There’s an article in The Guardian today on Sir Simon Rattle, conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, that’s well worth reading. The thesis of the piece is:
“What Rattle is attempting is a musical form of multiculturalism, in which the orchestra’s brilliance lies not so much in their competence in one repertoire, but how the musicians can adapt to different styles of music.”
As with all things multicultural, this is controversial. Rattle , though, seems unbothered by his critics; telling The Guardian,
“Anyone who conducts this orchestra is going to be the antichrist to somebody. Maybe I’m just more successful at being the antichrist than some others.”

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