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As a result of this foolishness of grossly overpaying this man, ticket prices are much too high, resulting in many empty seats at most performances. Whoever was so irresponsible by throwing out money like this should be fired immediately.
9
Mr. Gelb and his associates on the Met Board need to be reminded of Marcus Aurelius' observation in his "Meditation" "To expect bad men not to do wrong is madness." And, those that do so with full knowledge of the wrong done makes them equally "bad." Keeping the current board to "save the Met" is equally mad. Institutions that condone evil inevitably are destroyed by the evils they allow.
6
I don't think this is a matter of getting rid of maestro worship. We need more top tier maestri and when they come along it's a great thing. To state the obvious, what we need LESS of is protecting and excusing bad actors in any profession. I heard these rumors about Levine almost three decades ago, when I had no connection to the professional NYC music scene. This should have been investigated and dealt with at the time, no matter who he was.
15
mr woolfe's mea culpa at the end of his meander on the status of conductors rather frames the problem than the solution...it is his ilk who spread the word, kiss the ring or kick the can, if you will...shabby stuff...
in leadership there must be command, a sense of which is, for all its challenges to those commanded, is essential in those charged with getting things done...colonels, conductors, film directors etc., who may have close personal moments with a member of the orchestra, an actor or a soldier, but who are responsible for the conduct and the quality of the entire enterprise...in foxholes there are friends, in command there must be authoritative, trusted leadership on journeys, perilous, no matter where or what they are.
4
One has to look no further than Larry David's take on this in the famous "Maestro" episodes on Seinfeld. Jerry's thoughts on calling a person Maestro just because they are a conductor are dead on. Most put their pants on one leg at a time. (In fact Marin Alsop does as well. When I have seen her she was wearing them to conduct.)
2
To place a person on a pedestal so they can create an atmosphere, maintain a level of professionalism, and lead a group of talented people is a good idea. The old phrase, "somebody has to do it" gives it a necessary task. To place a person on a pedestal and deify them is a fools errand. Of course, respect is important, and gratitude for good work is part of the picture, but to treat them as if they are some sort of mystical medium is to forget they are part of the group. Of course we live in a society that loves to do this very thing. We deify pop stars. We deify actors. We publish magazines like "Us" and "People" that exist to deify people simply because they look good. Obviously, in doing all of this we ignore the flaws in many of these individuals, and companies of all sorts - including arts organizations - ignore, hide, or excuse abusive behavior, childish behavior, and boorish behavior under the shadows and illusions of "genius". I think we should change this silly practice to one where respect and civility are rewarded. Indeed, many good men and women lead orchestras, run companies, perform in plays, orchestras, and so on, but are ignored. Let's give them the spotlight. They earned it.
6
There's a lot to comment on here. First, I don't think we should be 'worshipping' any mortal. If there are God and Jesus, and IF they are what we mortals imagine them to be, then we can worship them. Otherwise, if he/she puts their pants on one leg at a time, then no worship. As for orchestral conductors, yes, orchestras do need them. They are often superstars - think of Bernstein, von Karajan, Abbado, Szell, etc. They made the score and the performance more than just music which is why they earned adulation...but NOT worship. I wish you (Mr. Woolfe) had been around to hear them in their heyday. If you had, you might not ask the question in your article OR you would have asked it differently. Consider: in pro sports, no one is asking if ending hero worship should cease and this after many revelations about drug abuse, steroid, and human growth hormone usage etc. Remember Lance Armstrong, the BALCO scandal, and others?
Mr. Nezet-Sequin at the MET and by extension, any 'new' conductor deserves attention as well as fair critical examination. I've heard Yannick both at the MET and in Philadelphia with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is good, very good. Whether he will rise to the Bernstein, von Karajan, Abbado stratosphere is not yet known because he hasn't been around long enough for a fair and accurate assessment. He may be on his way there. We'll just have to wait and see. But as for worshipping him or any other maestro, sorry, no. Not in this lifetime.
3
I am not a music critic, nor am I schooled in music history, I cannot even read music, but I do go to the Philharmonic and the Opera, because I enjoy them. It is not a matter of worshipping a conductor, nor condoning one who transgresses their responsibility to their singers or musicians, but recognizing that a conductor can make a huge difference.
As a child I was taken to the Leonard Bernstein Young People's concerts, I doubt that Toscanini could have had the same impact on my brother and me, as Bernstein did. He got us to enjoy and love the music. Two years ago, I went to see the Marriage of Figaro twice in the same season, both with more or less the same cast, one conducted by Levine, the other by someone else. There was something magical about the Levine evening that was not present the next time.
A conductor can make a huge difference with the musicians and the singers, coupled with their understanding of the music. They are central to the experience.
12
Just returned from a trip to Europe that included attending my older brother's final performance with the orchestra he played trombone with for 30+ years. We have had many conversations over the years, and in general, he was usually complimentary of conductors, but not always. And he always said that the Cleveland Orchestra was the best in America, despite the city's moniker of The-Mistake-on-the-Lake.
5
Before offering his opinions on this matter, Mr. Woolfe ought to demand from the Met the full report on Mr. Levine's transgressions. We do not know what he did, nor do we know what his superiors knew or what they did with that knowledge. The Met has to come clean and release the report. Terry Teachout in the Wall Street Journal made this same demand this morning. Wolfe should, too. I am a long-time donor to the Met, having attended more than 1000 performances over 55 years. But I won't give another penny until the Met releases the report and engages in a serious discussion about its implications for Gelb, the Board, Levine, and everyone else who works at the house.
