The betting’s open on the next chief of the NY Philharmonic, but even at 50-1 you’d get few takers on an American contender.
First, the last two music directors, Maazel and Gilbert, have been made in the USA. Time for change.
Second, no American is presently in contention for front-line vacancies, in Berlin or elsewhere.
So who?
First in mind is Sir Simon Rattle who springs free from Berlin just as Gilbert steps down in New York. Rattle has avoided New York until now as a proverbial Babylon. He may find it preferable to the LSO.
Riccardo Chailly will be a contender if he doesn’t take Berlin. Christian Thielemann will come into the reckoning. The New York Times is tipping Esa-Pekka Salonen, who has said repeatedly he does not wnat the responsibility of heading another major orchestra. And Gustavo Dudamel, who has already turned down New York once, will be high on the players’ list.
But there’s a long way to go between now and 2019.