If you want to make a passionate patron of the Minnesota Orchestra have an instantaneous panic attack, just tell them that you heard Osmo Vänskä took a position at another orchestra. Things are very tense as music returns to Orchestra Hall; all hope lingers on a point as fragile as a conductor’s wand: fire the current CEO Michael Henson or lose Osmo entirely. The latter would have seemed unthinkable a few years ago, but considering the 16-month lockout, the very fact the beloved former music director still officially resides in Minneapolis provides unimagined optimism (and speculation).
The orchestra’s board of directors has been working the details out in various meetings, but their public reflections on the closed door sessions have been little more than positive, propitious vagueness.
Yet, in a
statement made Friday, the language seems to reflect that a decision may be on the road to finalization. Closure, for the emotionally invested, could be on the horizon.
If the second decade of Osmo Vänskä is destined to never be, I would surmise that the Minnesota Orchestra will undergo a period of floundering until a new, clear vision is given. Should he return, I myself will be in the market for a ticket.
Images via: Google and Brian Peterson
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