David Robertson for New York!!!!!

[Ralph]

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/artandlif ... phony.html

Wednesday, May 17, 2006 · Last updated 1:47 p.m. PT

New director revives St. Louis Symphony

By CHERYL WITTENAUER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

ST. LOUIS -- After a painful period that included near bankruptcy and an ugly labor dispute, the Saint Louis Symphony is hitting all the right notes under its new music director, the sought-after David Robertson.

The nation's second-oldest orchestra had been demoralized by contract talks and artistically adrift by the coming and going of dozens of guest conductors after illness forced Hans Vonk's retirement in 2002, two years before he died.

Robertson's inaugural season, which wrapped up last weekend, featured eclectic, imaginative programs that juxtaposed classical and contemporary music by international and American composers.

It included a jazz fusion series with the Wayne Shorter Quartet and a fanciful New Year's Eve performance of Charlie Chaplin's score to "City Lights" for a screening of the silent film at Powell Symphony Hall, a restored 1925 vaudeville and movie house.

For the Saint Louis Symphony, the 47-year-old Robertson has been just the right tonic.

"He's the ideal figurehead of a major American orchestra," Concertmaster David Halen said. "He's musically gifted, has exquisite taste and is a professional of the highest order. But he's an American guy, a normal guy. He just happens to be a genius."

In March, Robertson paired Johannes Brahms' "A German Requiem" from 1868 and American composer John Adams' "On the Transmigration of Souls," a composition scored for chorus, orchestra and prerecorded urban street noises to recall the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The Brahms and Adams pieces, along with the U.S. premiere of Swiss composer Michael Jarrell's "Cassandre," a melodrama featuring German actress Barbara Sukowa, were performed first in St. Louis, and days later at New York's Carnegie Hall. Robertson is a Carnegie Perspectives artist and Saint Louis had four performances there.

All eyes are on Robertson, "a man for all seasons, a musician for all generations," according to New York Philharmonic president Zarin Mehta, who invited him to conduct special concerts over three seasons.

Robertson has been mentioned as a potential successor to Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor Daniel Barenboim, who's leaving the job this year. But Saint Louis isn't about to let him go.

With two seasons remaining on Robertson's contract, he and symphony president Randy Adams are negotiating an extension. Robertson said despite rumors, he's not "looking to run off" and would "love to stay longer," if some institutional matters can be dealt with.

"The substance of what we're doing here is better than many of the orchestras where things are supposedly at a higher level, usually because of the size of the budget," Robertson said. "It doesn't mean the music is any better."

Robertson said his openness to many musical styles began at home in Santa Monica, Calif., where he grew up with "lots of singing and music-making in the house." He said his mother, a homemaker-turned-pastry chef, used to sing everything from liturgical music to Broadway musicals to old-time ballads from the Carter Family.

He studied French horn, composition and conducting at London's Royal Academy of Music. He's held several posts abroad, including resident conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Besides leading Saint Louis, he is principal guest conductor of London's BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Why Robertson accepted the post here had as much to do with his heart as his head. He met his future wife, the pianist Orli Shaham, when he was guest conductor and she was guest performer here in 1999.

Three years later, he filled in at the last minute for Vonk to lead the symphony's performance at Carnegie Hall. With barely any time to rehearse an unfamiliar program, Robertson and the orchestra pulled it off beautifully. "It was striking," he said. "It was as if it had been three weeks."

In 2003, Randy Adams offered him the St. Louis post. Robertson's heart said yes. His agent had some reservations. Robertson said he was won over by the symphony's refusal to cut its education and outreach programs even in its direst time financially. "That, for me, was essential," he said.

"They love him, they absolutely love him," said Jim Connett, friend and program director for KFUO, St. Louis' classical music station. "He's right in their wheelhouse. He's the essence of a musician."

--

On the Net:

Saint Louis Symphony: http://www.slso.org/

[Lance]

This is a grand appointment for Robertson. He is sure to go way up the ladder as time goes on. Orchestras will be clamoring for him here and abroad. Watch and see!

[Barry]

Lance may be right, but I wouldn't want to see him here in Philly. I think the Philadelphia was the first of the major American orchestras that Robertson started making guest appearances with, perhaps a half dozen or so years ago. From what I've heard he didn't make a great impression on the musicians. Now I can say that the Philly musicians are very picky when it comes to the conductors they like to work with; too much so IMO. But I've also gotten to see Robertson a couple times and didn't walk away from either concert very impressed.

