a bash at the 1812 Overture, but Kaplan is a singular case, very good indeed at what he does, and the wrong target at the wrong time for the ire of any or all of the notoriously pugnacious NY Phil.

[Miss Johnson From London]

Maybe editors believe animus sells copies. The January edition of
Opera News has a one page long attack on Kathleen Battle, relevant to very little of current importance in the opera world, but a hatchet job nonetheless. Oh, and by the way, season's greetings!

[Donna Anna]

I would also add that Kaplan established a foundation dedicated to the study of Mahler and the organization has done an exemplary job of making a lot of material available to the public. When he was in Cincinnati last month, he made copies of the choral entrance from the original manuscript and presented them to each chorus member.

[Gerald Ginther]

As far as I know Kaplan did not pay to conduct the NY Phil. He was invited by Maazel.
I have no problem with a trombonist criticising Kaplan either. Perhaps more of this will raise standards.
I am appalled by the Rattle tenure of the Berlin Phil and I'm sure most of the players are too. If they could speak out then perhaps the standards of what used to be the best orchestra might be restored.