The concertmaster of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra is retiring after a remarkable 34-year tenure, and on his way out the door, he has a few choice words for those in charge of the ensemble he has called his own for so many years. “Paling’s criticisms, which sound like an indictment of the organisation, boil down to this: successive principal conductors were interested only in their own concerts, in what was going on in their own backyard… Matters of artistic policy and the direction of orchestral development were of no interest to them. Everything became, in that sense, short term. Therefore, any long-range strategy or structure was scarcely tenable. There was no artistic head of the RSNO.”
Tag: 04.11.07
Venezuela’s Remarkable “El Sistema”
Lost in the considerable buzz surrounding Gustavo Dudamel’s ascension to the music directorship of the LA Philharmonic is the story behind the maestro’s stunningly rapid ascent to the top of his profession. His appointment in California “marked another success for a pioneering programme in Venezuela that offers children from the slums a route out of poverty and crime through a classical music education.”
An Explosive Musician
A horn player in New Zealand’s Christchurch Symphony has been arrested and charged with possession of illegal military-grade explosives. “Police say the cache included five military flares, two anti-personnel mines, eight sticks of Powergel and two cans of black powder.”