The Last Competition
Copenhagen, Denmark
Sorry for the long hiatus. Two years of real life happened, much of it good, some of it challenging. But now that my doctoral work has come to a close (a successful one, I might add), it’s time once more to look ahead to the future.
I leave for Copenhagen, Denmark for the Malko Competition in less than a week. From everything I hear, Copenhagen will be an experience to remember. It will also be wonderful to catch up with old friends, once again. The conducting world is a small community; even if we have never met one another, chances are we still know of each other’s work.
The repertoire is as wonderful as the setting: Mozart’s Symphony No. 35, Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 and Tragic Overture, Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Ravel’s Tzigane, a new commission by Penderecki and Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies Nos. 4, 5, and 6.
As I have been closing chapters in my life, I have been doing some reminiscing. This is the last competition that I will compete in, for any number of reasons, including my age. This competition is also a bit strange in that I feel like I am reliving my childhood through this repertoire, since my familiarity with much of it dates back to my early years. I remember listening to the Rimsky-Korsakov as a teenager, and later Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 during my undergraduate. I’ve also been thinking back to the time I played Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, my first Penderecki experience. It’s interesting to see how much his style has changed since then. I conducted Der Freischütz with a talented youth orchestra once in my younger years as well. In all of my scores, when I look at my notes and markings, I remember these experiences, what was going on in my life and where my musical thought was focused. It’s surely a sign that I have not been busy enough, probably. But, on the upside it is a tremendous feeling of satisfaction, in a way, to see your growth when revisiting these pieces. For me, the journey has been a long one.
I have learned to leave all expectations at the door, but I am honored to have been invited by Maestro Lorin Maazel, whose recordings comprised a healthy chunk of my CD collection during my youth. Se dig i Danmark!
April 29, 2012 Leave a comment