2
I've been an active fan and supporter of classical music for over 40 years. There are conductors I particularly enjoy. There are soloists I particularly enjoy. I don't worship anyone, nor do I know anyone who does.
Mr. Wolfe, please grow up.
13
To even contemplate thinking that a conductor makes little to no difference in performance quality is at best naïve and ignorant at worst. The problem is not necessarily that of maestro worship (although that can be a problem) but of entrusting one and only one individual with the well being and sustainability of an orchestra and an institution. And yet it is more complicated than I make it sound. A very good and qualified conductor can make a difference in how an orchestra plays but that takes years and years of dedication. We know that orchestra standards can slip fairly easily. The question with Nézet-Séguin is: Is he prepared to dedicate time and effort to the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera or is he determined to spread himself thin, as indicated by his multiple commitments (Philadelphia, Rotterdam, etc)? Still, even if he dedicated himself 100% 24/7 to the Metropolitan, it is no guarantee of success. Has what he has done elsewhere to date risen to a level of qualified distinction and wholesale admiration? I don't think so. All that said, when I think of great musician-conductors I always think of the unglamorous and often unheralded Peter Schneider and the late Wolfgang Sawallisch. Doesn't get any better than that usually and there is no sycophancy surrounding them. Yet they were/are master musicians of the highest order.
7
For starters, let's stop calling them "Maestro." It's guaranteed to give anyone a big head.
3
"rethink Maestro worship?" We might as well re-think biology. Homosexuals lust after young men, heterosexuals lust after young women. And hetero or homo, boys will be boys Conductors are overwhelming male because women cannot lead - biological imperatives interfere.
4
Nonsensical comments.
8
Sorry but when it comes to the Times music critics and their ilk and esp. Woolfy their opinions count for naught.Their total worship of so-called directors of operas and their pschyo-babble productions are more of a concern.
These directors are now in charge and that is why I rarely go to the Met.
A dear departed friend who was a fine musician told me the wrong opera house in this city went bankrupt!! True.
The Met board and Gelb should all be fired BUT they still are powerful behind the scenes that is why the pervert/molester was shielded from his accusers.
9
"Maestro worship" is dwarfed by the far more pernicious worship the crowd wastes on those "entertainers" who pollute our airwaves with nothing but noise.
6
I wish Zach had appreciated Alan Gilbert when we still had him!!!
9
The conductor is very important to a large orchestra and if you ever watch a rehearsal you can see how the conductor shapes the music with a particular interpretation. Levine's legacy is not only due to his talent and notorious life but also due to his keeping out great talent at the Met. He refused to let Mehta in, kept Solti and Leinsdorf to a minimum and then took over Wagner himself. He only let Kleiber conduct Strauss and observed him in rehearsals for future performances. Levine made himself into a bigger deal by excluding others.
8
Imagine this column's being written in the day of Toscanini. It would have been laughable.
Like the modernist composers he chronically champions, however, Mr. Woolfe is less concerned about beauty than about creating an effect. This hyper-topical column is as misguided as his constant whinging about novelty for its own sake. In all the breathless prattling, what gets lost is that audiences crave beauty and the emotional catharsis beauty uniquely brings.
The critics are wrong: The latest Great New Thing is not the answer. What is wrong with opera and classical music in general is that so many composers - and even some directors and conductors - lack the discipline and the passion to do the hard work necessary to create things of beauty.
Writing for the academy, struggling for the novel effect, leaves opera houses, concert halls, and listeners' experiences empty. When we hear music that moves us, we respond. But creating such music requires intense passion and commitment.
Toscanini was as notorious for his love affairs as for his love of music. There is no question that he was a giant among musicians because of his passion and intense commitment. Demoting conductors as a class is no answer. People are drawn to power. The problem is as old as power itself: how to prevent its abuse,and inculcate self-discipline, whether in the concert hall, the White House, or the media.
11
Stop calling them maestro for a start. This is a laughable cringe title. Nowhere else in the world are they called anything but conductor.
4
I was a member of the first student fellow group at Tanglewood to perform publicly without a conductor Stravinsky's "L'Histoire du soldat" during the festival. In 1981 it was a bold idea, now commonplace. For me it was an empowering experience. There have been and continue to be many conductorless orchestras and ensembles [Wikipedia lists them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conductorless_orchestra] including New York's Orpheus Chamber Ensemble. Such an idea removes the personality cult from the conductor's podium. That said, there is also something positive to be said for the artistic experience and vision of a conductor. But let that conductor emerge from out of the orchestra, not down on top of it. Let the music be first, even above the imperfect human being that composed it.
5
I recently finished Joseph Horowitz's Understanding Toscanini (albeit nearly 20 years after I first acquired it), and when coupled with a couple of other books that I've read over the years (Joan Peyser's biography of Leonard Bernstein is another that comes to mind), it equally raises the question as to whether we should rethink how newspapers cover conductors - and how that coverage comes to shape how more casual audiences view these musicians.
The Times has apparently played a role over the years in either the deification or undoing of conductors.
The Horowitz book is especially illuminating in this regard - inasmuch as he quotes copiously from the reviews of the various Times critics of the day, which in hindsight appear agenda driven, hysterical, and anything but objective.
