Sir J.E. Gardiner destroyed his credibility with one blow. The 80-year-old, outstanding authority, bunged the vocalist behind the scenes. First bitch slap, then with a fist.
I tried to imagine someone making me so angry that I punched him in the face. I couldn’t, even in potentially extreme situations. In addition, one of the most important elements of the conducting profession is composure.
How could it happen with the participation of such an authority, an icon of world culture? For 79 years nothing and suddenly a right hook. Or maybe it was the first skeleton in the cupboard that fell out?
Gardiner performed all of Bach’s church cantatas and wrote a book about it. There is so much in them about fear of God, humility and penance.