Leonard Slatkin had planned to conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra next week in Morgantown.
But this weekend, Slatkin had a heart attack on the podium while he was conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic. He was able to finish the concert, and he is currently recovering and reportedly doing well.
In addition to having to miss out on visiting Morgantown, Slatkin has also cancelled an upcoming performance with the Czech Philharmonic. He’s expected to return to conducting later this month with the Detroit Symphony (where he is currently Music Director).
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will still play at WVU on Tuesday (November 10th).
Resident Conductor Lawrence Loh will now lead the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in a program featuring the popular Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy by Tchaikovsky, as well as Dvorak’s Symphony No. 8 and Victor Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2 (with PSO cellist Adam Liu as the featured soloist).
Slatkin is supposed to be resting, but it’s hard to get this on-the-go musician to take a break. A spokeswoman for the Detroit Symphony is quoted in the Washington Post as saying “The trick is keeping him off e-mail.”
Turn off the e-mail, and get well soon, Maestro!