The principal conductor who turns up to lead his orchestra for 10 or 12 weeks a year is a commonplace.

Why does it happen? Simply because there are many more orchestras than decent conductors. So leading maestros can make millions each year by jetting round the world as “guest conductors”, adding lustre to the schedules of orchestras who don’t have a hope of signing them to a permanent contract.

Long gone are the days when a great conductor, such as Yevgeni Mravinsky, spent 50 years lovingly nurturing a single orchestra – in his case, the Leningrad Philharmonic.

That’s not all bad news. Conductors and orchestras who are sick of each other produce bad performances. It can be to everyone’s advantage for both parties to flirt with other partners. And audiences soon get fed up with looking at the same conductor’s backside.

But a principal conductor who spends only a fifth of the year with his orchestra won’t be around enough for tasks such as auditioning new players, choosing repertoire, selecting soloists, sweet-talking sponsors – and building up a distinctive sound through constant rehearsal.

Opinions differ as to how much that matters. The Berlin Philharmonic believes in forging deep, long-lasting relationships with its chief conductors. Furtwängler and Karajan involved themselves in every aspect of the orchestra’s business, and now Rattle does the same. On the other hand, the Vienna Philharmonic has never had a principal conductor in its 166-year history. They don’t sound too shoddy.

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