Alan Gilbert's tenure with the New York Philharmonic will end in 2017

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Yet another major orchestra is losing their principal conductor. Alan Gilbert has been principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic since 2009, but he will be leaving in 2017, the New York Times reports. Critical opinion has been mixed on Gilbert, with detractors citing a lack of charisma, but Gilbert has been experimental with programming and seems to have a good relationship with the orchestra. Gilbert says he wants to give a new director an opportunity to build a relationship with the orchestra during the time their Avery Fischer Hall is renovated. 2021 is the soonest the renovation is expected to be completed, and Gilbert says he simply doesn't want to stick around that long. This announcement leaves yet another opening in the conducting world. Who is line to take the orchestra?

Rattle and the LSO?

Is Sir Simon Rattle about to head to London? British newspapers are obsessed with the idea, and it's no wonder. Rattle will only be 63 when he leaves the Berlin Philharmonic in 2018, so his career likely has many years still coming. And no British conductor has nearly the international reputation that Rattle has garnered. Why not welcome him home to Britain with an appointment to the LSO? His London residency with the Berlin Philharmonic is only heightening the talk and hype.

On the other hand, is Daniel Harding in line to take the LSO? He too is British and a rising young star who is surely due for a promotion. For now, we'll just have to sit back and watch this game of musical chairs unfold. The speculation is irresistible though, admittedly.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin extends contract with the Philadelphia Orchestra

The Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin has extended his contract with the Philadelphia Orchestra until 2022. This move most likely means he is ruling out the possibility of an appointment to the Berlin Philharmonic in 2018, where many considered him a candidate.

New Italian programming director for the Chicago Symphony

Italian Riccardo Muti is the music director of the Chicago Symphony and now another Italian is joining the orchestra as programming director. Cristina Rocca will fill a slot as Vice President of Artistic Planning, succeeding Martha Gilmer. Read more here.

Kyung-Wha Chung responds to her critics after scolding the parents of a coughing child during concert

In the news, the Korean violinist Kyung-Wha Chung has responded to her critics. On December 2nd, she gave her first concert in the UK in over a decade in the Royal Festival Hall. During the concert, she was disturbed by a coughing child in the side stalls. She apparently turned to the child's parents, telling them, "Maybe you should bring her back when she's older". Chung went on to intermittently look over in the direction of the child during the course of the concert.

The incident has sparked a lively online debate. While Chung's comment was unnecessarily abrasive, the fact remains that the coughing was disruptive, taking away Chung's ability to concentrate. Surely musicians deserve respect while performing. Chung has defended herself by pointing out that she enjoys exposing children to great music, but she thinks it should be "appropriate" events that allow the child greater flexibility. She makes good points. It still seems that many people, including the usually snobby Norman Lebrecht, think there's little room for an artist to demand respect. Let's hope the public chooses to continue to respect artists by giving them appreciative silence during performance. (Is New York listening?)

Riccardo Muti could be Italy's next president

The Italian conductor Riccardo Muti could succeed Matteo Renzi as president of Italy, reports say. He is a favorite of prime minister Matteo Renzi. Muti's son Domenica has told reporters that his father has been given a serious offer for the job. So far Muti hasn't disclosed whether or not he wants the job. “Come on, why don’t you want me to keep conducting? I like it so much”, he says. After all, he's already in a position of power with his baton. Why opt for politics? Read more here.

Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony are releasing their first CD together

I'm a great fan of the idea of in-house orchestra labels, so I'm delighted to pass on the news that Andris Nelsons will be releasing his first CD with the Boston Symphony. The CD is under the orchestra's own label and contains the Second Symphony of Sibelius along with Wagner's Tannhäuser Overture.

Nelsons is one of the most dazzling young stars on the scene today, just recently relinquishing his post with the CBSO. He now leads the Boston Symphony, and rumors of his potential as Berlin's next conductor have not been entirely squelched by his move to America. He deserves to be heard.

