It's a simple idea, but a genuinely good one: the Barbican Centre's announcement yesterday of long-term relationships over the next few seasons with the New York Philharmonic, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and, most tantalisingly, the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo "the Dude" Dudamel. It's a scheme that could usher in an era of more meaningful experiences for British audiences, rather than the one-night stands we're used to from international orchestras. As well as full-blown orchestral concerts, there will be chamber music events and outreach work in the East End of London - a chance to experience the denizens of the globe-trotting orchestral elite in new contexts.
It must be good for the players, too, that when they come to London in the future, they won't be on the sort of eye-watering schedule that leaves them scarcely time for a rehearsal, let alone sightseeing, before they jet off to some other European capital.
The Concertgebouw are in town this weekend for two concerts at the Barbican with Bernard Haitink: they'll fly in on Saturday morning, rehearse in the afternoon, play a concert of Mozart, Debussy, and Beethoven in the evening, polish up their Schumann and Bruckner the next morning for Sunday afternoon's concert, and then get straight on a plane back home. Not exactly conducive to an atmosphere of relaxed music-making, but we'll see at the weekend.
There's another side to the Barbican's proposals: the Southbank won't be able to get near these orchestras in the same season (even if this London exclusivity doesn't extend to the Proms, who should still be able to nab them). That's got to be galling for the powers that be at the Royal Festival Hall: it means no Riccardo Chailly, who conducts the Gewandhaus, no Alan Gilbert, the new man at the helm of the New York Phil, and - unless he's appearing with his other band, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra - no Mariss Jansons either.
At least they'll still have Dudamel, thanks to his relationship with the Philharmonia. Oh, and the Southbank can claim to have pre-empted the idea of longer-term residencies rather than single-night stopovers with this April's series from Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra. Thinking back to last year's Proms, which showcased pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, the idea of featured artists seems to be gathering momentum in British orchestral life. I think that's all to the good. The chance to get to know an orchestra, a conductor, or a soloist over a handful of concerts and in a variety of contexts, rather than just in a one-off gig, can only enrich our musical lives.
