Orchestras
norman lebrecht
November 13, 2023
The British conductor Jan Latham-Koenig has been in the news of late for breaking sanctions by performing in Putin’s Russia.
Some western ensembles will not employ him.
But the Munich-based Felsner Artists has bravely taken him on. Here’s their promo copy.
Internationally renowned conductor Jan Latham-Koenig has a vast symphonic and operatic repertoire that has led him to regularly work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Wiener Symphoniker, Tonhalle Zurich, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, and Japan Philharmonic. As of 2023 he is the Music Director at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and Artistic Director of the Festival Puccini Torre del Lago at Torre del Lago.
Latham-Koenig studied at the Royal College of Music in London and began his career as a concert conductor with the BBC. He won the Gulbenkian Fellowship and became a permanent guest conductor at the Vienna State Opera. Latham-Koenig held music director positions at Flanders Symphony Orchestra in Bruges; Filarmonica del Teatro Regio, Turin; Teatro Massimo di Palermo; Novaya Opera, Moscow; Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM, Mexico City; Orchestra of Porto; Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Chile; Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and Opéra National du Rhin. He has formed several orchestras, including the Orchestra of Porto, the Young Janáček Philharmonic, and the Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra.
Felsner Artists proudly welcomes Jan Latham-Koenig for worldwide general management!
Comments
Euphonium Al says:
November 13, 2023 at 7:42 pm
I can’t tell if that’s a very bad haircut or a very bad toupee.
Reply
Observing2 says:
November 13, 2023 at 9:03 pm
Music is music; politics is politics. End of story!
Reply
Nick says:
November 13, 2023 at 9:43 pm
Can anyone explain why Nikolai Lugansky is free to perform his (superb) Rachmaninoff recitals in Moscow one evening and a few days later @ the Wigmore Hall (and, presumably, elsewhere in the Western World)?
Reply
Anthony Sayer says:November 14, 2023 at 10:05 am
Er, because he’s a superb musician?
Reply
- WU says:
November 14, 2023 at 1:20 pm
Lugansky isn’t a Putin cronie – instead his daughter wore a T-Shirt supporting Iwan Golunow in front of Putin during an award ceremony for her father’s artistic achievements!
Reply
- Barnaby says:
November 15, 2023 at 6:10 am
Probaby because he is good at what he does
Reply
Anthony Sayer 
WU 
Barnaby 
For what it's worth says:
November 14, 2023 at 6:58 am
Having worked with him for many years, there is no doubt that he is a fine conductor. Unfortunately, Jan will do anything to stay in the headlines, no matter what the world political views of the day are.
In addition, we all knew that he lives in his own bubble world and has no real contact with the musicians that perform for him. A “people person” he is not.
There is no shortage of orchestras that know nothing about Jan’s reputation…. until they hire him. Most of those who had him as musical director never invite him back.
Reply
- philar says:
November 14, 2023 at 5:31 pm
“a fine conductor”.
You gotta be kidding! ..more like a fine complete pretentious idiot.His term at the Strasbourg phil was from hype to hyberbole.
In the end they were very happy to see the back of him (unlike the wonderful Munch or Klemperer or even Paul Paray…), and of course the very cultivated, but ill disciplined Guschlbauer.Reply
- For what it's worth says:
November 14, 2023 at 11:23 pm
“a fine conductor”.
“You gotta be kidding! ..more like a fine complete pretentious idiot……”Philar…..I was just trying to be nice, but you and I know that we are on the same wave length concerning Jan’s insane gesticular arm movements in front of an orchestra.
The worst part is that he is highly paid for doing just that!
Reply
philar 
alexis piantedoux says:
November 14, 2023 at 8:42 am
If an artist goes to Russia is this a violations of the sanction? Maybe a sort of “moral” or “ethic sanctions” if you prefer, but so far there are not sanctions if an artist goes to Russia….everybody can judge in one or another sense, but the artists going to Russia are not facing administrative fine or similar things.
Reply
Jessel says:
November 14, 2023 at 11:31 pm
Toi toi toi Felsner!
Reply
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