The New York Philharmonic has extended the contract of music director Lorin Maazel through the 2008-09 season, but also hired three prominent conductors to lead the orchestra regularly over the next three seasons, presumably placing them at the front of the race to be the next music director. The guest conductors are Riccardo Muti, David Robertson, and Alan Gilbert. Maazel has been a frequent target of critics since his appointment, but the musicians of the orchestra have publicly supported him, going so far as to issue an open request to the Phil’s board for the extension.
Tag: 06.16.04
PR Masquerading As Artistic Initiative?
To Anthony Tommassini, the New York Phil’s two-pronged music director strategy “looks like a public relations move dressed up as an artistic policy… Is the Philharmonic feeling defensive as several major orchestras reap credit for having shaken up their institutions by appointing risk-taking artists as their music directors?”
iTunes Europe Launches, But Selection Is Spotty
The much-heralded launch of the European incarnation of Apple’s iTunes music download service was marred a bit yesterday when consumers signed up for the service, only to find that the company’s song selection is missing some key artists. The omissions, which include The Beatles, The White Stripes, and Franz Ferdinand, are due to Apple’s ongoing dispute with more than 800 independent record labels.