This weekend Kurt Masur takes up his new post as principal conductor of the London Philharmonic. The relationship between the traditionalist maestro and the experimenting and pragmatic LPO could generate sparks. Good thing. Perhaps “the bizarre, almost century-long seclusion of orchestras from the real energies of cultural life is coming to an end. The orchestra is about to become interesting, a place of argument and contestation, just as it was in the Romantic era.” – The Times (UK)