My impression is that he's a new music specialist to the point of not being interesting in the least when it comes to more well-known music. His approach in Shostakovich and Sibelius struck me as fairly dry. He suffers from the same tendancies that I think a lot of younger conductors do. They focus too hard on clarity and don't know how to draw an interesting sound from an orchestra. It's a very generic sounding approach, and it's why most of my recordings are by conductors who are long dead. I could see Robertson being good at something like Bartok or Stravinsky, but I'd never turn to him for one of the great 19th century composers or even Mahler; and lets face it; it's tough to get through a season without a lot of that stuff on the programs.

I wish him luck (and he'll probably have it); but may it be somewhere other than here.

Here is how someone put it on RCMR: "David Robertson approaches everything exactly as he approaches Steve Reich, striving for a kind of mechanical perfection. In one sense, he's a phenomenally gifted musician whom no musical complexity could ever defeat, but I can't imagine him ever developing any traditional sense of phrasing of the
sorts that are fundamental for all music before the neoclassical Stravinsky and especially minimalism including Carter."

[karlhenning]

Lance may be right, but I wouldn't want to see him here in Philly. I think the Philadelphia was the first of the major American orchestras that Robertson started making guest appearances with, perhaps a half dozen or so years ago. From what I've heard he didn't make a great impression on the musicians. Now I can say that the Philly musicians are very picky when it comes to the conductors they like to work with; too much so IMO. But I've also gotten to see Robertson a couple times and didn't walk away from either concert very impressed.

Maybe that was as much a function of uncooperative players, as any fault of the conductor's.

Or was it that neutral consideration which drove your "Please don't come pack to Philly, Mr Robertson!", Barry?

[Barry]

Or was it that neutral consideration which drove your "Please don't come pack to Philly, Mr Robertson!", Barry?

There is nothing neutral about my taste in performance styles, Karl .

I think I indicated that the Philly players are too difficult at times. But with Robertson, I had the impression that his style and the type of sound he gets from an orchestra just weren't my cup of tea, which was the point I made in that post.

I don't want a conductor here who is unlikely to conduct emotionally satisfying accounts of my favorite repertoire.

Oh, and I didn't say "don't come back to Philly." He's more than welcome to come back as for a week or two per season as a guest conductor in repertoire that he excels at. I just don't want him here as a music director. And I'm likely to get my wish. He's been here a lot less frequently the past few years than he was during the previous few; and that's likely because his chemistry with the musicians was only luke-warm. This Orchestra is famed for its lush sound and powerhouse performances in late romantic repertoire. Robertson just isn't that kind of conductor.

A funny story: Robertson happened to be in Philly to guest conduct about five or six years ago when word got out that the Orchestra management was calling a press conference to announce their new music director. Well because he was here at the time, some of the musicians jumped to the conclusion that he was going to get the post. Apparently at least some of them were borderline panicking over the thought of having to work with him that frequently. Of course, as it turned out, they weren't thrilled with Eschenbach's selection either. As I said, they're too picky in which conductors they like to work with. A bit of snobbery may also be partially responsible. Some of them seem to think that because they're the great Philadelphia Orchestra, someone as little known as Robertson was at the time wasn't up to their standards.

[Lance]

A point was made about the great conductors of the past. I am very much in the same vein. There have been very few recordings or orchestral literature with even the greatest orchestras of the world that have caught my fancy. I'll take the Furtwänglers, Toscaninis, Weingartners, Rosbauds, Kirill Sanderlings, Bruno Walters, Mengelbergs, Koussevitzkys, Monteuxs, Fricsays, Mitropouloses, Mravinskys, Szells, Fritz Lehmanns, Stokowskis, Fritz Buschs, Cantellis, Talliches, Barbirollis, Boults, Cluytenses, Schurichts, Horensteins, Clemens Krausses, and myriad others of the past, and yes, even the venerable Mr. Bernstein, who seems to have been born to be a conductor, but quite different from all these named. [One could obviously name so many more from that so-called "Golden Age" of conducting.] My interest in orchestral recordings and live performances began to wane when conductors such as Zubin Mehta (who really is a fine conductor) came to light, but in the end provided not the same kind of musical enjoyment, musicality and enjoyment.

