Dutoit's new role/He'll have a hand in choosing orchestra's new conductor

FOR 28 YEARS, conductor Charles Dutoit has been a familiar figure on the Philadelphia Orchestra podium. Besides being a frequent guest conductor, he was music director of the Mann Music Center for a decade, and he has been their summer season director at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., since 1990.

Beginning in September, Dutoit will succeed the orchestra's seventh music director, Christoph Eschenbach, as chief conductor and artistic adviser, a unique, four-year position created for him.

Dutoit's presence gives the orchestra a shrewd, multi-year opportunity to work with a wide range of conductors before choosing a new music director.

Dutoit already has taken the artistic adviser part of the job very seriously, having a hand in next season's signature works of Berlioz and Penderecki and planning into the future with guest artists, who typically are booked many seasons ahead.

Eschenbach will return for two weeks next January, then take the orchestra on tour to Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria and the Canary Islands.

Beginning with the 2009-2010 season, Dutoit will also become artistic director and principal conductor of London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

A Swiss musician who has made a point of visiting as many countries and cultures as possible, Dutoit has held artistic posts in France, Canada and Japan and conducted all over the globe.

His urbanity and smooth, graceful manner disguise the intensity and passion of this supremely talented musician. He has always been considered a master of the colorful French and Russian repertoire, but along the way he has widened his scope to become one of the world's most versatile and skilled conductors.

There's no doubt he was disappointed not to have become this orchestra's music director in 1992 when the post went to Wolfgang Sawallisch.

But when Eschenbach was named to succeed Sawallisch in 2003, Dutoit, now 71, told this writer - not completely convincingly - that he considered himself too old to become a music director, which he viewed as a 10-year obligation.

Yet he has retained his longtime dedication and respect for this orchestra and, despite other offers in America, this special opportunity was close to his heart.

We spoke to Dutoit - who's back on the podium for a series of concerts beginning tonight - immediately after a long rehearsal as he relaxed in his Kimmel Center dressing room.

Q: How much of next season's repertoire did you plan?

A: Much was already arranged, especially as far as the guest artists . . . But I'll do more and more, with more attention to guest conductors.

Q: Without an artistic administrator [the orchestra's vice president of artistic planning, Kathleen van Bergen, left earlier this month to head the Schubert Club in St. Paul, Minn.], will you be the orchestra's principal planner?

A: Not necessarily, because we'll be looking for a new artistic administrator. But I want to have more control on artistic matters, in collaboration with some of my colleagues, and want to have a look at these programs. A season should be like an eventail - a fan that spreads open with many orchestral colors.

Q: Are you looking to all three seasons ahead?

A: Of course, because there are many things linked to touring, like foreign trips and our series in Carnegie Hall, for instance. We finalized next year's programs in January, but in the future we'd like to complete them long before and avoid the deadlines.

Q: Is your intent to bring in as many young conductors as possible?

A: Yes, we have to give a chance to all the young people. In the past, there was an enormous gap in generations. We had conductors from the old school, the middle-aged school, and few young people. Suddenly there are lots of newcomers, like Yannick Neget-Seguin next season from Montreal. Everyone is talking about Gustavo Dudamel, only 26 [and newly named music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic], a fantastically gifted young man.

Q: Suppose a conductor already has many other positions?

A: That's not my problem, because I'm not obsessed with choosing the next music director at this point. The only thing is that they have to prove they are good enough, because conducting this orchestra is not a cup of tea. They have to know a vast repertoire to conduct in America, not just two or three things.

Q: How many weeks will you conduct in future seasons?

A: Probably eight weeks, plus some in Vail and Saratoga. That will total out to about 14 to 15 weeks.

Q: How will you do this, and also the Royal Philharmonic?

A: Of course, I won't be able to guest-conduct so much. But the Royal doesn't have the same kind of full season as we do here. They tour a lot, and we'll even do an American tour next season. But I'll concentrate on Philadelphia, because this is my favorite place.

Q: Will Christoph Eschenbach or Riccardo Muti return as guest conductors?

A: I hope so, because they are good friends. They are both welcome, as far as I'm concerned, based on their wishes and their schedules.

Q: Isn't there an advantage to us because of your contacts around the world?

A: Certainly, though we like to schedule many of the artists audiences love. But I also want to bring in newcomers, from the Far East and from Europe. For an example - the only great German female violinist used to be Anne-Sophie Mutter. Now there's Julia Fischer, Viviane Hagner and Arabella Steinbacher, all excellent players in their 20s, and I know all of them already.

Q: How important is radio, video and recordings in the Internet era?

A: The recording business is dead, a malaise. The '80s and '90s were the golden years, but the orchestras and the musicians didn't earn much money. Now the orchestras issue their own recordings and have their own libraries of live performances. As the opportunities occur, it's good to pipe the video into schools and other venues, depending whether it's really a visual affair, with a good soloist, for instance. Truthfully, it's not so interesting to see a conductor sweating through a long Bruckner symphony. But the broadcasts are being sent through the Internet all over Europe and the world, and that's very good.

Q: Are there things you've always wanted to play here?

A: There are so many things, so much great repertoire, we just need to have more room and more time. It would be good to do some concert opera, like Strauss' "Salome" or "Elektra." [Last year, Dutoit's performance or "Elektra" was called "concert of the year" in Japan.] Maybe Berlioz's "The Trojans," or an all-Ravel evening. *

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