After you've climbed the summit and received immense critical accolades, what's next? It's Sir Simon Rattle's dilemma, one that certainly haunts him even as the British press is infatuated with him during his London residency. His career has been on a strong upward note, as he has gone from the charming Liverpool kid to the most powerful position in the musical world as director of the Berlin Philharmonic. It hasn't all been smooth sailing. Rattle's decision to leave Berlin in 2018 could be taken as a sign of defeat. During his tenure, critics have complained about deficits in his conducting, pointing to fussiness and over-refinement as his besetting faults. Maybe Rattle is exhausted, tired of the mindless adulation of the British press while being equally irked by the overly analytical critiques that detractors have waiting for him behind every corner.
Claudio Abbado seemed to escape much of the lambasting that super-star conductors usually endure. When he left the Berlin Philharmonic for health reasons in 2002, he was a musical hero. When we lost him last year, the sense of loss was tangible, as critics rushed to acknowledge his induction into the pantheon of greats. Maybe Abbado's modesty and frail health saved him from critical attack? But Herbert von Karajan was subjected to the most piercing scrutiny, and when he left the Berliners in 1989, there were suppressed cheers in various musical circles. Musical power brings with it expectation.
Rattle has tried hard. He hasn't always succeeded. There are a handful of lackluster discs on EMI that don't come close to his predecessors. Even when he's at his best, cynical minds still wonder if he's falling short of the level of mastery achieved by Furtwangler, Karajan, and Abbado. And what if he is still a few steps behind? It's an impossible expectation to fulfill. My fellow music lovers know that replicating Karajan is simply not humanly possible. But in terms of reality, is there anyone who could have done a better job moving on? Even during the glamorous search for his successor, it comes as a wakeup call to realize how few conductors stand a chance of maintaining the high quality Rattle developed in Berlin.
Even at sixty, Rattle is still enthusiastic and optimistic, and he still knows what it means to passionately champion his favorite music. It has been touching to watch him program the Sibelius symphonies with the Berliners. Rattle has believed resolutely in Sibelius for years, but he has had the uphill job of convincing the Berliners that the music is actually great. We can only be thankful that those of us who couldn't make the concerts will get to hear the cycle on disc, thanks to the orchestra's new record label.
Speculation continues to swirl about the possibility (or probability?) of a London appointment. London wants Rattle badly, but Rattle is dismayed by the poor quality of London concert halls, calling the Barbican "serviceable". He's not about to accept the position unless it's on his own terms. And frankly, why not? After a glittering career, he's under no obligation to tolerate substandard conditions. Can London build a new concert hall? We'll have to see.
In a nutshell, Rattle has been good for Berlin, the bumps and jostling aside. It's been infuriating to watch a group of critics treat Rattle as if though he's the Andre Rieu of the conducting world, especially when no other musician alive is as candid about his own vulnerabilities. We wish him the best.
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