Every good musician tends to brings valid insights to a score. This is why some of us choose to own 10 or 20 difference recordings of a composition. There may be no right or wrong way to conduct a piece, only multiple perspectives on that piece. Accordingly, no conductor should be deemed indispensable - and thus worthy of being deliberately shielded from public scrutiny in areas where tender psyches and lives may be at risk.
6
I hadn't thought before of Alan Gilbert as being utterly without glamor, but Zach is right. I think that's another reason why I liked Alan Gilbert so much.
14
Conductors are the big draw, the hot ticket in instrumental classical music. They are there on the podium, visible to all. That's Showbiz!
5
As a former Cincinnatian - home of Mr. Levine AND Pete Rose - I find it interesting that Rose, many of whose records in baseball still stand, is barred from entry into the Hall of Fame because he bet on the game. He didn't fix games. He didn't abuse anyone. But Mr.Levine is excused by many because he was good at his job....
10
The demise of music education in many public schools is one of the root causes of young and "not so young" adults failing to develop a love and appreciation for various forms of classical music. It's now being treated as an elitist form of entertainment rather than entertainment for the masses. We need to return to making music accessible to everyone and turn those passive listeners into active and enthusiastic audience members.
32
Certainly we should not worship maestros. But as time passes, those who were the best in their classes, or their cities, even their countries, will all fade into history except for a few. I have already forgotten the details of many concerts and operas I attended over the years, but I vividly recall works of Mozart led by Levine, Mahler by Bernstein, Wagner by Solti, Verdi by Muti that stood apart -- I could go on, but the list isn't really that long. The greatest composers surpass even greatest maestros, but such talents are extremely rare in either category. Levine's last chapter is an embarrassment and a tragedy. But as someone else implied in this thread, the art outlasts the artist. If there are readers who want to throw out their Levine recordings as an act of protest, I get that. But it will not change the fact that his work over the decades, when he was physically strong, was generally sublime. To call him a time-beater is ridiculous. In fact, to imply that most conductors are mere time-beaters, is also ridiculous --and I do think that Mr. Woolfe was merely waxing poetic there to get us all going! The good maestros are generally the best musicians in the room. As for salaries, well, people who aren't really into the NFL (me) might say the same about coaches, but I do get it, that there are intangibles that cannot be duplicated, and that those very intangibles make all the difference.
17
"If anyone causes one of these little ones--those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matthew 19:6
James Levine and the Met are COMPLICIT. James Levine's legacy is now that of a serial sex abuser. Along with James Levine, the Met's Director, Peter Gelb & the entire Board of Directors, the Met is disgraced. Those responsible must resign. Time's UP!
11
"Should We Rethink Maestro Worship"?
Do we all have to think alike?
10
Excuse me, NYT, but you have already anointed YNS as the Met's new hero to worship. I've read your reviews and articles - he's just too good to be true! Puh-leese. I see him and listen to him and if I can stay awake, I yawn. Want to see a wonderful conductor? Attend a performance at the Lyric Opera of Chicago when Sir Andrew Davis is conducting. Then you'll see a conductor who might rightfully be worshipped but is so humble despite his immense talent, that "hero worship" is the farthest thing from everyone's mind when thinking about him.
13
Davis is wonderful. As to Levine he did a good job of keeping out great conductors and gave himself all the new productions he wanted. He kept Mehta completely out, didn't give Solti enough, ditto Leinsdorf. When Kleiber came for his Der Rosenkavalier, Levine stood behind him in rehearsals to learn how he conducted.
5
I share the view that "the Met shouldn't want a savior to follow Mr. Levine. It should want a musician." And no one suggests that Mr. Levine's notorious interest in young men was either appropriate or tolerable. Equally undeniable, however, is that fact that no one disputes his extraordinary musicianship. Wouldn't the most accurate picture reflect both his appalling shortcomings as well as his undeniable achievements?
14
The peril of maestro worship is just an amped-up version of any abuse of power -- whether by a big brother, the parish priest, or a political leader. The most shocking aspect of this case may be the extent of the cover-up -- which evidently spanned decades. The Met has a lot to answer for.
23
Speaking as a professional orchestra musician, I can say with authority that anyone who worships conductors is nuts.
44
Amen
I was married to one
Enough said
2
I sense that Yannick Nézet-Séguin is the musician that Zachary Woolfe
speaks of...congenial and collegial and appears to be a nice guy. All persons want acknowledgement, secure individuals don't need hero worship nor expect it. Levine still speaks ambiguously about the accusations against him as he does about his life in general..not surprisingly he is a victim of the era in which he spent most of his life. Yannick Nézet-Séguin comes from a different age---and is one confident gay man with a partner who is similarly minded. Woolfe admits he misjudged Alan Gilbert's relationship at the NYPhilharmonic---he shouldn't prejudge Nézet-Séguin.
6
What kind of idiot worships a maestro?
Is this an episode from "Seinfeld?"
4
Exactly, worshiping humans is stupid and asking for Trouble.
Consider the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra.
What is the amazing talent that these conductors have anyway? In all honestly, they're not the ones playing the instruments, just waving the baton around. Musicians do the dirty work and these men get all the glory. I get it, they organize things but they're actually not the ones making the music. If it's not Mozart then please stop deifying these men.
4
Deification is unwarranted, but conducting entails much more than "just waving the baton around." Levine has a lot to answer for, but please educate yourself about this art form before making comments like this.
