Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s Music Director Han-Na Chang’s abrupt resignation
hours after a historic show, leaves many questions unanswered. By Anand Holla
Just a day after helming a spectacular, sold-out show at the hallowed BBC Proms Festival and a day before performing at the Santa Cecilia Hall in Rome, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra’s maverick Music Director Han-Na Chang stunned the fraternity by resigning yesterday, right in the middle of a European tour.
Sunday was a historic day for the Gulf as the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) became the first musical ensemble from the region to perform at the Proms – the world’s largest, oldest, and often dubbed as the greatest classical music festival. Going by the audience feedback, QPO’s show was a whopping success. Even the critics have been full of praise.
Mark Pullinger of Bachtrack, a top website on classical music, dance and opera, in his review of the performance, said, “Han-Na Chang, conducting the Qatar Philharmonic in its BBC Proms debut, lit the biggest firecracker under the Allegro vivace of the fourth movement I’ve ever heard.” He further pointed out, “Chang is known to most audiences as an extremely fine cellist (with two previous Proms appearances in this guise) but her conducting this afternoon was quite outstanding… Chang has only been Music Director for a year, but the partnership offers much promise.”
What then could be the reason why Chang and the QPO’s powers-that-be let such a “promising partnership” end prematurely? There’s no clarity on that front yet as both QPO officials and Chang haven’t spoken about it. In her statement, Chang has mentioned “persistent administrative difficulties and irreconcilable artistic differences with the management of the QPO,” as reasons for her decision.
While Chang’s reasons may only hint at the tensions between her and the administration, Normal Lebrecht of Slipped Disc, another website on classical music news, wrote, “The grounds for Chang’s resignation are not known, although we hear trouble has been brewing with the orchestra’s German manager, Kurt Meister. There was also a recent clash with the concertmaster.”
In her statement, Chang further said, “Because of unexpected visa complications and on the advice of the Italian Embassy in London, to my regret, I am legally unable to perform with the QPO in Rome on Tuesday, and I have withdrawn from all subsequent performances with the QPO.” For the QPO’s performance in Rome today, Chang will therefore be replaced by Russian conductor Dmitrij Kitajenko.
Interestingly, at this year’s Proms, Chang is the second music director in three days to resign with immediate effect. On Friday, Franz Welser-Möst, music director of the famed Vienna Opera resigned, reportedly due to a dispute over a forthcoming production of a Richard Strauss ballet.
Only recently, Community ran an elaborate interview with Chang. She had spoken to me at length on a busy afternoon at the Katara Opera House, before resuming rehearsals for the Proms performance. It was her last interview in Qatar before heading for the Proms in London, and sensing her passion for taking QPO to new heights, it was tough to pick any sign of disarray.
During the conversation, she called Qatar’s flagship orchestra whose 101 musicians come from more than 30 countries “truly international,” and said, “It’s a miracle that, in the Middle East, where the tradition of classical music is so young, we have a permanent home-based orchestra like QPO. If done well, this can be a focal point for the coming together of Western and Eastern music. How music from this part of the world sounds like when heard next to Bach or Tchaikovsky makes for a very compelling evening.”
In her statement following her resignation, Chang’s emotions towards the orchestra seemed to remain as strong, as she stated, “It is a very sad day for me. Just over a year ago I was honoured to take up this position. At that time I made clear my belief that the QPO could become an international ensemble of excellence and I have had the privilege of seeing that belief vindicated through the skill, hard work and commitment of this wonderful group of players, culminating in the orchestra’s debut at the Proms.”
