Quiggin Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 (edited) I was saddened to learn that Esa-Pekka Salonen is leaving San Francisco next year, in part because I haven't regularly attended performances of SFS in the past couple of years. I really liked his Debussy and Stravinsky performances which had such great clarity and detail. Salonen is leaving due to disagreements about allocation of resources. Also maybe (my speculation) because of the way the calendar is padded out with lots of film score programs: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator. Quote Salonen, who is from Finland, arrived in San Francisco on a mission to shake up the ensemble, saying at one point that there was “potential for something powerfully transformative to take place here.” He fed off the creative energy of Silicon Valley, bringing in experts in robotics and artificial intelligence to help reimagine the concert experience. And when he was hired, he recruited eight artists including Nico Muhly, Claire Chase and Esperanza Spalding to serve as collaborative partners. He also chose to do programs like the one coming up on June 13: Cello Concerto No. 1 Dmitri Shostakovich Fairytale Poem [First San Francisco Symphony Performances] Sofia Gubaidulina Francesca da Rimini Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/14/arts/music/esa-pekka-salonen-leaving-san-francisco-symphony.html Edited March 20 by Quiggin spelling Link to comment
abatt Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 The New York Phil is also doing a lot of film score programs. I think those programs make money by drawing in people who don't ordinarily attend the symphony, even if such programs are of little interest to their core audience of classical music devotees. Link to comment
Quiggin Posted March 16 Author Share Posted March 16 (edited) 6 hours ago, abatt said: The New York Phil is also doing a lot of film score programs ... Yes, but in San Francisco, the serious stuff seems a bit out of balance with film nights. (An odd sort of concert hall music experience since film music is designed to cue the viewer as what they should feel about what's on the screen. In themselves, they're a little like "music-minus-one" albums.) The Los Angeles Philharmonic, ironically, seems to feel less obligated to program film score evenings: https://www.laphil.com/events/performances?Venue=LA+Phil&Season=null https://www.sfsymphony.org/Calendar Edited March 16 by Quiggin Link to comment
Jayne Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 (edited) He is 65 now, and always wanted to first be a composer. I suspect this might be good timing to pull back on travel related conducting commitments. I hope he continues the Baltic Sea Festival for modern compositions. edit: grammar Edited March 16 by Jayne Link to comment
volcanohunter Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 18 hours ago, abatt said: The New York Phil is also doing a lot of film score programs. I think those programs make money by drawing in people who don't ordinarily attend the symphony, even if such programs are of little interest to their core audience of classical music devotees. I'm sorry to read that this practice has reached the New York Philharmonic. In the provinces orchestras have been playing film scores and backup for aged rockers for decades. I had naively thought that the NYPhil had evaded pops programming. Link to comment
Quiggin Posted March 20 Author Share Posted March 20 (edited) The musicians of the San Francisco Symphony have issued a statement asking the Board of Governors to retain Esa-Pekka Salonen as conductor and restore programs such as the popular SoundBox series. Quote “We are deeply saddened by the news that Esa-Pekka Salonen will not be returning as Music Director as a result of the Board of Governors’ lack of investment in the future of the Symphony. The decision to cut innovative programming and cancel touring, as well as the failure to competitively invest in the Symphony’s musicians, has led to the departure of a world-class Maestro and raises serious questions about the future of the Symphony.” https://operawire.com/san-francisco-symphony-musicians-release-statement-regarding-esa-pekka-salonens-departure/ Quote “The goal here is to try to increase public awareness of the problem, and to put some pressure on the administration,” Andy Lynch, a spokesperson for the Symphony musicians, told the Chronicle. “Their concern is that if these matters aren’t addressed, then the orchestra may be facing a doom spiral that would threaten its standing.” https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/sf-symphony-salonen-19265363.php Edited March 20 by Quiggin Link to comment
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