Orchestra in Turin, Italy, Names James Conlon as Principal Conductor
— June 9, 2015 0 6By MICHAEL COOPER JUNE 9, 2015 6:30 AM| ArtsBeat/The New York Times
James Conlon, the versatile New York-born maestro, is returning to Europe for his next podium: he will become the principal conductor of the RAI National Symphony Orchestra in Turin, Italy, in 2016, the orchestra said on Tuesday.
The modern RAI National Symphony Orchestra was created in 1994 by the merger of the public radio orchestras of Turin, Rome, Milan and Naples, but its origins go back to 1931. Mr. Conlon will succeed Juraj Valcuha at the orchestra, who succeeded Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos.
James Conlon. conducting Shostakovich’s “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” at the Metropolitan Opera in November. © Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times © 2015
Mr. Conlon, 65, conducts all over the world but has deep roots in Europe: in the past he has been the principal conductor of the Paris National Opera, the general music director in Cologne, Germany, and before that the music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic.
He said that he was looking forward to leading the RAI ensemble. “Over the past five years, I have conducted the orchestra, as a guest, with great pleasure,’’ he said in a statement. “I am enthusiastic at the prospect of collaborating with them on a regular basis.”
Mr. Conlon’s contract as music director of the Los Angeles Opera, a post he has held since 2006, runs through 2018. But his return to Europe comes as he prepares to leave two American posts: this summer will be his last as music director of the Ravinia festival, and 2016 will mark his final season as music director of the Cincinnati May Festival, a position he has held since 1979.
Cesare Mazzonis, the artistic director of the RAI Orchestra, said that the ensemble was excited to have lured someone of Mr. Conlon’s stature. “He is talented, sensible, strong and reasonable, and has the ability to communicate with musicians and audiences alike,” he said in a statement. “In James, we have chosen a principal conductor with a solid international standing and vast repertoire, who will continue to advance the orchestra in the coming years.”
Reference: ArtsBeat/The New York Times By MICHAEL COOPER JUNE 9, 2015 6:30 AM
Leave a reply