I am always reminded of Serge Koussvitzky's 1951 RCA recording of Sibelius's Second Symphony with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This has always been my favourite Sibelius symphony, running neck-in-neck with the First Symphony. It was a monaural recording, but I have never heard a performance on records such as captured here, though Szell's (on Philips) came in a close second, but even then there is not quite the majesty as presented by Koussevitzky/BSO, particularly in the last two movements. And Stokowski, who could do wonders in sound (even in the earliest 78s) with mainstream repertoire! While he was more of a "commercial" conductor, his performances had something to say that made them most memorable. I am not struck in the same way with a mass of present-day conductors, though we have a few (such as Neeme Jarvi, Riccardo Chailly, and Charles Dutoit).

How did we get off the subject of Mr. David Robertson?

[Barry]

Lance,
I wouldn't completely write off the current generation of conductors. There are some good ones out there (Eschenbach led an Eroica here earlier this season that was so emotionally intense, in the old fashioned way, that it would have made Furtwangler proud.......and Temirkanov can really draw some wonderful sounds from an orchestra in Russian music). But I do think that in recent decades most conductors are more concerned with clarity and precission and less concerned with phrasing and orchestral textures and colors than many of the greats of yesteryear.

I also prefer to judge active conductors based on what I hear from them in concert (I realize that I'm fortunate to live in a city with an elite orchestra and also within a couple hours of NYC). Like you, I tend to turn to the deceased for recordings of my favorite warhorses. There are some exceptions though. Barenboim's relatively recent Schumann symphony cycle with the Berlin Staatskapelle comes to mind. He really brought out an old-fashioned, central European spread type of sound that you almost never hear now days (Sawallisch was another one who got it here in Philly, but he is apparently finished conducting due to poor health) with the emphasis on lean textures to increase clarity.

[Lance]

Lance,
I wouldn't completely write off the current generation of conductors. There are some good ones out there [snipped] (

I would never dream of writing off any of today's conductors and sorry if I came off that way. Who am I that I could ever do such a thing? Who are any of us to take such steps? Musically, I am just less personally touched by many of them, some of whom I have heard in live concerts as well. Interestingly, the preponderance of the "Golden Age" conductors mentioned in my original post, I have never heard in live concerts, but for me, their recordings continue to reveal, amaze, and teach. I quite agree with some of the fine conductors you've named, including Svetlanov. I am also now a great admirer of David Zinman's work, especially on his Arte Nova discs, which are probably among the best values in music today, priced less than even Naxos, but the musicianship is impeccable.

As for Barenboim, I admire his enormous gifts as a musician, but, for some reason I can't explain easily, I have never been a great fan of his either as a pianist or conductor, though I have many recordings of him as a pianist. I particularly admire him as a chamber musician, especially in collaboration with his late wife, Jacqeline du Pré.

But discussion of these topics is, after all, what these boards are all about. I truly enjoy talking these kinds of subjects.

[Werner]

There is much in these two last posts that I'm in sympathy with. But it seems to me that we do have some extraordinary talent among us. Not just talent but accomplishment. Perhaps the two on my mind at the moment are no longer young - no matter, they're with us. Colin Davis is one who ranks a place on the list of favorites for his many years of consistent excellence. And what about James Levine? Who would leave him off the list of greats of his - or any - time?

[Ralph]

There are fine recordings from the so-called "Golden Age" and some actually heard the legendary conductors in person. I believe Pizza was in New York to hear Mahler conduct.

But...there truly is no "Golden Age" if that term imports a dose of nostalgia and closes folks off to really hearing what's happening now. Robertson is a very fine conductor as is Sir Simon Rattle.

What has changed is that conductors are no longer the center of music-making as they once were. They are jetsetting stars to be sure, some of them, but soloists garner much of the publicity. And the SUITS really run the show.

There are more recorded performances than ever and technology insures that most works come across at least as very good if not inspiring. Listener expectations are higher and access to music is easier and cheaper than ever.

[Barry]

...What has changed is that conductors are no longer the center of music-making as they once were. They are jetsetting stars to be sure, some of them, but soloists garner much of the publicity. And the SUITS really run the show.

There are more recorded performances than ever and technology insures that most works come across at least as very good if not inspiring. Listener expectations are higher and access to music is easier and cheaper than ever.

I don't disagree with the above, but it doesn't negate my point that there is generally more emphasis on clarity and less individuality when it comes to phrasing and orchestral tone and texture. I admit that this is very much a matter of personal taste, but people with my sort of taste have fewer options to turn to in terms of conductors today than they did 50 or 60 years ago. I'm sure it's got something to do with the way conductors are taught and trained now days.

[pizza]

There are fine recordings from the so-called "Golden Age" and some actually heard the legendary conductors in person. I believe Pizza was in New York to hear Mahler conduct.

That was Erie, Pa., Ralph.