20
Thank you for your condescension. However I need no further education since I am a classically trained musician myself, studied music at the Manhattan School of Music and have worked with conductors for several years. I was making a hyperbolic argument, but in any case I stand by my statement that the work that conductors do is not as necessary as it seems. Many orchestras and chamber music groups perform just fine without the leadership of a conductor. Please find it within yourself to respect others' opinions.
4
most conductors do a generally good,
if not extraordinary job.after all,how many bad versions of Beethoven's fifth
have we really heard? go on the internet and have a friend play four or
five versions in a row by different
conductors and close your eyes while
you are listening. be honest and think
about the REAL DIFFERENCE among
them.all probably are pretty good,no
matter who the conductor is.
in almost 50 years of listening to classical music, I have come to the
conclusion that most performances are pretty good and most maestros
more than competent. therefore I do
not engage in hero worship of any of
them, but simply enjoy their work.
2
Sure, Baroque music can sound wonderful with no one bouncing around on the podium. Beethoven can be played with no more than a brilliant orchestra leader. But try playing and, yes , interpreting The Ring, or Elektra or Wozzeck as a group effort. Or Mahler or even Brahms. Big mess. Someone out the front who exhorts and cajoles and sometimes storms, can be thrilling and transforming, especially in big (long) scores. So it's understandable these people get rock star adulation sometimes. Let's not throw the baby out with the cultural bathwater.
17
I agree with your basic premise, but hardly agree with your portrayal of Alan Gilbert as genial, bookish and curious, and utterly without glamour. I attended his guest appearance with the NY Phil at Davies Symphony Hall, home to MTT and the SFS, and was blown away by the spectacular performance, especially Gilbert's verve. He put the SFS to shame, by showing what the NY Phil to be a high-caliber ensemble. Maybe the SFS should look to him as MTT's replacement.
10
Zach was talking about Alan Gilbert's public persona, not so much his musicmaking. And there were some critics, at the Times and elsewhere, who liked Gilbert's musicmaking, and his programming choices, very much indeed.
I am a retired orchestral musician, and this article brings up mixed feelings for me. Some of the best conductors that I have known have also not been very nice people. Even so, I treasure the experiences I have had being totally immersed in the music with them. I am hopeful that momentum from the "me too" movement will help put limits on the behavior of these musical geniuses, but it would be a tragedy for them to fade away.
37
To me the most predatory act of James Levine was to hold the Met hostage to his health and availability at such cost for so long. That is one more sign that people in these positions have assumed too much power, endangering their colleagues and their institutions. Fans, funders and the media need to refocus and re-align if the art form is to thrive.
38
And yet, despite the fact that Nézet-Séguin has yet to showcase anything memorable or remarkable in his conducting abilities or musical acumen (granted, he is only getting started) and, yes, the unremarkable includes Der fliegende Holländer, Parsifal, and, these days, Elektra, this paper (and many an online zine and their social media minions) has prematurely begun an all out campaign blitzkrieg to put him on a pedestal where he does not belong or merit. In other words, same old same old favoritism and, in tandem, predictable absence of critical distance and perspective.
17
Exactly. He ain't George Szell.
6
Thank heaven for that. Musicians won't put up with being screamed at anymore.
If I remember correctly, Handel was the first "recognized" time-beater.--yep, just keeping time by banging a staff on the floor. And indelicate replacement of the beating foot. some piano players were good at stomping as well. The article might have mentioned some of the "ensembles" that didn't use a conductor, I Solisti di Zagreb if memory serves. Good musicians, good rehearsals can take care of most problems though a large orchestra---please, not ensemble-- may need a bit more up-front guidance. twirling a baton works nicely in a parade but being given idol status for doing it seems a bit far fetched. The concert master could certain do it, and music choice might actually be a little better than conductors who prefer WAGNER over the "pusillanimous" Vivaldi whose music doesn't always demand 100 musicians. flexible orchestras are perhaps to be considered over MAESTROS with fixed ideas.
You are thinking of Jean-Baptiste Lully, whose habit of keeping time with his staff proved his undoing. He struck his foot, and the injury became gangrenous.
5
Indeed.
Handel generally led from the keyboard.
In the current political climate, only women and gay men will be welcome in any position of power because everyone knows that women and gay men are noble beings who never abuse anyone ever.
/yes, that's sarcasm
16
Um, Trish, you do know that James Levine is gay and his alleged victims are young men, don't you?
/yes, that's rhetorical
5
Talk about your “first world problems”!! The concept that a talented conductor, musician, singer, painter, sculptor, etc., is somehow exempt from standards of acceptable behavior is a fantasy of the “culture elite”. It’s exactly the same as the idea that talented college athletes may be excused from passing their courses, or powerful businessmen or politicians are somehow allowed to assault women. OJ Simpson was a unique, incredibly talented football player, and was convicted of murder. Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy were and are gifted politicians, and philanderers. “Cultural” pursuits are no different.
6
O.J. Simpson was found not guilty in is murder trial.
6
"... Should We Rethink Maestro Worship?" Of course we should. No individual deserves "worship." To "worship" someone is a very unhealthy position to put one's self in. However, Americans are in love with "worshiping" people. It's a fault in American culture.
12
" The Met shouldn’t want a savior to follow Mr. Levine. It should want a musician." Indeed - and that's exactly who YNS is - a musician.
6
He has waked up the sleeping giant that is the Philadelphia Orchestra. I’ve lost count of the variety and number of performances he has inspired them to that bear easy comparison with the best of the past — most recently, Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony.
