Becoming a conductor (III)

After having worked in the opera for many years, I now wanted to deepen my training in the symphonic field. The German opera landscape presents a considerable range of opportunities for young pianists and conductors to find their way into the profession. However, there are only a few symphony orchestras that offer apprenticeship positions. It was time to broaden the view and look for options outside Germany. And indeed one day I received an invitation to audition for the assistant conductor position with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

A turbulent arrival

My first audition was unsuccessful. But a year later, the orchestra gave me another chance to audition. Due to a heavy storm this time, I missed my connecting flight in Dublin. I had to go on an odyssey via Shannon, London, and NYC to arrive in Boston at 5 am, only four hours before the audition started. I couldn’t actually believe that I had made it to Boston in time.

I didn’t feel ready to conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a world-class ensemble famous through reference recordings led by legendary conductors like Erich Leinsdorf and Charles Munch. I had tremendous respect for the orchestra and I was really nervous during my audition. I will never forget the beautiful sound the musicians made in Brahms’ Symphony №4 and in Debussy’s La Mer and the sense of rhythm they showed in Le Sacre du Printemps.

Being part of the family

Exhausted after the audition, it was very moving to hear the orchestra’s CEO say “Welcome to the family.” I was going to depart on a 3-year tenure with the BSO. We were two assistant conductors, each one covering half the Symphony Hall season and half of Tanglewood, the orchestra’s summer residence in the Berkshires. We had to be ready to step in at any time, which meant much studying. It was a great privilege to learn from a world-class orchestra and great conductors, who had completely different musical approaches.

Learning from conductors

Among the most inspiring maestros I got to work with were Andris Nelsons, Charles Dutoit, and François-Xavier Roth. Each of them inspired me in a different way. Andris encouraged me to be myself and taught me the importance of trusting an orchestra. He has the gift to bring something special to life in a concert. Charles Dutoit combines elasticity and flexibility with accuracy and efficient use of rehearsal time. I admired his musicality and elegance and I always looked forward to his weeks in Boston. François-Xavier Roth radically changed the sound of the orchestra within minutes. He showed me a structural approach to music.

Learning from the orchestra

Observing the Boston Symphony Orchestra almost every week taught me what is needed from a conductor. The musicians are real masters of their instruments, who will sort out most technical problems by themselves. You start rehearsing at a very high level.

It was interesting to see that, at times, conductors with a solid technique and a precise imagination of musical details didn’t manage to achieve better results than the orchestra would have offered anyway. At the same time, a great conductor is able to elevate the orchestra’s potential to something really special.

A unique feature of the Boston Symphony assistant conductor position is the opportunity to work with the orchestra in one’s own right. My first program featured Mozart’s Jeunehomme Concerto with Nelson Freire and Mahler’s First Symphony at Tanglewood. Later, I got to conduct further programs at Symphony Hall and at Tanglewood, which were all important milestones for me.

Departure

After three years with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, I decided to set out into a new era. Although it was a scary move, I felt that the years of apprenticeship in both opera and symphony were a solid basis for an independent future as a conductor.

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