“Just a few days before the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents Gustav Mahler’s mammoth Eighth Symphony as part of the Cultural Olympiad,” writes David Gordon Duke in Thursday’s (1/28) Vancouver Sun (Canada), “there’s a longer-lasting reason to celebrate: The orchestra has just announced that maestro Bramwell Tovey has signed on for a further five-year contract as music director. Tovey will continue in his high-profile gig with the VSO until 2015, which will make him the VSO’s longest-serving conductor, surpassing the tenures of both Irwin Hoffman (1952- 64) and Kazuyoshi Akiyama (1972-1985)…. His clout and his backbone could be felt in December 2009 when he took a principled stance against fakery in the service of Olympic spectacle, refusing to participate in pre-recorded sessions in which VSO performances, including his own, would be mimed at the Games opening ceremony on Feb. 12 by uncredited performers.” Among Tovey’s plans for the orchestra are completing a Mahler symphony cycle and performing more contemporary music; he also speaks in the article about his enthusiasm for the VSO’s music school, whose new teaching facilities are currently under construction.
Posted January 29, 2010
