In Sunday’s (10/16) New York Times, Michael White writes, “When I put it to Colin Davis that conductors live long lives and go on until they drop, the observation got the withering response it probably deserved. ‘Apparently they do,’ he said, and lapsed into a ruminative silence that I took as encouragement to change the subject. But it’s true. The international conducting circuit has historically been dominated by distinguished hyperactive veterans. And here was Mr. Davis, on the cusp of 84 (which he has since turned) but getting ready to escort the London Symphony Orchestra on its annual visit to New York. On Wednesday and Friday evenings he will conduct demanding programs of Sibelius and Beethoven at Avery Fisher Hall. Then it’s back to London for a Berlioz opera run at the Royal Academy of Music and four more concerts with the London Symphony this side of Christmas. … His declared intention is to be an egoless conductor, a seemingly implausible goal in a profession not known for self-effacement, and perhaps an undesirable one. Orchestral players like and need strong leadership. How do you lead without a sense of self? You do it, Mr. Davis said, as we shared a sofa in his handsome but not lavishly appointed Georgian terrace house in London, by sharing the performance rather than imposing it.”
Posted October 17, 2011
