Classical music needs saving from its saviours


There is a dearth of click-baitable music stories at the moment. So the Guardian has fallen back on the tired old 'here comes the next saviour' formula with a piece by click-baiter extraordinaire James Rhodes on the Greek-Russian conductor Teodor Currentzis*. Back in 2005 the Telegraph ran a similar piece on Currentzis which was modestly headlined 'I will save classical music'. Not to be outdone, seven years later Newsweek ran the puff piece above lauding how Gustavo Dudamel is "saving classical music". Each of us will have our own views on whether salvation has finally arrived. But if it has, it clearly does not extend to the avaricious and restrictive management agency system which is responsible for many of classical music's current problems. Dudamel has played the agency game to perfection, and Teodor Currentzis is managed by IMG Artists, which describes itself as "a global leader of performing arts, social media, and festival and events management". Now bring on the real saviours...

* Born in Greece in 1972, Teodor Currentzis started studying conducting in Athens at age 15 and was admitted to the St. Petersburg Conservatory when he was 22. He later became a naturalized Russian citizen. James Rhodes describes Currentzis as a "Greek conductor" and does not mention his Russian citizenship; which is surprising given the conductor's acclaimed work over many years in the Russian city of Perm. Any copyrighted material is included as "fair use" for critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s).

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Graeme said…
Is it true that the proposed new auditorium on the Museum of London site has been deprived of government funding?
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