These days every guest conductor is auditioning for a job. (Sorry for the grainy picture – it was dark…)
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Our Gustavo is leaving in a year and who will replace him is all the buzz. This conductor might be under consideration – a woman with cred. Her name is Susanna Ulla Marjukka Mälkki, a Finnish conductor. She holds the post of Principal Guest Conductor at the LA Phil as well as Chief Conductor at the Helsinki Philharmonic. This is an excellent article from the NY Times about the orchestra’s history and future.
The concert I saw with Marsha kicked off with Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances. It was like being inside an impressionist painting, at the park, sitting on the grass, listening to the band stationed under the pavilion. Light and lovely.
The second piece, welllll, during intermission we were reading about it and I said, oh, so Yoko Ono-y it is. And it was! It seemed such an unfortunate use of all these wonderful musicians. Although also the musicians had to be really good to get through it. It’s called Double Concerto by Felipe Lara. You can see a 2021 performance with the Helsinki Philharmonic on Vimeo that looks just like the one we saw.
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We ate a pre-show meal at Vespaio across from The Broad reminding me that I haven’t been there in ages, or to MOCA for that matter. Gotta go!
