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December 19, 2008

NY Phil revolts against Gilbert Kaplan

The grande dame of the nation’s symphonies has said “ the emperor has no clothes” on amateur orchestra conductor Gilbert Kaplan, who conducts only the Mahler 2nd and has parlayed himself into an expert, or self-alleged expert, on interpreting the symphony.

NY Phil musicians are doubly pissed, because Kaplan got the gig to conduct the “Resurrection” on the 100th anniversary of Mahler debuting it in America, with the same orchestra.

In fact, trombonist David Finlayson filleted and gutted Kaplan on his blog.

I want to add that I heard Kaplan with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra back in the early 1990s. I thought it was good, not necessarily great, but I didn't have as critical of an ear then as I do today. (Contra Mr. Finlayson, some of us out in the seats know what to listen for; that is how I know Andrew Litton largely sucked here in Dallas many times.)

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