When he announced in 2004 that he was stepping down as music director from the Royal Concertgebouw, easily one of the best orchestras in the world, it would have been easy for anyone to brand Riccardo Chailly as clinically insane. His announcement stunned the music world. The young, passionate Chailly had succeeded in bringing a new energy and vitality to the Concertgebouw during his impressive 16-year tenure. What was this 51-year-old, barely middle-aged (by conducting standards) maestro on to? Where do you go when you're ...
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When he announced in 2004 that he was stepping down as music director from the Royal Concertgebouw, easily one of the best orchestras in the world, it would have been easy for anyone to brand Riccardo Chailly as clinically insane. His announcement stunned the music world. The young, passionate Chailly had succeeded in bringing a new energy and vitality to the Concertgebouw during his impressive 16-year tenure. What was this 51-year-old, barely middle-aged (by conducting standards) maestro on to? Where do you go when you're on top of the world?The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra? The answer seemed as confusing as the question. This was certainly a surprise. The orchestra, widely touted as the oldest around, had to confront an interesting dichotomy: a rich, cultural heritage with a set of performance traditions dating back to its most famous, historical conductor, composer Felix Mendelssohn, but all poised against past problems with their stature, performance consistency, and funding. Chailly reveled in the...
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