An interview with Leonard Slatkin in the Sunday Los Angeles Times incorrectly reported that he had "relinquished" his title as music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the conductor says.
Slatkin, a native of Los Angeles, is back in his hometown this week to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday and Thursday nights. He was profiled in the Los Angeles Times in conjunction with those concerts.
In setting forth Slatkin's series of misfortunes in recent years, from his heart attack in November 2009 to the fiasco of attempting to conduct Verdi's "La Traviata" at the Metropolitan Opera last year, the interviewer turned to the DSO's six-month strike last season.
Slatkin is then quoted as saying, "I turned back four weeks of my own salary and relinquished my title as music director, in addition to taking an overall 34-percent cut — in hopes that people would get the message."
Asked in an email whether he had in fact resigned as music director, Slatkin replied late Sunday night: "I never relinquished the title. I relinquished a portion of my music director fee, which is separate from the salary I draw as conductor. In addition I contribute a generous sum to the annual fund."
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110823/ENT01/108230310/Don’t-believe-L.A.-Times--Slatkin-still-music-director-for-DSO#ixzz1VqzziDDs
