The violinist Nigel Kennedy has denounced star conductors as power-hungry egocentrics more interested in chasing money and prestige than developing a musical relationship with an orchestra.

In an interview with The Times, Kennedy attacked the practice by which many conductors spend only a few weeks with an orchestra, saying: “How many will develop an orchestra rather than feeding off its achievements? They’re straight off for the dollar. Round the corner to get a better job. All they’re interested in is strutting about, wielding a bit of power.

“A conductor can galvanise the troops and evolve an artistic programme and identity of style. If they only give five or ten weeks a year [to an orchestra], how can they do that?”

He declined to name any particular conductor, but added: “It’s difficult to think of an exception.”

Sir Simon Rattle is among the exceptions, having been with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for 18 years, and now the Berlin Philharmonic for almost six years.

However, Daniele Gatti will be giving only 20 concerts in his 2007-08 season with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), of which only six to eight will be in London – even though they are a London orchestra and he is their music director.

An RPO spokesman said that the number of his concerts with them was comparable with other orchestras.

Kennedy, considered the foremost violinist Britain has produced, derided conducting as an art. “Why would you want to stand there waving a stick when you could be playing an instrument?” he asked.

He particularly wanted Leonard Slatkin to conduct him and the RPO in the Elgar concerto tonight at the Royal Festival Hall, describing the conductor as one who “reads the score, respects what the composer does and works well with musicians”.

Told of Kennedy’s remarks, Slatkin agreed that the quality of a performance suffered if a conductor did not develop a relationship with an orchestra over time. “You wind up with a kind of one-size-fits-all performance. It may be a faithful performance, but it doesn’t take it to the next level.”

Since the death in 1998 of Klaus Tennstedt, Kennedy has struggled to form a meaningful relationship with a music director. Tennstedt once said: “I love that boy. He has ways of bringing out the dark, damnable side of music.”

Kennedy now prefers to lead an ensemble himself while playing. On April 14 EMI is to release his recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto, in which he directs the Polish Chamber Orchestra from the violin.

Noting that conductorless performances of Vivaldi and Bach, if not Beethoven, are now increasingly common, he intends to to try Brahms next “I’m not aware of anyone else having done it,” he said.

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