Tim Page on Marin Alsop as she prepares to take the helm of the BSO:

“Right now, if I were asked whether I’d rather hear Temirkanov or Alsop in Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Sibelius, Shostakovich—in virtually any of the masterpieces in the standard repertory—I’d go for Temirkanov in a hummingbird’s heartbeat. But if I were asked who was more likely, over time, to bring in new audiences and board members, to win over Baltimoreans who may never have attended a classical concert, to help revitalize both the orchestra and the city in which it is rooted, Alsop might get the nod. These are important duties for a music director, too—especially now, especially here—and Alsop is nothing if not ambitious.”