1
I like conductors who have 'conductor hair' and swing their arms about and emote during a performance.
4
Do you still like them when they molest your spouse or child?
3
I'm saddened by the departure of James Levine - a brilliant musician and conductor. At the opera I want beautiful music played by great musicians, sung by artists with beautiful voices, and conducted with sensitivity by a great conductor. I usually got that at the Met.
As a frequent visitor there I was familiar with Levine's sexual proclivities, and even observed him at dinner afterwards with young men - but never gave it a thought, thinking it was their business - consensual.
So the page is turned - I hope the new conductor will deliver more beautiful music. (A little word for no more bizarre productions meant to attract a younger audience - they're really stupid and distract from the music.)
18
"The Cleveland Orchestra, perhaps the finest in America..."
This statement is itself an attempt at an anointing by Zachary Woolfe.
Music critics write as though they were above the fray of conductor/orchestra worship. But the music critics of the NYT have been just as complicit in the idolatry of Levine, now Nézet-Séguin, or the Met, or now the Cleveland Orchestra.
The "finest orchestra", the "best American maestro", there are but personal opinions of the NYT's music writers who want to elevate their personal judgements to holy pronouncements.
The self-anointed high priests of American classical music criticism: Also Sprach Zachary Woolfe?
43
NOW the Cleveland Orchestra? At one time, they were simply the world's best, and they have certainly been this country's best ever since George Szell took over 70+ years ago. This is not new.
11
This “world’s best” stuff is nonsense. Chamber of Commerce boosterism.
1
I feel like this is a less an anointing of Wolfe than it is an anointing of the very fine musicians of that exceptional orchestra. That is as it should be. Last May I had the opportunity to experience a performance by the Nashville Symphony orchestra. It was outstanding. My first thought upon leaving the venue was not that the conductor was gifted, but that the musicians were incredible.
I’m eighty-three & listened to ‘classical music’ most of my life. Please don’t tell me that an orchestra of highly trained professional musicians need this rich kid on a podium to beat time for them. Before the mid-nineteenth century the first violin performed that service & then sat & played. Am I wrong?
3
Yes-- you are wrong!!!!!
I am a professional musician and I can tell you that you are 100% wrong.
A large orchestra needs a conductor. The conductor is the interpreter of the score. You need a great conductor AND a great orchestra to make great music. The conductor must have strong ideas but also meld with the energy of the highly trained musicians in front of him or her.
The level of orchestra interpretation is much higher now than the mid-19th century level.
At least you are asking this question.
23
With all due respect to your years of listening to classical music, you really don't begin to comprehend what a conductor really does. "Beating time" is a comparatively small part of it, although not nearly as insignificant as you seem to believe. Even among accomplished musicians, there will be slight variations from person to person in the perception of a musical pulse. In a smaller ensemble, it is relatively easy to modulate one's individual sense of a musical pulse to that of the other players around him or her. That becomes increasingly difficult the larger the ensemble becomes.
Also, most music is not played with a strict metronomic pulse from beginning to end. If it were, it would sound robotic or mechanical. Typically, there are subtle accelerations and decelerations. These, too, require someone to modulate.
A conductor tends to issues such as balance between instruments and instrument groups, which is something individual players will often have a difficult time hearing accurately.
In the case of opera, there are also singers on stage, who, for the most part, cannot see the players, nor can the players see the singers. But everyone can see the conductor.
Most importantly, you need to understand that any two musicians will have different interpretations of the same musical score. A conductor provides a unified, coherent interpretation for everyone -- orchestra and singers alike.
16
Dear EW, musicians are, or should be artists. Artists don’t follow anybody. They are originals. You may have put your finger on the cause of so many tired, uninspired performances: musicians following the outer voice, not the inner voice of the true artist. But thanks for defending the system.
Anyone who's fluent in reading all of those vertical instrumental parts in real time, and making something magical with it, it's tempting to see them as superhuman. Traditionally, conductors often have unconventional hairstyles which can also add to their mystique.
Regardless, management in the arts must be expected to have a minimum amount of proactive due diligence in the Me Too era.
5
How one conducts an orchestra and how one conducts one's life are two very separate issues. Should we stop listening to Mozart or Wagner because of behaviour that does not conform to some arbitrary standard?
When people without any outstanding qualities pontificate about truly outstanding people who have character flaws, its time to turn the page.
13
Arbitrary standard? People without any outstanding qualities?? You just made my case.
3
Sexual harassment is not "behavior that does not conform to some arbitrary standard" nor is it a mere "character flaw." It is morally wrong and usually criminal. History, both distant and recent, reveals a long list of extraordinarily talented people (let's be honest: men) who were guilty of vile sexually abusive behavior. To suggest that it should be overlooked, excused or tolerated in light of their talents is repugnant and is why we face the situation we now face.
6
In the judicial system, proven wrongdoing is addressed through a range of punishments: fines, community service, probation, short stints in jail, longer periods in prison, etc. But now, in response to accusations of misconduct, regardless of severity and without due process, the punishment appears to always be professional banishment. And so we may be deprived of Garrison Keillor, Woody Allen, Charlie Rose, Charles Dutoit, Louis CK, Al Franken, etc -- many of whom surely abused their power and acted deplorably to varying degrees, but none of whom deserve the same punishment as Harvey Weinstein.
