How to succeed as a music bully

Deborah Rutter left the Chicago Symphony Orchestra after a confrontation with music director Riccardo Muti. Neither backed down. One had to go. Rutter has now been sacked  by a bigger bully in the White House. It’s law of the jungle out there. The fittest survive for a while, until a bigger beast comes along.

At the Vienna State Opera, it was the opposite outcome. Intendant Bogdan Roscic faced down music director Philippe Jordan. Despite support from the musicians, Jordan had to go. There was a similar showdown not long ago at  the Seattle Symphony.

The late Lorin Maazel took no prisoners in negotiation, or rehearsal, though he could be very subtle when required.  Claudio Abbado invariably got others to do the firing. I have seen loyal administrators in tears on discovering Abbado’s knife in their back. Abbado got away with it. So did Karajan. Bernstein pretended he had nothing to do with it.

So it goes.

My impression of Jaap van Zweden (pic) is that he is no worse than many others, conductors and administrators alike. What the Dutchman lacks are transactional skills and self-control, resulting in public outbursts that are not readily erased. Jaap should be aware that the Seoul Philharmonic, his latest orchestra, has a track recording of changing chief conductors as easily as changing shirts. Let’s see how he responds when that happens.

Meanwhile, watch the Dutch doc on Jaap and make up your own minds.

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