A few years ago, when the administrator of the Boston Symphony consulted his musicians on the conductors they would like to invite, he begged them:
"Please, propose me conductors under the age of 70!"
Would we have fallen into the opposite extreme by taking the maestros from the cradle?
Klaus Mäkelä was 24 when he was appointed to the Orchester de Paris.
His Finnish compatriot, Tarmo Peltokoski, is 22 and has just been chosen by the Orchester national du Capitole de Toulouse.
This youthfulness of the baton raises questions because conducting is the musical discipline which imposes the slowest maturation.
Because the conductor, by definition, cannot practice his instrument at home.
Because this profession is based at least as much on the art of convincing as on the mastery of know-how, requiring psychology and a sense of human resources at least as much as technical skill.
Not to mention the knowledge of a vast repertoire, the best way to win against a collective...
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