Germans pick conductor of the year

Orchestras

norman lebrecht

June 24, 2024

The Opus Klassik awards are out this morning.

Unsurprisingly, the conductor of the year is the one with the most big jobs: Oslo, Paris, Amsterdam, Chicago.

Instrumental winners are Isabelle Faust (violin), Gautier Capuçon (cello) and Lang Lang (media).

Comments

Philipp Lord Chandos says:

June 24, 2024 at 11:26 am

Ken Boy, Barby and Big Jim.

Frank says:
June 25, 2024 at 12:01 pm
Nobody could be further from ‘Barbie’ than Isabelle Faust – both in looks and in her life.
But perhaps you mean to say she is a woman and thus undeserving?
Reply

GUEST says:

June 24, 2024 at 11:42 am

Was Yo-Yo the runner up?

lucas says:
June 24, 2024 at 2:52 pm
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He usually is – over-rated IMHO
Reply

Pure Blood says:

June 24, 2024 at 1:34 pm

Oh dear.

Chicagorat says:

June 24, 2024 at 1:43 pm

In your face, Muti!

Plays the cello, has much better hair, make people stay awake.

And always keeps the banner high, if you know my meaning 😉

Vince says:
June 24, 2024 at 5:58 pm
Hey Rat!
So, are you ushering at Ravinia this summer? or just sticking around mama’s basem*nt? We can always count on the LOLs you provide with your spewing of rat droppings in every single post about the CSO oboe, clarinet, trombones, trumpets…and of course, Maestro Muti.
Lame.
Reply

NoFan says:

June 24, 2024 at 1:48 pm

This: Lang Lang honoured for the album “Saint-Saëns,” . How does this award work? i thought it should be more serious than the top 25 pianist in history by ClassicFM.

Tamino says:
June 25, 2024 at 5:37 am
It’s a price “negotiated” by the label bosses in back rooms. Literally! Not for actual recordings (except for a few minor categories). It’s all about marketing potential and potential sales, not about music and the recording arts.
Reply
IP says:
June 26, 2024 at 12:39 pm
But look at the way he holds that flower on the cover. Isn’t it unique?
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Reply

A.G. says:

June 24, 2024 at 3:31 pm

“Opus Klassik” is the replacement of “Echo Klassik”.

Run by basically (but not literally) the same team, it is basically (but not literally) a prize for best sales/marketing/publicity/…

So, the awards go to those who are most liked by the suites. Musical value seems never to have been a priority for Echo/Opus prizes, but at least does not disqualify entrants.

SC says:

June 24, 2024 at 3:51 pm

He undoubtedly *was* the “Conductor of the Year” in the same way that Time Magazine names a “Person of the Year.” Whether or not one likes his conducting, nobody else was talked about as much or experienced quite as ridiculously fast a career progression.

The challenge he’ll face is that he has 50 years of a conducting career ahead of him. Will he actually “create” things or will he merely “recreate?”

What impact will he leave on his orchestras and their communities? Will he just bounce around to another top orchestra 4-5 years from now after his main repertoire is extinguished?

His success so far has been predicated on being a “young phenom.”

We’ll, he’s only got the “youthful” factor until he’s no longer “young.” The industry forces which fast tracked his career will easily forget about him in favor of the next “young phenom.” Some of them are already trying with Tarmo…

After Tarmo will be somebody else.

He can earn the lasting career, but as time will go on he will truly have to earn it by creating and by having a lasting impact. Given that he’s been given the keys to some of the world’s top orchestras, the bar is high.

Guest says:
June 25, 2024 at 1:02 am
From the point of a music fan like you, it may seem obvious that Klaus would want to build a “legacy”. Not so. His primary interest is money. That is why he leveraged his ex-girlfriend’s past to get himself $3 million plus a year despite her objections. We will know the exact number when the 990 comes out. From his perspective he has already succeeded and no longer needs to worry about the quality of his performances or the fact that he will leave no lasting mark in either Oslo or Paris when he leaves.
Reply
- Herr Doktor says:
  June 25, 2024 at 9:48 am
  Makela did leave a lasting mark on Paris – but not perhaps as desired. I watched the complete performance of Bruckner 9 live with the OdeP online before it was pulled down and replaced with a 3-minute clip. “Das Wunder Makela”? Not based on what I heard. On the other hand, perhaps KM gets a pass because Bruckner’s 9th should not be conducted by anyone in their 20s, perhaps even their 30s. Those attempting otherwise are likely to achieve “results” similar to Makela’s.
  Reply
  - MacroV says:
    June 25, 2024 at 2:10 pm
    Furtwängler conducted it when he was 19.
    Reply
- Petros Linardos says:
  June 25, 2024 at 11:13 am
  How do you know so well what he thinks? Don’t we all sometimes misunderstand what even our family members are thinking?
  Reply
- IP says:
  June 26, 2024 at 12:41 pm
  Klaus? Did you go to the kindergarten together? You seem to know more about his motivation than he himself.
  Reply