“As it prepares to return to Carnegie [Hall] on Saturday evening, the Toronto Symphony appears to be flourishing ” following a difficult period in the 1990s, writes James Oestreich in Wednesday’s (3/16) New York Times. Oestreich reports from Toronto about the orchestra, which has been led by music director Peter Oundjian since 2004: “On my recent visit here, for the opening of a lively annual contemporary-music festival, New Creations, instituted by Mr. Oundjian immediately on his arrival, the orchestra sounded excellent in concert and in rehearsal, and it had clearly tapped into an enthusiastic and notably young audience. … Mr. Oundjian, who was principal guest conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra from 2006 to 2010, and who recently accepted the additional post of music director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Glasgow as of next year, expresses no desire to leave his hometown. ‘I don’t think about my career that much,’ Mr. Oundjian said. ‘It’s much more important for me to have an impact on the community.’ … Everyone seems to be enjoying artistic prosperity, without taking anything for granted. ‘We can’t figure out what we’re doing right,’ said the Canadian composer Gary Kulesha, who works closely with Mr. Oundjian in planning the New Creations festival. ‘If we could bottle it, we’d be rich.’ ”
Posted March 17, 2011
