Leaderless, But Never Directionless

The Chicago Symphony’s music director search is now two years old, and no progress has been visible in the quest to find a proper successor for Daniel Barenboim, who leaves the position in June. But no one in the organization seems to be in any sort of hurry, and if there seems to be a dearth of well-qualified candidates, the CSO isn’t bothered by it. Some are even suggesting that a music director isn’t terribly important to the fortunes of a truly great orchestra. “The CSO’s 2006-07 season, with trips to Carnegie Hall under Boulez and a residency in Florida next February, hardly signals an orchestra on hold.”