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Robert Spano, Conductor of the Year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Robert Spano, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s music director since 2001, has been named conductor of the year by Musical America, a performing arts directory and subscription-based news/reviews Website.
The award will be presented Dec. 13 at New York’s Lincoln Center. The announcement reads:
CONDUCTOR OF THE YEAR: Known for his richly inventive programming, Robert Spano possesses all the right qualities to bring an American orchestra success: solid musicianship, intellectual curiosity, and a palpable enthusiasm that is contagious on both sides of the footlights. Under his leadership, the Atlanta Symphony has flourished, commissioning countless new works and exploring unusual concert formats.
Musical America’s gold medal award, Musician of the Year, will go to Anna Netrebko, a charismatic Russian soprano who is the current darling of the opera world.
The other awards will go to composer of the year Kaija Saariaho, from Finland; instrumentalist of the year Charles Rosen, an 80-year-old American pianist-scholar; and ensemble of the year Chanticleer, a San Francisco-based a capella choir.
In the past, many of the heavy-weight conductors with a significant U.S. career have won Musician of the Year awards, including Michael Tilson Thomas (1971), Eugene Ormandy (1975), James Levine (1984), Georg Solti (1988), Robert Shaw (1992, former ASO music director), Kurt Masur (1993), Seiji Ozawa (1998), Simon Rattle (2002) and Bernard Haitink (2007).
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Classical Music
Comments
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By S.C. Singer
November 6, 2007 2:45 PM | Link to this
Spano is overrated. He doesn’t belong on the Musicians of the Year list. He’s now been passed up for all of the big jobs. Golijov and the “Atlanta School” will also move on as soon as they find greater adoption among the top tier orchestras.
By BPJ
November 6, 2007 8:23 PM | Link to this
If Spano hadn’t won this award, that would be cited by the naysayers as evidence of his failings. The fact that the ASO has managed to hold on to him is also cited as evidence that he must not be that good.
Some people can’t stand for ANYTHING good to be said about the Atlanta arts scene!
By arts worker
November 7, 2007 2:31 PM | Link to this
Hey S.C. Singer. Has it ever occurred to you that not all of our artists are looking to leave Atlanta for other jobs - better paying or otherwise? Spano, Kenny Leon, and countless others have chosen to stay in Atlanta. It’s not because they haven’t necessarily received ‘better offers’ outside Atlanta.
By Joeventures
November 7, 2007 5:03 PM | Link to this
Actually, I think Singer has a point here. When I figure out what it is, I’ll get back to you.