From the WSJ Opinion Archives

LEISURE & ARTS

No Maestros
The latest missteps at the New York Philharmonic.

BY BARBARA JEPSON
Tuesday, June 22, 2004 12:01 a.m. EDT

NEW YORK--The management team of the New York Philharmonic has blundered again, the latest in a series of missteps that included last June's ultimately abortive agreement to pursue a merger with Carnegie Hall before notifying officials at Lincoln Center.

Now they've botched what could have been a straightforward announcement of the three-year extension of music director Lorin Maazel's contract through June 2009, when he steps down at the age of 79. Instead, orchestra officials also designated three guest conductors for leading roles during his final three seasons: Italian superstar Riccardo Muti, who turned down the Philharmonic post last time after an embarrassingly protracted, public search headed by orchestra chairman Paul B. Guenther, and rising American conductors Alan Gilbert and David Robertson. Mr. Muti, still allegedly uninterested in the position, will contribute four weeks per season, lending a touch of glamour to the proceedings. Messrs. Gilbert and Robertson will each lead two weeks per season, not uncommon at prestigious orchestras like Boston, Chicago or New York. What is unusual is that Executive Director Zarin Mehta identified the two in the press as potential candidates for the job, along with other unnamed contenders.

Why single out these two musicians if others are in the running? The move suggests a naïve attempt to placate critics, especially at the "paper of record." Anthony Tommasini, chief classical music critic of the New York Times, opposed the hiring of Mr. Maazel and has tirelessly championed his replacement with a younger, more innovative conductor.

I, too, had hoped that the Philharmonic would break the chains of conservatism that constrained the selection of its previous three music directors. New York is a cutting-edge city where trends are generated. Why not reflect that in the music director of its premier orchestra, showing the same venturesome spirit as Los Angeles (Esa-Pekka Salonen), Montreal (Kent Nagano), Berlin (Simon Rattle) or Atlanta (Robert Spano)?

But right now, there's no one available that the Philharmonic musicians want more than Mr. Maazel. Smart orchestras cultivate relationships and unofficially audition conductors all the time; why turn the glare of the spotlight upon Mr. Robertson and Mr. Gilbert? In the short-term, the move may raise their visibility; in the long-term, it could backfire.

The 46-year-old Mr. Robertson becomes music director designate of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra this fall, where his contract runs through 2008, one year before Mr. Maazel's departure. How will his potential candidacy at the Philharmonic affect his ability to forge a strong musical partnership with the St. Louis players? The 37-year-old Mr. Gilbert, who blew me away with his brilliant, expressive performance of the monumental Fourth Symphony by Ives, is in his first season as music director of the Santa Fe Opera and his fourth season as chief conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. If another conductor is ultimately selected, how will it affect his career?

Mr. Mehta accurately characterized the coming search process as "a real horse race" in a Times article by Robin Pogrebin. What next? An "American Idol"-style phone-in, so musicians and subscribers can vote for their favorite visiting maestro? But wait! That view was promptly contradicted in the same story by Mr. Guenther, who insisted that "this is not a horse race."

Whatever you call it--aside from a public-relations nightmare--it was Mr. Guenther who presided over the plan to merge the Philharmonic with Carnegie Hall, precipitously announced before the full boards of each institution had time to thoroughly examine the wisdom of the proposed move. The merger was shelved four months later. A lot of folks thought Mr. Guenther's head would roll. But he continues, adding to a legacy of miscalculation that began when he supported former executive director Deborah Borda's putsch to oust Kurt Masur. The shabby treatment accorded that idealistic old-world maestro, informed abruptly in 1998 that his services would not be required after his contract expired in 2002, dismayed many players and subscribers, as did the ensuing publicity. Ms. Borda tendered her resignation a year and a half later, making a lateral move to the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Mr. Maazel has built upon his predecessor's achievements. The orchestra sounds great overall, and he has reportedly won the trust of the feisty Philharmonic players. Guest conductors on tap for the coming seasons include the Finnish Sakari Oramo, the American James Conlon, in all likelihood the Italian Antonio Pappano, and--at last--Mr. Nagano. Why has it taken 17 years, and his "anointing" by the Salzburg Festival, for this American's return engagement?

Maybe Mr. Maazel, a brilliant technician whose tightly controlled performances rarely prove emotionally involving, will enter that golden period when aging maestros do their best work. Maybe he won't. But there was a glimmer of hope in his interpretation of Mahler's sprawling Third Symphony last week. The first five movements had all Mr. Maazel's familiar strengths and weaknesses. Then came the pensive adagio that concludes the work. The phrasing breathed; the string sound was beautifully balanced and relaxed. Mr. Maazel, deliberately restrained at first, captured the inherent nobility and subtle longing in the music, building gradually to a powerfully expressive, transcendent climax. Perhaps for now the New York Philharmonic musicians know exactly what they're doing, even if the orchestra's management is confused.

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