Is Gergiev selling us short?

http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/081016-NL-Gergiev.html

I must say, it's not quite clear to me from this in what sense Gergiev is selling us short?

In particular, I find the allusion to Andre Previn hysterical - there's a good reason why the audiences noticed the orchestra rather than the conductor in those days ;-)

You're right, Lebrecht is a little vague on what he means exactly by 'selling us short', I can only presume that it is because LSO is not, nor is likely to ever be Gergiev's prime concern. I don't think, however, that this is necessarily as bad as Lebrecht seems to think, and I certainly don't see the LSO as 'subsidiary and bag-carrier of Gergiev global'. Yes, I think their programming could be a little more adventurous than the all-Russian offerings we get from Gergiev, but on the other hand, it is the repertoire where he clearly excels, and with which Gergiev has made his name - there's always Daniel Harding or Sir Colin Davis to provide a more European/contemporary scope.

In my opinion, contrary to Lebrecht's belief, the LSO brand is far from being damaged by Gergiev - the recording of the complete Prokofiev symphonies are easily identifiable as LSO and not just Gergiev - the intensity and depth to their playing has only improved since Gergiev's arrival, and they are comfortably in my top five orchestras of the world.