As a progressive, I agree with the overall goals of the #MeToo movement, but this still bothers me.
26
Charles Dutoit is accused of raping a woman! (Among other things.) And he doesn't deserve "the same punishment as Harvey Weinstein"? By the way, Harvey Weinstein is not undergoing ANY punishment right now. He may face some charges, or he may not. None of these men are undergoing any "punishment," aside from job loss, which should have happened in all of their cases years ago.
Woody Allen is a completely separate case, as he was only accused by one person in one instance, and her accusations were not substantiated.
1
"Deprived?" Your adulation of celebrity is what fuels this problem. I could live just fine without Keillor, who was an overrated, folksy, "personality," Woody Allen, who is a one-trick pony who made a few good movies and a bunch of mediocre imitations of himself, Charlie Rose, who is a pretentious bore and boor, Charles Dutoit, who is no better than 100 conductors seeking regular work, Louis CK, who is a comic capitalizing mostly on his ability to offend, and Al Franken, who is no more "progressive" or courageous than thousands of activists who work to change the world without fanfare.
I don't feel the least be "deprived" to have them sidelined.
2
History teaches that we love art and beauty and we tend to worship those who create it as superior beings because of their giftedness. It would mar the joy to look into the character of the man behind the art and find ugliness, so as a culture, we look away. But there is always a high price to pay for drawing close to the flame with closed eyes, because the passions of the idol always consume the idolater. In almost every situation involving cultural icons, there have been men and women who "entrusted" themselves to their abuser in the hopes of leveraging a privileged relationship into a professional advantage. Sadly, in the case of children, their parents do the entrusting for them, and the results speak for themselves. The moral of the story: do not give yourself over to anyone who has the power to demand what you are not willing or able to give in exchange for their friendship or favor. If the organizations behind these icons don't provide built-in safeguards, do not assume it is because they are not needed, but realize that it is because they are part of the idol factory seeking to profit from the blindness of the adoring and ambitious public. These are preventable tragedies and predictable crimes, if we would only learn from history and teach it to our children.
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"...I cannot accept your canon that we are to judge Pope and King unlike other men, with a favourable presumption that they did no wrong. If there is any presumption it is the other way, against the holders of power, increasing as the power increases. Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority, still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority." John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 1887
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"Believe they’re being sweet; they aren’t not"—what kind of gibberish is that? Sweet and aren't not?
I also note that the problem in San Francisco (having talked with orchestra members in San Francisco) is that it is always ALL ABOUT Michael. Even in his "beloved" Mahler.
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Can't you recognize a proofing error?
4
I'm talking about "sweet". That's no "proofing error".
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I took that to mean "They believe they're being sweet, which is not untrue."
(The phrase "not untrue" in English not meaning exactly the same thing as "true.")
I agree that the phrasing that made it into print there is awkward; I presumed that it was the result of a last-second-before-deadline attempt to fit the essay into the column-and-line count allotted to the print paper. (And yes, that's just the kind of thing that can happen when rushed writers and editors are shaving words to get rid of the last overrun of a couple of lines.)
Every venerable conductor was once a new conductor. Stravinsky, Stokowski, Ormandy, Bernstein became legends and audiences flocked to their concerts. In any profession new blood is essential and maybe more essential in the world of classical music. Fresh perspectives, new repertoire are what keep orchestras alive.
Sorry to hear you feel the tried and true is what is going to keep music alive. There are prodigiously talented musicians ready to fill these positions if only the listening public cared more for the music than merely the well known.
Six years ago Maestro Seguin arrived in Philadelphia a relatively unknown to audiences here. He has turned the Philadelphia Orchestra into an ensemble that is, in my opinion, more exciting and more energetic than any other conductor has been able to to do during the last 45 years: Ormandy, Mutti, Sawallisch, and Eshenbach. He breathes new life into every musical moment. I shudder to consider where this orchestra would be today had they passed on Yannick because he wasn’t well known enough.
Talent is talent and orchestras need to be sure that talent is nourished and supported. There is a wealth of it out
there to be discovered.
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This seems to me a complex topic which is being treated, in large part, with a one-size-fits all condemnation. Child abusers are regarded the same as an adult's predatory behavior that would best described as exerting power or influence over a fellow adult. All usually mean banishment.
What makes it complex in my mind is that many of the people being outed are highly accomplished people who, outside of their reprehensible behavior, have contributed to society in one way or another.
I've known people who have sung under Levine who describe him as a total singer's conductor. He elevated the orchestra at the Met from an able pit band to one of the great orchestras of the world. Some of his recordings and performances will enter the pantheon.
Levine is probably at the end of his career anyway, but what if all this was found out five years after he took the artistic helm at the Met? Or after he had been there half of his forty-plus years? What would we lose?
Some of this wrongdoing is plainly illegal. Child molesters deserve long jail terms. When it's adults preying on other adults, should it be easier for victims to sue for a large sums of money as punishment? That & spending the rest of your life having been found out and watched vigilantly thereafter?
Among conductors, Stokowski and Toscanini were notorious womanizers and violators of their marriage vows. Among composers, Britten and Tchaikowsky might have been pedophiles. What if we banished them?
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You make a good point. And you might add women-abusers Picasso and Jackson Pollock to your list.
What if major museums express displeasure by divesting their work, just as you question the consequences of orchestras banning works of Britten and Tchaikowsky?
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Is it that hard to find a talented conductor who is not a pedophile?
