
Farewell Maestro
It's all change at The Montpellier National Orchestra
FILMS , MUSIC, DRAMA AND ART
Joan
6/12/20233 min read
It occurred to us recently that we have lived in our current home for longer than either of us has ever lived anywhere else, be it in England, Wales or Southern Africa. As we drive between the local town and our village I reflect on the changes that have occurred. New vineyards and olive trees have been planted, and modern houses constructed, while older ones sometimes lie abandoned. The Old Auberge Martin(see La Route Royale) appears even more ramshackle than ever, totally deserted ever since its elderly occupants died. Shutters are falling off, and fraying net curtains flap in the breeze where windows have come way from their hinges. There is a lady who walks daily along this road. Where once she strode out energetically, and smiled at passing cars, she is now frail and bent over her stick. Moreover, all the elders of our village who used to gather on a roadside bench have now died. The last to leave us was Mme B. who once sold olives. She never had time for a gossip, but could be seen every day as she walked to tend her chickens with a bucket of feed. Indeed time passes imperceptibly, until suddenly, we take stock.
On Friday we visited 'The Corum', the magnificent concert hall in Montpellier to hear a performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto NO. 1. The soloist was Boris Giltburg. It was a magnificent performance. But the concert that evening was also significant for a different reason. It was to be the last time that Michael Schonwandt, chief conductor, was to direct The Montpellier National Orchestra. We are sorry to say goodbye , and reflect on the changes that we have seen over the past twenty years. We began our visits under the musical director Friedmann Layer. He was followed by the amiable Lawrence Foster . After he left we had a few years of guest conductors, and then Michael Schonwandt took over the baton in 2015. I shall miss his style. Rarely flamboyant, he conveys his joy in the music by raising himself on tiptoe, as if he is lightly dancing, and about to fly up into the wings. The orchestra obviously hold him in great affection.



