February 23 - 25th

Jean-Claude Casadesus, conductor

Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin

Brahms: Violin Concerto`
Mahler: Adagio from Symphony No. 10
Dutilleux: Metaboles

Jean-Claude Casadesus	Frank Peter Zimmermann

Maestro Casadesus is the music director and founder of the Lille National Orchestra. Despite jet lag following his recent flight from France, he was kind enough to speak for a short while after our first rehearsal to violinist Ellen Pendleton and bassist David Sheets :

Does the orchestra you conduct in Lille feel like your own personal orchestra? How does conducting there compare to conducting other groups?

After thirty years we know a lot of things about each other and we've tried to build a sound. If you are a good musician you have in your head and your heart, your own sound and must find a way to translate your thoughts. We have become well respected as a good professional orchestra, which is a quite an achievement. The musicians and I tried to build a sense of quality, respect each other, and do our best every time. When I conduct other orchestras I have to work to harder to interest them, and be dignified as I pull the chariot as they will not forgive any mistakes. When I started the orchestra in Lille, the town had no symphonic life. It was a very industrial town. For our first concert we had 57 musicians onstage and 51 listeners. Now in the region we have 20,000 listeners and 6,000 subscribers Because I feel music is for all people, not just the rich or educated, we play for everyone. Children, factory workers, we even do two concerts a year for the prisons. Because of this, we have become integrated into every part of life in our city, and everyone feels that they own a part of the symphony. Thirty years ago we started playing for the children, and now those children are parents who come to our concerts as parents with their own kids. This is very important.

An unusual piece on our program this week is "Metaboles" by Henri Dutilleux. Have you met him?

Of course! He celebrated his 90th birthday last month.

Do you have a relationship with him and this piece?

My first recording was of his first symphony in 1977, for which we won an award. He was very cross because we recorded without him, and came to my house saying "...but I wasn't there, and I'm very worried!" I told him "Just listen, and we'll talk afterwards." He did, and was pleased with what he heard. I've known him for 40 years and he trusts me with his music.

What would you tell someone who has never heard Dutilleux to listen for?

I would tell them to hear it live. If you are not in touch with contemporary music, it is important to see how it works. Its better than listening to a recording, especially if you also can see the conductor rehearse. This orchestra has never played this piece before, and it is very tricky. I was very suprised and pleased to see the level of concentration. We are nearly ready to perform the piece tomorrow! The musicians respect themselves enough to prepare and concentrate, and its important to know how something like this begins. Music is really a way of life, because of the discipline involved.

You seem to come from a long line of creative people. Do you think that it's genetic?

My mother is 91 and she still acts. She and my father who is nearly 100 didn't want me to be a musician, because they were worried about the problems of our job. My grandfather had an orchestra with all of his brothers and sisters because my great grandfater decided that all of his children would be musicians. To earn money, he played in nightclubs and when he came back home he would sometimes wake his children at two in the morning quizzing them by saying "what is this note?" and making them name it. He had fourteen children, and nine survived. All of them became musicians.

Is there anyone in your family who is not involved in the arts?

There is one nurse. We joke that she has to be the one to keep the rest of us all mentally healthy!

It is almost as if you're the first family of creativity in France!

It was said to my mother many years ago that there is always a Casadesus at the conservatory, and actually my grandson is there now!

Click here to visit Maestro Casadesus' website

Click here to browse some of Frank Peter Zimmerman's many recordings

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February 14th - 21st

This week the BSO musicians are again doing double-duty. One half of us are playing the 4th program in our "Superpops" series, and the other half are playing educational concerts for children. In our childrens' concerts, our principal trombonist Chris Dudley takes center stage. Percussionist Brian Prechtl spoke with him before our one rehearsal for the program:

This is a very exciting week for you.

It is!

This is the third time you’ve done this show. What is that like in comparison with say, the first time?

It’s interesting, because it’s a whole other set of anxieties. The first time I thought “will it work?” Now I know it works, and It’s more like… will I remember it? (laughter) But actually after the rehearsal tomorrow, I think I’ll settle in and have a lot of fun with it.

What makes the show work?

I think that it’s mainly because it takes the kids right where they are – right where they’re sitting in their seats, and it shows them a progression toward how they could move into the world of playing a musical instrument themselves.

So is that your hope - that some kid will walk out of every performance saying, “I could do that”?

It is! And what’s really great is that I often run into parents who say, “ You’re that trombonist from the BSO. It’s been seven years since we saw your show, but it’s because of that performance that my daughter decided to become a musician.”

