undone deal?
Cher public, you may recall that it was La Cieca who was the first to break the story that Gérard Mortier was under consideration to be the next General Manager of the New York City Opera, not quite a week before confirmation appeared in the moribund print media. Since then the irreverent intendant has made a lot of headlines here and elsewhere.
Well, now you should be prepared for a shock, cher public, or at least for what may be the biggest story of the year. La Cieca hears a whisper that the Mortier/NYCO deal has gone sour, leaving the company rudderless beginning in 2009. Of course, your doyenne is probably wrong (she so often is!) but, on the chance that she’s not, well, remember you heard it here first!
UPDATE: A member of the cher public has forwarded La Cieca a thought-provoking clip from Daily Yomiuri Online. Sylvain Cambreling (Mortier’s “longtime collaborator,” per the New York TImes) has been named principal conductor of The Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, effective April 1, 2010. The tipster notes “…Tokyo Opera City would be thrilled to get their hands on a star like Mortier if he were so inclined. And I bet they’re fully funded there…”
The regal couple of Mortier and Cambreling could become rice queens…
In other news:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/17/arts/music/17lawson.html?ref=obituaries
Josephine = mlop?
Well, we don’t have confirmation yet that this is happening. Given the fact that the press office at the New York City Opera is so behind the ball (how long did it take them to announce there would be no 2008-09 season?), maybe they will tell us sometime late next year???
Mortier is very wrong for NYCO on so many levels. I wish NYCOQ was posting here because he and I both said “Where is the money for all this?”. I mean it looks good on paper and many of these things would do well at the Lincoln Center Festival for short runs but a whole season? Mortier wants to run NYCO as an international house in direct competition to the Met with European singers and directors and an emphasis on 20th century repertory. So many aspects of the company that were part of its historical artistic identity would be lost if Mortier runs NYCO. His ideas would work but for how long??? How much would we gain and how much would we lose?
I wonder how the NY Times would react if and when this story comes out, if true. Anthony Tommasini is already planted so deep in Mortier’s anus that he is almost his personal publicist at this point.
I think that the unraveling of the company can be laid at the door of the board and started years ago when Paul Kellogg announced his departure. They had years to get another administration in place and plan a contingency season when the State Theater would be under renovation. They failed to do so.
Susan Baker has to go.
“Soeur d’Hector, va mourir sous les débris de Troie!!!”
Well, much of the demise of City Opera as a place anyone takes seriously should be laid at the door of Paul Kellogg as well. His constant denegration of the house he was performing in, his character assasination of Sills in the compliant press, as well as his determination to turn an extant company into “Glimmerglass South”, using forgettable young singers in bad minimalist productions – all of that and more led to a company that almost no one cared about.
Not that Paul, in his usual drunken stupor, even remembers any of this….
I agree with Gualitier & Mr. Holland completely. I think that all of this needs to be laid at the feet of Dr. Baker. The Board needs a serious overhaul. I for one was looking forward to Mortier’s reign. Dr. Baker and the rest of the Board should be shot for allowing Kellogg to run NYCO into ground over the last 5 years.
La Cieca has always had the skinny on what’s happening there. But they probably won’t make a decision until it is entirely too late too even salvage the 2009-2010 season. If this is true and I hope it’s not – this really could be the end of NYCO. The economy is in the crapper and money is going to be tight. And you know the nouveau riche – they want to see their money work on their behalf – meaning big splashy productions at The Met.
Does anybody know how the 100 million from Koch is being allocated at NYCO?
Josephine:
I gotta say, quite honestly that I’d pick NYCO ,anyday over The MET–I’ve never walked away from a performance at The State Theater without finding SOME redeeming value–an unknown work,production values, involvement in what was happening on the stage…etc, MUCH more than the number of times I’ve just walked OUT from some disaster at The MET.
NYC NEEDS both houses…and it pains and frightens me that CityOpera is in so much turmoil..and possibly in danger for its continued existence.
Mortier might not have been the smartest choice–but there are/were many intriguing glimmers of a refreshed and renewed company , under his plans–and I can only wish NYCO all the best in weathering these rumors…and possibilties of being rudderless
MEOW Balabanov11 – add Rice Queen and you said it all. And before anyone gets offended at the RQ reference. My last b-friend was Asian.
With the way the market is these days, NYCO should have that money for the renovations in hand, and I don’t believe that is the case. I know from personal experience that they are living hand to mouth these days. It is kind of like when Beverly took the company over and had to go on jaunts to raise the payroll every week. However, NYCO no longer has a Beverly and Susan Baker does not seem to be the answer to their prayers. I think this is going to be a very interesting time to observe here in NY. For the life of me I canno come up with someone who could grab the helm and either save the sinking ship or guide it into port for repairs.