Well, perhaps during this dark time in the Philadelphia Orchestra's history - and a time when the classical world is more concerned than ever about extinction - grim determination isn't the route to survival.
That's one explanation why the exuberant Gustavo Dudamel is the world's hottest conducting talent – with Nézet-Séguin not far behind him, according to well-placed music industry sources. Both can be reckless, all but inviting backlash. Neither is a paragon of consistent musical maturity. But they offer a legitimate sense of renewal – which may be as much a matter of image as substance, at least from a fundraising standpoint. I felt thoroughly renewed by the Mahler Symphony No. 3 conducted by current chief conductor Charles Dutoit last week. At age 73, his only drawback is familiarity – though we can hope he'll maintains a significant role with the orchestra for years to come.
Musically, I find Nézet-Séguin hugely engaging and often enlightening. His broad-reaching repertoire is essential for any resident music director. Monitoring his unedited radio broadcasts, I've heard perhaps the single greatest performance of Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F and, at the other end of the depth scale, a Mahler Symphony No. 9 that went as far into that music's abyss as any of Nézet-Séguin's great predecessors.
Between those two poles, matters get iffy. A Beethoven Symphony No. 3 from Rotterdam a few years ago was full of strong ideas that didn't entirely belong in the same performance. Sometimes I wonder how well he knows his own strengths. Though his Franck Symphony in D performance in Philadelphia was hardly one for the ages, few performances I've ever heard of this questionable piece are worth remembering.