Wow what a success that is – for everyone! What are you thoughts on music education today and what our responsibilities are as artists in the field?

It’s certainly very different from when you and I were younger. These days there are so many choices for kids. When we were kids almost everybody played in the band or sang in a choir. It was part of the social fabric when we were growing up. It’s not that way anymore for kids. Now, too often we demonstrate music to kids instead of letting kids learn what it feels like to grow through music.

If I am a kid going to this show this week, what is going to be my favorite part of the show?

Well, it could be several things. I always get a great response from the Herbie Hancock tune called “Chameleon”. It has just a great groove – kids love it. And then there is a place in the show where Darth Vader shows up in the show and it always gets the kids pretty excited.

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February 9th - 11th Thomas Wilkins, conductor Paquito D'Rivera, clarinet Glinka: Jota Aragonesa Gershwin: Cuban Overture Copland: Danzon Cubano Lecuona/Grofe: Malaguena Piazzolla: Aconcagua Piazzolla: Oblivion Freedman: Conga from Oiseaux Exotiques

Ilya Finkelshteyn		Paquito D'Rivera

Thomas Wilkins

Conducting us this week is Thomas Wilkins , Resident Conductor of the Detroit Symphony and Music Director of the Omaha Symphony.
Violinist Ellen Pendleton Troyer had a conversation with him today during a break between our two rehearsals:

Our concert this week has a lot of Spanish, Cuban, and Latino influences. Do you approach this music from a different angle than say, a Brahms symphony?

To answer your second question...No, because the musical elements such as balance, bow distribution, etc. are the same. There is overt "spice" in this music. In Brahms sometimes you have to remind people that a piece is from his gypsy influences for example and that element is there in a subtle way, but this is just heart-on-your-sleeve, very emotional music. Paquito and I were talking about the Cuban overture, and he said that if he were doing this sort of music at home he wouldn't even give music to the players. He'd just put instruments in their hands and they'd just do it. The idea is to try to do what is on the page but also create a certain amount of freedom to allow for that sort of feeling.

In addition to being the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony, you've recently been named Music Director of the Omaha Symphony. Will your approach to connecting with audiences (both children and adults) change when going from a big city like Detroit to a smaller one like Omaha?

No. The thing that turns me on the most about being a conductor is getting people to fall in love with classical music. I don't care how old they are, and I may as a matter of fact be the first Music Director in Omaha's history ever to do children's concerts. We have a resident conductor who does that, but I'm stealing a couple from him because its really personal mission for me. I discovered my life's calling at a children's concert, so I take them very seriously. We still have fun of course, but its something I am gifted at and something I think I should be doing. Now that I'm the boss, I can say I'm going to do children's concerts. It's amazing to me how often I hear from adults who say they prefer those because they actually get to learn something.

What do you think is the most important thing for a first time audience member to listen for in a symphony concert?

I often refer to the orchestra as a great living example of a community. It's a diverse group of people working together for a common good. Especially when you get outside of the string family, none of the instruments sound alike. They all have different degrees of power and yet they must figure out a way to work together, and they do in such a way that they create some of the greatest creations of mankind. I want audiences to see first of all that it's amazing that 100 people can agree to such an extent that this beautiful "product" happens, on a very human level. The other thing I want them to see is just how versitile and powerful the orchestra is, and that they're witnessing history being re-created before their very ears. Its not the same as listening to a compact disc, because that performance is going to be exactly the same every time. A listener at a concert gets to see just how involved real human beings are in creating this thing that has taken you to a place you may have not known existed.

Musical education is obviously very important to you. Does having two daughters at home influence how you reach out to young listeners?

I have twin 13 year old girls. I was of course doing children's concerts long before I had children, but they help me figure out the kinds of things kids are talking about today, and I have often bounced ideas off them to see if it made sense to them. It's been cool to use them as resources. I can call them up and say "what exactly is 'quidage'?"

Click here to visit Paquito's site

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February 2 - 5th

Günther Herbig, conductor

Philip Munds, horn

Stucky: Anniversary Greeting
Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 3, K. 447
Bruckner: Symphony No. 9

Günther Herbig	Phil Munds

Violinist Ellen Pendleton Troyer and bassist David Sheets had a quick chat with Maestro Herbig in his dressing room after today's rehearsal:

You've had a long and highly acclaimed association with the music of Bruckner. Was there a particular musician who inspired you early on, or have you always felt a closeness with his music?

