Posted on 11/25/2017 5:24:50 PM PST by nwrep
The Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons, of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra has quickly retracted a remark made to a Telegraph interviewer in which he said that women conductors ‘are not my cup of tea’.
In a statement on Friday he said:
‘I come from a generation in which the conducting profession was almost exclusively reserved to men. Even today, many more men than women pursue conducting professionally.
‘But it was undiplomatic, unnecessary and counterproductive for me to point out that I’m not yet accustomed to seeing women on the conducting platform.
‘Every one of my female colleagues and every young woman wishing to become a conductor can be assured of my support, for we all work in pursuit of a common goal: to excite people for the art form we love so dearly – music.’
Fair enough. But the episode still leaves a foul taste.
Firstly, why would any serious journalist ask Mariss Jansons about women in the podium when he has so much else to say about life and music? Clearly the interviewer was fishing for an artificial scandal and got what he wanted. Let’s hope he’s happy now.
Second, Mariss Jansons is a man of unblemished record who survived both Soviet and western-commercial pressures. English is his fourth language after Latvian, Russian and German. How well he understood the question or the metaphor he used in reply is itself questionable. It was a slip of the tongue, no malice intended.
Third, when the guardians of lexical correctness leaped upon him he did what damage-limitation PRs now advise, which is to apologize as quickly as possible. The forced apology has its origin in Stalinist persecutions.
That’s why this episode leaves such a foul aftertaste.
Speech codes.
Three names: Marin Alsop, Rachel Worby and Margaret Hillis.
“Terribly sorry to have an opinion that differs from the Hive. Please accept my groveling apology.”
I disagree. Tom from Tom and Jerry was the greatest conductor of all time.
Why should he have to apologize? He said nothing wrong.
Its fine to disagree. What is the purpose of an interview if it isn’t to find out what someone thinks?
Joann Falletta is a fine conductor, but this PC speech codes is BS. Ignorant isn’t evil.
As the resident classical composer on FR, I can’t tell you whether a man or woman is conducting a piece if I am listening. All I know is good and bad, muddy and clean. Sloppy and precise. That is what matters.
Exactly!
But if his thoughts do not conform with that of the guardians of correct thought he must be brought in to alignment or be punished until he is brought in to alignment with correct thought.
No one in a position of authority or power may be permitted unsanctioned thought or opinion. At least not publicly.
What?! Bugs Bunny was the greatest conductor ever!
He’s a fine conductor. Maybe even a great one.
“That is what matters.”
What about the morale of the musicians?
Woken say such things about men and are not forced to apologize.
The gynocentric hypocrisy runs thick.
But what about trans women? Does Mr. Jansons think of them as being merely semiconductors?
I look forward to public apologies by everyone who is in charge of women-specific government programs and women-specific private organizations for excluding men.
When did it become such a crime against humanity to have an unpc opinion. I am beyond sick of people hyperventilating about how oppressed they are. People freakin offend me all the time, and you know who cares? Nobody. If I get into an argument with a lib, even if I don’t didnt start it, you know who gets in trouble? Me. The lib can be as insulting as they want and disregard every fact as if it didnt happen if the media did not hyperventillate non stop about it (which is what happens whenever something bad about dems happens, media does not report it, then dems claim it didnt happen because the only media that reports it is “far right”. I am sick of the double standards that the left can be as vile and hate filled dripping venom non stop, but I am the freakin bad guy.
Boy, they’re really not his cup of tea now.
“What about the morale of the musicians?”
Why would that matter?
L
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