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What if we banished them? The world would have gone on just fine, John. I'm a violinist and love for music has been a dominant part of my life. For the well being of women who are cheated on, women who are preyed upon, children who are violated and colleagues who are harassed, I'd gladly give up Stokowski, Toscanini, Britten and Tchaikovsky. And Levine, Dutoit and every other entitled pig who misused his power to gratify self-indulgence at the cost of heartbreaking damage to others.
this is really a silly article. so no one should ever be in charge of anything because they may abuse their power? that's essential argument #1. second argument, hey it's the musicians who make the sound, not the conductor, so their role is really quite minimal. interesting thought, so I suppose the new York times building should really be considered the work of the construction crew and not that Renzo Piano guy who just drew a bunch of pictures, a most excellent point. Let's test this 'maestro' theory, perhaps compare the versions of Tristan conducted by Furtwangler and Homer Simpson..
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You are kidding?
"Their (the conductor's) role is quite minimal"
You are ignorant of music, obviously.
Yes, you need a great orchestra filled with great musicians, but without a great conductor, who is basically the interpreter of the score, you have chaos.
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I agree, it is silly if this important topic is reduced to a survey, with no mention of "the immortal" baton-breaking Toscanini or "martinet" George Szell; versus, say, Claudio Abbado and Bruno Walter (or gentle Giulini). We have recordings to treasure from all of them, despite terrible emotional abuse by some. I regret to the max, any of that, whether sexual or not, but I will continue to treasure my recordings of Levine. The author needs to take a broader perspective, as should the sister here who is so full of venom (go watch 'Spotlight' about the Boston archdiocese, for a little more nuance).
3
Too often, but with great diligence, I avoided purchasing tickets to any/every opera that James Levine would be conducting at the Met. I refused to "applaud" him under any circumstances. It was my only way to protest a sexual abuser, and it would be intolerable to witness the adulation of James Levine by the Met and its patrons. If I knew all about the Criminal Maestro, the Met definitely knew as well. I marveled (with disgust) that their blind eye was turned so adeptly and with complete moral abandon away from the misery of James Levine's victims. The Met now counts at least 70 victims of James Levine's sexual abuse. We know there are likely legions more who choose not to relive the trauma. (Perhaps some are deceased.) As with the Catholic Church, Hollywood, Fox News, NBC, CBS, PBS, and Oval Office, those who knew/know the truth continue to plea ignorance. How is the public NOT surprised?
The Met fools no one. Great "ART" is composed of Truth & Beauty. James Levine's talent is now the stuff of "Great Imposter." There remains no "Truth" because he was a fraud all along. And, all that "Beauty" was decimated by James Levines inhumanity.
Worst of all, the Met was James Levine's collective & loyal partner in unimaginable crimes. Where are your resignations?
Have you NO decency?
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You are correct....so many people knew...I had heard stories from so many people over DECADES. The Met and many others who could have done something....willfully turned a blind eye. It's disgusting.
7
Brava!
2
Tell it sister!
1
We should rethink all worship of gifted people. It does them no favors, in the end, to let them believe they're something special, to whom the normal rules don't apply. The ancient Greeks called it hubris, and it leads to tragedies today too.
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Good-bye, Maestro, welcome back, Kapellmeister.
6
How about we don't deify anybody anywhere?
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Yes. In fact there are no deities and never have been.
2
Of course we want the conductor of an orchestra to be a musician. If they aren't first and foremost, they have no business being there. It seems natural and appropriate for audiences to consider the conductor the visual conduit for the orchestra's musical expression. If some of them are less than modest in their personalities, that pretty much goes for every field of endeavor, doesn't it? The same can be said for power abusers.
In addition to their musical qualifications, they must also be skilled at balancing business and artistic demands of leading a large group of players (who may not all have the "team spirit" at all times themselves), soloists (any egomaniacs among them?), boards (hmm), and the public. Maybe "father" is actually a more hopeful, rather than paternalistic, metaphor for the conductor's role than it appears. (OK to use "mother" too.)
1
There are several things I'd like to see happen in the world of classical music, but one of them, relevant to this article, is an end to multiple directorships for conductors.
While it might be "justified" in the case of orchestras which don't operate throughout the year, or organizations whose schedules don't overlap (an orchestra directorship during September-May, a festival directorship in the summer), there's simply no good reason why the same individual should be music director of three or four different performing arts organizations.
A person who picks some repertoire, auditions an occasional player, but is otherwise on the podium in front of "his" full-time orchestra for 13 weeks out of every 52, is, in my opinion a music director in name only.
Ubiquity also makes it increasingly difficult to tell whether such jet-setting music directors are truly gifted, or just have an aggressive publicity machine and a well-connected agent, and have thereby achieved the snowball effect of being in demand in many places because they're so "famous for being famous."
In any case, I have no doubt that there are a lot of talented conductors, male and female, who can't land a decent full-time position because of (and I mean the following expression functionally, not judgmentally) a small group of pigs at the (finite) trough.
46
This is an excellent practical solution. But who controls it? The boards of different orchestras want to share in the glare of the single famous conductor with he fantastic publicity machine. This reflects our whole society. Truth is gone. Branding is king.
4
I agree totally with this comment. Music Directors of orchestras with lengthy seasons should not have busy parallel careers at more than one institution. I think it is bad for the orchestra, bad for building a relationship with the audience, and bad for the community. They should be able to take one or two week breaks a few times during the season to guest conduct elsewhere or just have a little down time. And there should be more opportunity for new conductors to show their stuff.
