On Not Making The A-List

There’s consternation in Philly – and even some bewilderment – that the Philadelphia Orchestra didn’t make Gramophone‘s recent list of the world’s 20 best orchestras. (Worse: the Philadelphians got mentioned in a sidebar with the heading, “Past Glories.”) But there are factors involved in such critics’ polls beyond the perversities of personal preference and groupthink. The time-lag between changes in leadership and changes in reputation, for one, and – in this instance – the perception of hostile treatment by the musicians toward outgoing music director Christoph Eschenbach.