Berlin Philharmonic deadlocked over Simon Rattle’s successor
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Version 0 of 1. Members of the Berlin Philharmonic abandoned a vote on a new chief conductor after more than 11 hours of discussion when they were unable to agree a successor to Sir Simon Rattle when he finishes his contract in three years’ time. Speaking as the meeting dissolved on Monday, orchestra board member Peter Riegelbauer said members would meet again within a year to vote on who would take one of the most prestigious roles in classical music, according to German media. “We must continue this process and this election. That will have to take place within one year. We are very confident that we will come to a decision then,” said Riegelbauer. In an election described as the papal conclave of the music world, the 123 members of the orchestra met in secrecy at 10am in a house close to the Jesus-Christus church in Dahlem, Berlin, leaving mobile phones outside. All eyes were on the German capital as tension grew throughout the day. But as the evening wore on and the announcement of the new chief conductor was postponed six times, it became clear that a decision would not be forthcoming. Members of the Philharmonic were first asked to vote on their favourite among about 30 world-class conductors, with discussions then taking place over subsequent shortlists. Elizabeth Hilsdorf, the Philharmonic’s head of PR, dismissed reports that six votes had taken place, adding that they would not discuss the number, although Riegelbauer said there had been “lively discussions and several rounds of voting”. Divisions among Philharmonic members were clear before the election. The controversial German conductor Christian Thielemann was reported to be a favourite with some, while others preferred Latvian Andris Nelsons. Thielemann, the Berlin-raised chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden, is known for favouring a more traditional German repertoire. The 56-year-old’s sympathies with the far-right Pegida – he wrote an article in the Sächsische Zeitung calling for Germans to listen to the concerns of the movement, which started in Dresden – have also polarised views. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Nelsons, music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is thought likely to take a more contemporary approach closer to that of Rattle. Others tipped as potential candidates to take over in 2018 were Mariss Jansons, Daniel Barenboim and Gustavo Dudamel, although Barenboim and Dudamel reportedly ruled themselves out. A clear majority of the Philharmonic’s members have to agree on the new chief conductor, who will follow in the footsteps of Herbert von Karajan and Claudio Abbado. Rattle announced in January 2013 that he will leave the orchestra when his contract expires in 2018. He will return to the UK in 2017 to become the chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and commute to Berlin until the end of his contract there. |