Lost in ambition


At the Metropolitan Opera in New York Renée Fleming leads a star-studded cast in Dvorak's Rusalka with Jirí Belohlávek conducting. While at the Barbican Centre in London the BBC Symphony Orchestra presents a festival of Iannis Xenakis' music conducted by Martyn Brabbins. The connection between the two events is that Jirí Belohlávek is the chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. However, he does not conduct his BBC orchestra very often these days, except on foreign tours. By complete coincidence maestro Belohlávek's agent, IMG Artists, also represent Renée Fleming, as well as Christine Goerke, who sings the important role of the Foreign Princess in Rusalka. By another sheer chance IMG Artists include the BBC Symphony Orchestra among their clients for foreign tour management. The BBC Symphony Orchestra also work with John Adams, who by coincidence is also an IMG Artists conductor. While, in an unrelated development, IMG Artists managed the BBC Legends record label, among their titles was a now-deleted 2002 release of John Adams conducting the BBC Symphony Orchestra - see scan below from BBC Legends CD inlay. But back to Jirí Belohlávek, who is living proof that chance really is a fine thing. On Saturday, instead of broadcasting a concert with the BBC Symphony Orchestra directed by its chief conductor, BBC Radio 3 is relaying Belohlávek conducting his fine singers in Rusalka from the Met. More adventures of Mr. Belohlávek here and here.


You really don't want to be reminded of when Pierre Boulez was chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, do you?
I borrowed the empty podium from Whitebox3. CD inlay is from BBC Legends BBCL 4179-2. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Comments

Pliable said…
Philip has sent in an email which reminds us that ...

The US Department of Justice took an interest in Columbia Artists Management back in the mid-50s, though only after Arthur Judson had enjoyed a couple of decades trying to engineer a monopoly, blackmailing organizations into engaging his clients and destroying the careers of those who wouldn't enter the stable.

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