7
The comment under the caption of Alan Gilbert which says, "utterly without glamour" is false. It is a subjective judgement of the writer, not necessarily the truth. In my mind glamour incudes candor, directness, freshness, reaching out, risk taking, engaging, and much more - all of which Gilbert possessed and shared with us while he was our conductor and music director. The Met could use some of that brand of glamour without the lack of moral direction in its own now fallen maestro.
11
Candor, directness, risk-taking, and engaging are generally laudable characteristics, but most people (myself included) don't associate those qualities with the quality of **glamour** as such.
I hadn't thought about it before, but I think Zach is right that Alan Gilbert was not at all glamorous - and that's yet another reason (in addition to the ones you listed) that I liked him so much.
And except for your definition of glamour, Zach seems to agree with you as well. That's the entire point of the end of his column.
As a clergy person I have had some wonderful experiences with choir directors and some terrible experiences. I am currently having a terrible one because of some issues addressed here - not the misconduct, the worship of the director, ironically. It's an unpleasant phenomenon that is not uncommon in churches. I am told (haven't looked it up) that Dr. King is quoted: the devil enters the church through the choir loft. That sounds about right to me.
14
I looked it up. Attributed to Martin Luther
When Satan Fell Out of Heaven, He Fell Into the Choirloft
2
Aha! That explains so much about Sunday morning service.
We need to step away from creating relationships with people/institutions that make them too big to fail, because that’s when we overlook/hide their failures.
15
I had the please of seeing James Levine conduct regularly when he was music director of Ravinia, outside of Chicago. He returned to give a concert to celebrate the anniversary of his debut, and I am proud to say that I was in the audience. The numerous recordings I have by Maestro Levine will stay with me. While I am aware that Mr. Levine has been accused of sexual misconduct, none of the details have been revealed, and perhaps it does not matter to me. The fact is that Mr. Levine is a great artist and it is not altered in my view that he has been accused. I was looking forward to seeing Charles Dutroit conduct in Chicago this year but the charges of him impropriety have caused him to be replaced. I am left wondering if these charges were fair or have other motivations. People are human, and they very often do things that they regret. Should I stop listening to Wagner because he was anti-semitic? The answer for me is to accept but not condone what some people do but appreciate their art for what it is.
13
Perceptive comment. James Levine was more than an excellent conductor of opera. He was a gifted tutor of young singers, and a world-class pianist. A child prodigy, he and Leonard Bernstein are the two greatest all-around musicians in American history.
4
It has been a standing rumor amongst those at the Met (musicians and others) that James Levine has had pedophilic tendencies and has sexually assaulted minors. Given the seriousness of these charges, if true, it makes sense that the details have not been fully revealed until further investigation is completed. Weinstein was a gifted impressario but knowing the details of the terror and damage he inflicted on the countless women he was in contact with definitely colors my appreciation of his movies. I don't know what will come out regarding James Levine, but if the rumors are true it would make me ill thinking of the cost that children paid for his brilliance.
11
People are complicated. They can be brilliant at something and also predators. I suppose your ability to dismiss these allegations may suggest you've never experienced ongoing harassment or assault. I could be wrong. Some of us do feel that the personal, political and professional are deeply connected and don't really feel brilliance or talent outweighs or mitigates demeaning behavior.
7
The late (1933-2014) Claudio Abbado was and is the only prominent orchestral conductor in modern times who neither aspired to be nor was regarded as a " father figure" but as an admired and loved collaborator, teacher, and companion to musicians he directed, or in the orchestras he created or rebuilt. He was simply "Claudio," especially to young musicians. Proof of this is in many places and in published comment about him and by music critics musicians who knew and worked with him, and other colleagues, and in his videos and other recordings.
30
Claudio was also a communist along with his close friend, the incomparable Venetian composer Luigi Nono.
It's interesting how the clueless right-wingers are constantly railing against loss of their precious individualism in some imagined collectivist nightmare, even though not one of them has distinguished him or herself in science or the arts.
4
The Cleveland Orchestra's musicians, some of whom I know personally, take great pride in their work, and are top-notch performers at the height of their craft. Franz Welser-Möst gets a lot from them because he treats them as the highly skilled professionals that they are. Another significant difference, it sounds like, is that Welser-Möst not infrequently turns the podium over to other conductors, giving less-famous baton-wielders a chance to shine.
And that's a big part of why the Cleveland Orchestra is one of the major prides of the city.
46
so what you are saying is that good professional musicians can make ANY conductor seem brilliant. Yeah, I'll buy that.
1
I jhave slept through several performances of Parsifal. A couple of weeks ago I thought I would give it one more try. YNS was conducting. It was electrifying. I was in the audience when Bernstein took over the podium for one concert during an otherwise dreary season under a much admired modernist. I have poor eyesight, so it had to be explained to me, when I asked what happened, that Bernstein was responsible for all the excitement coming from the stage. Yes, a conductor makes all the difference.
4
Maestro worship is an extension of the high self-regard held by some who patronize the arts. "I appreciate the legitimate fine arts." But as in religion and sports, we learn that the higher the fall, the bigger the splat. I believe a cultural humility, such as that shown by the Norwegians in the context of their Olympic medal haul, could be the remedy. They're all just folks with really good skills, even the priests.
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