“Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Metropolitan Opera’s music director designate, will become the company’s music director this fall, two years ahead of schedule,” writes Michael Cooper in Thursday’s (2/15) New York Times. Nézet-Séguin is also music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. “The accelerated ascension will give much-needed musical stability to the Met … which suspended Mr. Levine, its longtime conductor, in December and opened an investigation into his behavior. ‘The orchestra and the chorus, they need a leader,’ Mr. Nézet-Séguin, 42, said in an interview, noting that a music director didn’t just conduct performances but was also responsible for a host of tasks…. Met officials said that they had been discussing moving up Mr. Nézet-Séguin’s start date long before Mr. Levine’s troubles surfaced … But they said that Mr. Levine’s suspension had given extra impetus to the plan…. Mr. Nézet-Séguin said that he had been happy to rearrange his schedule and cancel a number of appearances in Europe to make the directorship and added performances possible. But he will be busy, he acknowledged.… He had announced in the morning that he would be leading the Philadelphia Orchestra on a tour of Israel.”
Posted February 16, 2018
