Sacked conductor ‘used threatening language’

The Belgian newspaper De Standaard has some additional details of why the early-music group Anima Eterna this week fired its ‘aggressive’ founder Jos Van Immerseel.

The ensemble, it appears, was in transition from Van Immerseel’s leadership to a triumvirate of successors, Pablo Heras-Casado, Midori Seiler and Bart Van Reyn.

Van Immerseel ‘became increasingly critical of the guest conductors and the artistic vision that they developed together with the orchestra. And he expressed that in a less than constructive way.’

A player added that he ‘contacted people internally in an aggressive manner, made disparaging remarks about conductors, board members and people from the permanent staff, and used threatening language. It is a shame. He will be 80 next year. We wanted to congratulate him and wave him goodbye in style. But he himself has made that impossible.’

Van Immerseel denies it: ‘This dismissal has hit me like a bombshell. It is also theft of my livelihood, I no longer have an income. The board has sent a letter to all members of the orchestra. That is two hundred musicians from all over Europe. It is inhumane. That I would have ignored the values of the orchestra is nonsense. I founded Anima Eterna myself and invested my own money in it to keep it afloat. I formally protest against the content and form of this press release. This is abuse of power and intimidation, a murder of my life’s work. It could only have been written by people who were poorly informed or misled.’

His lawyer adds: ‘The allegations are slanderous and false. In view of these slanderous allegations, we will take necessary legal steps.’

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