I think I have always felt a closeness. The combination of musical mastery and very spiritual meanings of his pieces is something that has attracted me from the very beginning. It was a personal connection.

Of all the Bruckner Symphonies, is there one that you particularly enjoy conducting?

Usually the one I have just been rehearsing!

>Do you believe there is a thread between the symphonies of Bruckner that you always try to find a connection with?

There is a very silly saying that has been around since Bruckner's time that he wrote the same symphony nine times and nothing could be further from the truth. In each symphony he is mainly interested in and struggling with one particular thing. For instance in the fifth symphony it is counterpoint, with this big double fugue. Number six is his experimentation with rhythm, where he puts six against four, and three against two. In number seven there is this incredible invention of beautiful melodies. In the first movement, the first subject and the whole slow movement are just sheer beauty. Then, his experimentation in going to the limits of tonality the ninth symphony is very interesting. In what we just played [the last movement of the ninth symphony], this terrible chord shortly before the end has nine semitones in it! It is to my knowledge, the most dissonant chord written up to that time. I don't know of any chord anywhere in the symphonic literature previously, which is so dissonant. Later on of course Shostakovich writes a chord in his fourth symphony with all 12 semitones, but this ten semitone climax is certainly an evocation of the last judgement.

The BSO and our audience have had the opportunity to enjoy a lot of Bruckner's symphonies with you at the helm.

This particular Bruckner symphony was first work of Bruckner's that I conducted with the Baltimore Symphony, I think around 1982. I had two weeks. The first week was Brahms 1st symphony, and the second week was the Bruckner.

Are there any lesser known pieces you would like to see programmed, and can we look forward to performing any of those with you?

Yes, we will perform the sixth symphony by Martinu. This is a very very beautiful and very interesting piece, which is a combination of Czech folk music and impressionist writing.

On a non-musical subject, do you have a favorite place to eat when you are here?

I can eat anything, because I have to in my profession! I only rejected something once. In Singapore I got a soup which tasted very very strange, and found the foot of a chicken floating inside the bowl! The waiter was very understanding when I told him that I didn't think this was the right food for me, and I was certainly not the first westerner who had this thought.

There haven't been any problems like that in Baltimore so far?

No, never! [laughs] I enjoy going out to Chinese, Japanese, Indian, or Italian restaurants here, or I sometimes just eat in the hotel which also has very good food.

So, we keep you well fed here?

Oh yes, too much! I always gain weight!

Brian Prechtl had a chance to spend a few minutes with this weeks soloist, Phil Munds, principal horn of the BSO.

Hi Phil. You have the distinction of being the first musician from the orchestra to be interviewed in this space. Are you honored?”

Absolutely.

What’s it like working with Herbig?

So far we’ve only had a radio interview so the rehearsal we are about to have will be our first. However, I am a huge fan of Herbig. He’s a consummate gentleman – incredibly insightful, musically and one of the more pleasant conductors out there.

When was the last time you played this particular concerto?

We’ve done it a few times this past year as sort of a preview. In December we performed it on a run-out to the Eastern shore, and the 3rd movement was included on a preview concert for this years subscription series last summer. Before that it has been about 5 years since I played it. That was with with the Prince William Symphony Orchestra.

The horn is a prominent solo instrument in the orchestra. What’s different about playing a concerto as opposed to the numerous horn solos you are responsible for in the orchestra?

First of all, location makes a huge difference. Suddenly when everyone’s eyes and ears are on you it can make you feel vulnerable and unprotected. When I’m sitting in the back of the orchestra surrounded by my friends and colleagues there’s a comfort level that you don’t have when you are standing out front. Also, it’s a very different sound experience in the front of the stage. From the section, a horn player’s sound tends to blossom, however at the front of the stage the sound seems dry. It feels immediate, so you hear a lot of the surface texture of the sound that is less apparent from the back of the ensemble.

Is there anything else that you’ve done in you life that compares to this experience.

There really isn’t anything as intense as standing up in front of all of you r colleagues in such a naked state. Except for a sailing trip that I took once with my friend, Brian where we almost died.

Please don’t remind me. (laughter) So it sounds like sailing is an interest. What else takes up your time outside of the orchestra?

Sailing is my other passion in life. I try to spend as much time as possible on the water – either sailing or fixing my boat - which anyone who owns a boat can tell you is what you do most of the time. I also like to run, cycle and spend time with the family.

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