Michael Tilson Thomas

His Mahler 6 with SFO is one of the best I have ever heard

He's dying from glioblastoma, the nearly 100% fatal brain tumor John McCain had. Diagnosed about a year ago.

Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring

R2 how terrible. Praying for him and his family

Michael Tilson Thomas on Desert Island Discs

A real cutie as a youth.

He and his husband, Joshua Robison, have been together forever. More than 50 years.

Tilson Thomas leading SFO in Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony.

An American I actually like

[quote] Eric Porter's new book is called "A People's History of SFO: The Making of the Bay and an Airport

Perhaps he did encounter Eric Porter.

MTT leading SFO and violinist Julia Fischer in Brahms violin concerto

MTT on Mahler

Nice article about them

I love him on Miami Vice! Did he ever get his EGOT?

R9 you're obsessed

Good looks? Ugh, not at all.

One of my favorite things MTT's been involved with is this TV program where he walks through the history and contours of The Rite of Spring.

His Nutcracker with the Philharmonia Orchestra (released in 1990) is fabulous. Yes, the Nutcracker has been done to death, and he's done it himself with many different orchestras. But still, an all-time fave.

Grandson of Boris Thomasshefsky

r16 TROS probably has some of the most brilliantly bizarre choreography of any ballet that exists. Nijinsky was a genius.

Doesn't work so well out of context, though.

His Mahler cycle with SFO is great.

A good American gay

Love his Tchaikovsky

Thanks so much for this post, OP. Had no idea about MTT's handsome husbear, or that they had a place in hippy-trippy (and beautiful) peaceful Bolinas up in Marin. Until COVID, he was always in the local press, was openly gay, but didn't have much to do with the gay community here, as far as I could tell. He was embedded in San Francisco high society. Have only attended one or two concerts at Davies - not my thing - but he was beloved by everyone. Sad to learn that he has glioblastoma, which is generally untreatable. It's so cute that they went to school together as tweens.

He was a protogee of Leonard Bernstein and I bet he's got some damned good stories.

I like him better than Bernstein

His rap name is Emm Tee Tee.

My go-to composer. Love him

I love his Mahler interpretations He adds wit and curiosity that a lot of conductors omit.

Didn’t he end his SF Sym career with the Mahler 8th? What a way to go.

Had a massive coke habit in his late 20s - mid 30s.

R29 Mahler 9th!

I like his Mahler 3, but the volume is so low, I have to turn it way up.

R32 why?

r33 Who knows?

I've had the (dis)pleasure of seeing him swish to the podium at Davies Symphony Hall.

You think Lenny ever tried to fuck him?

Not sure, R35, but I am sure you're a cunt.

I worked for a year or so at New World Symphony, the training symphony that MTT founded in 1987. MTT was beloved...by the musicians he was training, by donors (gevalt, the yentas were kvelling. A Thomashefksy no less!!), and most importantly, by audiences. And he deserves it. What a sweet, thoughtful man.

His husband, Joshua Robison, on the other hand, was a terror. This was in the late 80s, early 90s when Robison was "managing" MTT's career. His demands (on behalf of Thomas, no doubt) were so over the top, as to be risible. If rolling your eyes made noise, Robison's visits to the Development Office would have sounded like the percussion section of Firebird Suite. I once made the unforgiveable error of spelling his name RobiNson...with an N, on one of MTT's itineraries. Oy....In the right light, you can still see the scar.

Big MTT fan here. Robison....not so much.

R37 opposites attract

He looks like a a gay version of Martin Short.

Oh , wait

Martin Short IS gay.

Okay, R36. Perhaps mince would have been the more accurate term.

An MTT hater. Who'da thunk it?

R41 how can you hate him??

I saw him a few times when he was with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. I’m not an aficionado as such but some of his concerts were thrilling

LOVE him, OP. Only got to see him live once -- an all Gershwin program which he conducted beautifully. He's apparently been quite active still conducting and even premiering a new composition this year. Hopefully it's a good year for him. As you can see from his, IG, he was conducting in Zurich just three days ago.

And, I agree with someone else up thread, I think he was very attractive in his younger days.

He's great! A perfect guy

He’s very well hung, but I forget how I know this.

He's no Seiji Ozawa, whom I adored and who was very sweet to my mother on many occasions.

But Michael Tilson Thomas is/was a wonderful conductor. I hope that he's not suffering.

R47 Oooh I love Seiji Ozawa. I started a thread about him, too

Bump

I got invited by a friend to attend MTT conducting the SF Symphony on Jan 25. The selection was Mahler Symphony No. 5. An absolutely sublime evening of beautiful music. He received a lengthy standing ovation (and deserved every minute) and there was a lovely reception afterward honoring him. An evening to remember.

[quote] I've had the (dis)pleasure of seeing him swish to the podium at Davies Symphony Hall.

Sorry, I should have used the more accurate term "mince".

Meh, he’s no Rob Fisher.

He just conducted his last live performance, in Houston, Beethoven's Symphony No 9

He’s dead, Mr. Finch. Let the dead bury the dead.