Pianist wants a negative review of one of his performances removed

The Croatian pianist Dejan Lazic is asking the Washington Post to remove a negative review of his 2010 concert at the Kennedy Center. Citing the  EU's "right to be forgotten" ruling, the pianist argues that he should be able to control his own public image. The article is currently at the top of his google search results.

No doubt the pianist feels a bit bummed. But the review was honest, not defamatory in any way. There's no reason for it to be removed. In fact, let's hope it's not, because that would be a slap in the face for free speech.

Berlin Philharmonic reported to be announcing their successor in May 2015

Sir Simon Rattle gave the Berlin Philharmonic plenty of time to appoint a successor when he announced in January 2013 that he will be leaving the orchestra in 2018. But according to Norman Lebrecht of Slipped Disc, the orchestra will be announcing his successor sometime in May 2015.

No other job in music is as coveted as the post at the Berlin Philharmonic, so no doubt rumors and speculation will be thrown around. In fact, there has already been considerable talk. Who knows what will happen? I think the orchestra would be wise to go with a conductor from the younger generation, such as Daniel Harding, Vladimir Jurowski, Andris Nelsons, Vasily Petrenko, or Gustavo Dudamel. My pick right now would be Jurowski, but it's useless to stake too much hope on any one candidate. Christian Thielemann has been a favorite name from the beginning.

Elgar and Vaughan Williams top a poll of favorite British composers

A poll was recently conducted by the BBC Music and Countryfile magazines. Readers were asked to choose their favorite British composer from a list of ten composers. Sir Edward Elgar won, but just by a hair. He received 22.5% of votes, with Ralph Vaughan Williams right behind with 22%. Third place was Benjamin Britten with 14.5%.

New BBC Radio 3 controller promises says he won't be "dumbing down" station

Right on the heels of debate about the accessibility of Classical music, the the new BBC Radio 3 chief has maintained the he will continue "wise up". Coming from the Arts Council, Alan Davey doesn't believe it's his job to change programming in response to falling listener figures. He disagrees with those who think making the music more accessible will fix the problem. "If you do complex culture properly, it makes sense to people", he says.

Like many others, I am concerned about the future of Classical music, though I must agree with Davey that the solution doesn't lie with tampering with the product. Classical music has survived the ages because of its originality and sacrificing that novelty to appeal to a wider fan base misses the whole point.

Galway is trying to save the Ulster Orchestra

Flautist Sir James Galway is among multiple musicians trying to save the Ulster Orchestra. The orchestra could be forced to close, as it was announced earlier this month that it will be losing 28% of its public funding. It has not been easy for musicians recently, and the dilemma of this orchestra mirrors the trouble multiple orchestras have faced. Let's hope the orchestra can be saved.

Applauding between movements and phones in concerts? Really?

The Swiss conductor Baldur Brönniman has just made a list of ten things he thinks should be different at classical concerts.  Apparently he wants to make classical music more accessible for a changing world.  I found the list disturbing on multiple points.  Do we really want to sacrifice the novelty of our music to appeal to a wider audience?  

Applauding between movements, as Brönniman suggests, would only take away from the magic of the music.  If in some cases it would be tolerable, there are other instances where it would be distracting and break the spirit.  The devoted admirers of the music in a concert are going to want to hear everything as clearly as possible with no interruptions.  

Joshua Bell back in the subway

Joshua Bell is very much the people's violinist, with more publicity than most of his colleagues.   Back in 2007, he made an unusual experiment, playing in the Washington Metro subway station.  Over a thousand people walked by, but only seven stopped to listen, and his total tip money wasn't more than the usual ticket cost to one of his concerts.

With a sense of good humor, he decided to repeat the subway gig at D.C.'s Union Station, only this time it was announced ahead of time.  Predictably, the turnout was more impressive.  Read his thoughts here. He's quite an interesting violinist, and he stays busy conducting the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields, where he succeeded the prolific Sir Neville Marriner.