Is Gatti right for the Concertgebouw?

It's over a month now since the Royal Concertgebouw announced that Daniele Gatti will be succeeding Mariss Jansons as chief conductor in 2016. I'm a fan of the orchestra and I've followed their output with Jansons closely in the past few years, but I was relatively unfamiliar with Gatti when the announcement was made. His discography isn't that big.

I was bit disappointed by the announcement, I must admit. Many listeners will insist that the orchestra itself knows who will suit them best. Perhaps they are right. Any conductor of a great orchestra should be able to generate gorgeous, lovely sounds. Gatti has this capability. But I'm still wondering if he has sufficient energy for the job. Too many great orchestras can become stuck with conductors who know how to produce virtuosic sounds without much interpretation.

I'm a fan of the orchestra, so I'll continue to follow them closely after Gatti takes over. I feel a bit pessimistic about the idea, but perhaps Gatti will surprise use. The unpredictability of the performing world is what makes it so fascinating, actually.