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!