Meanwhile…The Last Season

Meanwhile is a shorter, wide-lens piece that runs between the main essays.

After 13 seasons as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons will lay down the baton in the summer of 2027. It was not his decision. The BSO’s trustees said in a statement that they and Nelsons weren’t aligned on the orchestra’s future. (Read more)

In response, Nelsons’ statement to the musicians and staff of the BSO admitted this wasn’t the outcome he wanted, then turned to the work: “My focus is straightforward: to protect the music, support the orchestra’s stability, and continue to perform with the musicians of the BSO at the highest artistic level.”

Regardless of how the decision got made, he finds himself in a position familiar to any leader still trying to be effective with an expiration date that everyone knows. Many in such a situation choose to coast and make as few waves as possible, hoping to come to the end of their tenure with reputation intact. Others choose to overperform in a last-second attempt to define a legacy as their formal and informal authority begins to dissipate. In an unwanted departure, some choose to rally sympathy and leave behind a pocket of resistance to the new leadership. Each of these approaches, while understandable, focuses the attention on the outgoing leader and not on those who will remain, and who still have work to do.

Nelsons has chosen a quite different path. Instead of contesting the decision, he narrows his attention to the work of this last season: the music, the stability of the orchestra, and the performances they will offer. Others will tell the story of the BSO’s decision and his response, but the music and the musicians remain under his direction until the final chord fades away.

Every member of the BSO will leave the orchestra someday. All season long, they will get to see one way to do it. Done right, they will see that the music is more important than who holds the baton. They will learn that a good departure makes room for the next leader to arrive well. They will learn to welcome transition with trust rather than fear. For Nelsons, it could be a master class in regulation and restraint under pressure to act out. 

What’s it like where you are?