Associated Musings

I’m thrilled to this week have the privilege of making my debut on the ISO’s classical subscription series, as I approach the end of my tenure here in Indy.  Most of the concerts I’ve conducted over my two seasons here have been on one rehearsal, and the musicians of the ISO are such pros that they can put together a good show on that kind of short schedule.  But without being too presumptuous, what I think the ISO players and I both live for is the chance to really delve into the details of the music, and refine the performance to the highest level possible – which is what we get the chance to do in a week like this one, where we have a full set of five rehearsals - and thus why I'm particular excited about this weekend's concerts!

This week’s program is both fulfilling and challenging in its variety, with a more recent composition by a living composer, Ke-Chia Chen, a host of different works for solo violin and orchestra, and Strauss’ Don Juan.  It occurs to me that while these works span over 150 years of musical history, they do have a common thread – all these pieces present different perspectives on romanticism.  Take Ke-Chia Chen’s piece, Broken Crystal, for example, written just a few years ago – it deals quite literally with a romantic subject, in that the crystal of the title is a metaphor for the human heart.  You can hear these intimate feelings evoked in the passionate, sweeping melodies, as well as in the raw heartache expressed in the final section.

One other subject that this kind of varied program has focused me on is the conductor’s role as the unifier of diverse creative forces, one of the great rewards and challenges of the art.  For example, with a very new piece by a very young composer, like we have in Broken Crystal, my job is to try to internalize the musical language and musical logic of the piece *without* the benefit of a large canon of other works by the same composer to give me context, or even long familiarity with the work itself – and then to communicate that to the orchestral players, who are also new to this music, in such a way that together we can make the composer’s vision real for the audience.  With works for soloist and orchestra, like we have with our two fantastic violinists this week, Bella Hristova and Augustin Hadelich, my ideal is to understand their interpretation so intimately that I’m on a virtually telepathic wavelength with them during the performance, constantly adjusting in the moment to their musical impulses and framing them in the best possible light.  And with a warhorse of the repertoire like Strauss’ Don Juan, I’m attempting to serve the composer’s vision of the piece while simultaneously giving it my personal stamp and honoring the fantastic musicianship and solo contributions of the ISO players.