A Modest, Soft-Spoken Podium Presence

The evidence that is available suggests that Alan Gilbert will be a departure from the standard-issue personality of past New York Philharmonic music directors. “He is certainly not a galvanic personality-driven ego, unlike previous hotshot young maestros hired by the Philharmonic as music director in past decades, such as John Barbirolli or Leonard Bernstein… Yet how good is Mr. Gilbert’s musicmaking? The evidence available on CD is sparse, [but] his experience with orchestras has been abundant.”