Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons has announced that he will not continue as music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra after the end of the 2014-15 season. The news will come as no surprise to followers of the maestro scene--not after the double-whammy of Nelsons's recent appointment to the Boston Symphony Orchestra and some unfortunate health issues, which made it unlikely that he would want the stretch of MD-ing two important orchestras on either side of the Atlantic. Nelsons is also young--still only 34--so at a time in his life where family will take a large amount of his attention. All of which means that the chase is on for one of the most desirable jobs in classical music.
The reason that the CBSO post is seen as so prestigious, even though as a U.K. orchestra the job is likely to pay less than many U.S. or European orchestras, is because of its remarkable lineage. In recent history, Sir Simon Rattle spent 18 years with the orchestra, shaping it into one of the world's finest ensembles, before finally being lured away by the Berlin Philharmonic (and reports have it that he will soon be returning to British shores, to lead the London Symphony). The highly regarded Finn Sakari Oramo followed that tough act and had a more than respectable tenure that has been burnished with time--and most recently, he has landed the plum job of running the BBC Symphony. And now Nelsons, who brought back the Rattle-esque sense of excitement to Brum (as Brits affectionately call Birmingham), before he was head-hunted by Boston.
So, there's no doubt that the CBSO are expected to produce world-class music directors, and they tend to go on to A-list jobs elsewhere. Not that the Birmingham players, themselves, should be underestimated in any company. Several of their recordings are at the very top of the catalog, not least Mahler's Second Symphony under Rattle. And the pre-Rattle list of music directors there is also pretty impressive, counting Sir Adrian Boult (twice) and Louis Frémaux among their number.
Too early to speculate on Nelsons's successor. Few saw either Oramo or Nelsons coming, and the incoming music director, when named, will doubtless also be a surprise. But it is interesting to speculate on where Nelsons will go from here. Boston, obviously. But while it's admirable of him to focus on one orchestra, its also quite unusual in today's jet-setting musical world. With a flourishing opera career, one wonders whether the siren call of an opera house, in particular, will prove impossible for him to resist. Of course, if he ever gets the opera in Boston, he can stay local. That's what you call killing two birds with one baton.
