More from Osesp

I updated the last of my recent posts on the departure of John Neschling from the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (Osesp) with a new Comment, but there's enough meat in the new story to justify another post.

This story from Veja São Paulo lets us know that Yan Pascal Tortelier has replaced Neschling at the head of the orchestra (as both conductor and music director). The story talks about Tortelier's very strong resume, leading the BBC Philharmonic and as principle guest conductor in Pittsburgh.

But there are also less positive comments, including this from Le Monde's Alain Lompech:

"Neschling fez reviver obras essenciais do patrimônio musical brasileiro.... Tortelier não tem esse conhecimento, e, neste momento cultural do país, dar continuidade ao trabalho de memória é crucial."

Google-translated, that's

"Neschling was essential to revive works Brazilian musical heritage.... Tortelier has no such knowledge, and now the country's cultural, continuing the work of memory is crucial."

On the other hand, there have been very positive comments about Tortelier - including from Osesp musicians, who complained of bad treatment from Neschling. I've seen lots of stories like this about bad feelings after a conductor leaves (or a hockey player is traded), and they all seem to follow a similar pattern.

This entire controversy is probably more about live concerts in Brazil than about recordings. There is no question that Neschlings' recent recordings with Osesp for BIS are absolutely first-rate: easily the best Choros series. So it's a bit disappointing to see that

"Duas gravações de CDs de Neschling à frente da Osesp marcadas para este mês com a gravadora sueca Bis foram adiadas e ainda não têm data para acontecer." - ("Two CDs of recordings of Neschling ahead of Osesp scheduled for this month with the Swedish label Bis were postponed and not have time to happen.")

I'm not sure if that means that upcoming recordings for BIS were cancelled, or if the upcoming release of previously recorded discs was postponed. I'm hoping for the latter. There are plenty of under-recorded orchestral gems out there that need the full BIS-Neschling-Osesp treatment.