
Conductor Marek Janowski. In photo, Janowski leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in November 2024. Photo by Eliot Mandel.
In Tuesday’s (1/28) New York Times, Javier C. Hernández writes, “Before a rehearsal with the New York Philharmonic on Monday morning, the conductor Marek Janowski paused to say a few words. ‘Finally, I have the chance to meet you and to work with you,’ he said. ‘I’ve waited more than 85 years for this moment.’ Janowski has led many of the world’s top ensembles, but never the Philharmonic. But on Wednesday, three weeks before he turns 86, he will become one of the oldest artists to debut with the orchestra, leading a program of works by Schumann, Mendelssohn and Weber…. Janowski attributed his belated debut to scheduling quirks and a lack of close ties to the Philharmonic. He lives in Berlin, and his career has been largely focused on Europe. He is an acclaimed opera conductor who has appeared at the renowned Bayreuth Festival in Germany. And he has held top positions at the Dresden Philharmonic and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, among other ensembles…. Janowski: ‘The moment an invitation comes from an orchestra, I still cannot resist saying yes. The temptation is always there to try to do it better than you have done before.’