We're digging Norman Lebrecht's article "Youngsters Take Over Europe's Orchestras", where he uses the recent appointment of Gustavo Dudamel as Music Director at the Los Angeles Philharmonic in late 2009 as an encouraging paradigm for other US orchestras to hopefully adopt in their future "passing of baton", implementing the gigantic crop of young hopefuls coming out of Europe and Russia. We’ve already seen the huge success of putting bets on youngins’ such as Vladimir Jurowski, Daniel Harding, and Robin Ticciati…and now if only the US would take more notice.
While Europe invests greater trust and takes greater risks with conductor prodigies, US orchestras (for various reasons of their own) have long stuck with old, safe, reliable figureheads, and even create self-defeating, nominal safety positions. A perfect example that Lebrecht cites: the awful mess of the New York Philharmonic, who will need to fill Lorin Maazel’s shoes, but has, in the meantime, created a perplexing “Principal Conductor” post to compete with the Associate Conductor.
Regardless, we’re bolstered by one of the last quotes, “Do not be surprised if American concert halls look seriously younger before the end of the decade.” We’re looking forward to a new crop of pre-teen conductors…like pageant queens or doogie howser m.d., and then a reality show spin-off, of course.
But Opera Chic says, let's sort the men from the boys here (heh): just give this little guy a baton, have him stand on a taller-than-usual podium, and enjoy the show.