In Sunday’s (4/7) Denver Post, Ray Mark Rinaldi writes, “If Denver loved classical music the way it loves football, Andrew Litton would be the next Peyton Manning. Both men are leaders in their field, national figures brought in to pump up playing on the home team. Each brings a considerable fan base. Of course, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra’s new artistic leader doesn’t have quite the superstar status of the Broncos quarterback, and he doesn’t get the salary. He is given, however, to the occasional sports metaphor. ‘For a long time, Denver has played over its weight class,’ said Litton. ‘We’re better than our reputation.’ Reputation is something Litton, 52, knows about. … His 2013 schedule will have him before 13 different ensembles in 20 cities, including London; Tokyo; Brussels; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Bucharest, Romania.” As artistic advisor rather than music director, Litton will “come to Denver for just six programs next season—about 18 concerts total—with an orchestra that might offer 100 performances a year. … He’ll program the CSO’s main musical lineup, and he’ll do the hiring, sitting in on every audition, maybe the most important job for an orchestra that wants to continuously improve and have the world hear about it. … Litton, an occasional guest conductor in Denver, was chosen in June after a four-year search, and he was picked because the musicians voted overwhelmingly to follow his vision.”
Posted April 10, 2013
