Everyone Loves (And Hates) Christoph Eschenbach

There’s no better sign of a city’s culture than the status of its orchestra. (Or maybe there are better signs, but I already came up with that intro sentence and don’t want to re-write.) Camden, New Jersey, does not have an orchestra. Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, does not have an orchestra.

But, oh, Philadelphia has an orchestra, and it’s apparently quite good. Very good, in fact, some observers say. The Los Angeles Times called a recent performance “as good as it gets.” But although our city’s fair orchestra is quite the crowd-pleaser, there’s (naturally) a catch.

Our orchestra’s members hate conductor Christoph Eschenbach so much management didn’t renew his contract. (It’s akin to the situation where a baseball team hates its manager but goes to the World Series.) The conductor, in turn, called management “amateurish.”

Okay, so it’s not “For who, for what.” But the orchestra definitely has a vibe of an angry Philadelphia sports team that nonetheless makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Inquirer’s David Patrick Stearns wrote, “During the summer 2006 tour, a journalist could hardly walk into a hotel elevator without hearing complaints (mostly minor) from the musicians.” Maybe the lights reflect off his bald head and make it hard to play.

Eschenbach’s sour notes on bosses risks his finale [Inquirer]

Today In Annoying Feuds: Mural Arts Program Vs. Guy Who Doesn’t Like Murals (Vs. Annoyed Email Recipients?)

Oooh, it’s on!

Just a few days after former Inquirer editor Joseph P. Blake said he didn’t like murals — or gentrification, which surely has a lot to do with murals — the Mural Arts Program sent out a letter to the mailing list asking everyone to write into the Inquirer and say how much they loved murals and the Mural Arts Program, etc., etc.

Unfortunately, the Mural Arts Program also forgot to blind carbon copy and now everyone on the list has the email of, say, Albert Yee. As well as a ton of politicians and artists, etc. Which is always funny. Full email after the jump.

More »

Too Much Information, Township Procurement Law Violation Edition

Taken at face value, this story about a feud between a commissioner and a florist in Haddon Township is nothing special. He got money to decorate the town, but never went through any kind of procurement process. No, a feud between Kathleen Hogan (one of three commissioners in the township) and Samuel Marsh (said florist, decorator and event planner) is pretty boring.

And the Inquirer story on the subject follows that boring manner until we reach the end:

Now, he said, “there’s nothing in common between us except our gender.” Both are gay. [...] Just after Christmas, Marsh will fly to Houston to visit a former lover for consolation. “I want to get far away from this town,” he said. [...]

[Hogan] said she was openly gay but added that the G-word was often hurled at her by opponents who disliked her activism.

I know it’s not in a quote, but she probably did call it “the G-word.” Lesbians are so gay.

A bitter feud over Christmas cheer [Inky]