YNS Set To Become Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra In 2012

 
Peter Dobrin has the scoop:

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, a 35-year-old Canadian whose starry orchestra and opera career is much in the ascent of late, is set to become Philadelphia’s eighth music director in 2012. At that time, chief conductor Charles Dutoit will take the title of conductor laureate. The music director appointment is expected to get the official stamp at Monday's board meeting of the orchestra.

After the jump, Opera Chic has an exclusive quote from Eugene Ormandy about YNS's appointment.

Comments

[Earle]

I'm with Ormandy. His management has been on overtime since last summer to generate buzz. I guess they worked their charms on Philly.

[y2k]

I wish YNS & Philadelphia Orchestra all the best. I'm hoping YNS will be able to draw more younger audience to performances which will help with the flagging ticket sales.

[Bill Philin-Ploplis]

He was a real sweetie at the Met. I wish him well. (I was shocked to see how height-challenged he is!)

[puck swami]

I am pretty sure Jurowski was the first choice, but with him committed until 2015, they pulled the trigger on hiring YNS.

I think he'll create some buzz and shake up a great-but-musty orchestra in some need of some shaking.

[operakid]

I get to hear him conduct Mahler 8 on wednesday!!!!!!

[Geo.]

Jurowski was Dobrin's 1st choice, for sure, given all the gushing reviews Dobrin has heaped on VJ's guest appearance in Philly over the years. However, it seems that YNS' appointment is under much happier circumstances than Eschenbach's, at least, which granted isn't saying much.

[Victor]

Stokowski, Ormandy, Muti, Nezet-Seguin.

As Opera Chic would say, LOL.

[Linda Ginsburg]

Geo -- Might Eschebach's departure be at least partly laid at the feet of Dobrin, who disliked him from day one and allied himself with other forces hostile to the maestro to run him out of town? Does a bear sh*t in the woods? (I have a bug up my rear about Dobrin and Eschenbach and the Philadelphia Inquirer lost me when they refused to acknowledge this conflict and take Dobrin off the Orchestra beat.)

However, this is an outstanding choice for the orchestra and frankly, I'm surprised that they went for it. Of all the so-called big name orchestras the Philadelphia was the one most in need of youth to drag them into the twenty-first century. (And can we finally stop lionizing Eugene Ormandy, a fine conductor but not likely to go down as one of the great.)

[furst]

Um, yes. We must say we've heard him several times in the last year and the buzz is not entirely unwarranted. His Carmen at the Met received some mixed reviews, and was viewed favorably but considered suboptimal by at least one very authoritative source we know. We ourselves found it certainly no less than energetic and even exciting.

Stoki and Ormandy are of course Philly legends but it must be acknowledged that neither was uniformly viewed as a master interpreter. Also, neither Muti nor Eschenbach's (whom we weill hear tomorrow)tenures were judged as ... err ... complete successes.

We wish YNS well and there is certainly hope he might grow into the role.

[jizungu]

"Stoki, Ormandy, Muti, Eschenbach": does no one remember Sawallisch? A fine advocate of the German repertoire, he led the Orchestra for ten years and did the organization a world of good. He was not as flashy as Muti or Eschenbach but to many ears he was a far more profound musician. I heard him conduct many memorable concerts, including a magnificent Missa Solemnis at the old Academy of Music which was the first time that piece made sense to me.

[puck swami]

Stokowski, Ormandy and Muti were all under 40 when they took the Philadelphia job, and all of them were able to put their unique stamp on the orchestra over time. I like this hire, and here's hoping for a fruitful partnership. The Philadelphia Orchestra has a wonderful past, and here's hoping YNS can build on the Philly Sound and take the band to new places.

[bobman]

I was not at all impressed with his MET Carmen....rushed, impersonal, digitized...but I guess that's the age we're in....

[furst]

The Carmen was not considered ideal by many people whose opinions deserve the greatest consideration. Still, while rushed may not be inaccurate the impersonal and certainly digitized is more debatable. Unquestionably more exciting than much other such standard repertoire material at the Met.

Stoki in particular was something of an almost pure "young charisma" pick, if we recall.

[Geo.]

For Linda G., the answer to your question is a definite yes, to how Dobrin single-handedly stirred in his coverage the pot to create a hostile climate to Eschenbach from day 1. However, from reading his criticisms over the years, as vicious as he could be, his criticisms of Eschenbach were cogently argued, and frankly much stronger than the weak tea of David Patrick Stearns' more positive (or less hostile) coverage of Eschenbach. Dobrin only started to let up, a bit, when the deed of dumping him was done to say "As a person, Eschenbach's a nice guy, but musically.....". Dobrin did give one very nice review for a chamber performance by Eschenbach with Philly musicians of the "Trout" Quintet, small beer, I know. His harsh coverage does reflect one truth, however, that Eschenbach should never have been hired as music director with Philadelphia in the first place. That was a massive screw-up and top-down imposition by the orchestra management at the time.

Going back to Dobrin, this past history, coupled with his over-the-top advocacy for Vladimir Jurowski, has given the net result that he has squandered his critical objectivity towards any guest conductor who isn't Jurowski. The question is how his coverage of YNS will play out. YNS certainly deserves critical scrutiny and is not beyond criticism. But if nothing else, Dobrin can't state that the Philadelphia Orchestra musicians had no input on the hiring of YNS. That weapon is totally disarmed on this one.