21st Century Conductor

From left to right, after the final concert on 6th November: Sung-Jun Park, Michael Zuckernik, Rei Hotoda, behind Rei, Jared Beyers, Vladimir Ponkin, Jeri Johnson, Simone Lattes, myself and Alexander Weinstock.

 

"Whoever is not a good person, cannot also be a good conductor." Vladimir Ponkin 

There were so many aspects to that weeklong conductors' masterclass in Weimar, its difficult to say which ones I should write about here.  What impressed me most was the teaching of Maestro Ponkin, head of conducting studies at Moscow Conservatory, the orchestra, Staatskapelle Weimar, and the diverse and wonderful talents of my colleagues on the course.

Running from the 31st October to the 6th of November, 2005, this course had 2 days of piano rehearsals with a wonderful repetiteur, Sascha, from the opera house, a day of score study techniques and talking about the music business, three days of work with the orchestra and the day of the concert.

On day one, the Sunday afternoon, Maestro had us work through basic warm-up exercises and techniques, followed by a bit of piano rehearsal so that we could all see who we were working with.  Ponkin really is a teacher as well as a great conductor, one of those rare people with x-ray eyes through your body and soul, who stands to lose nothing by helping you. It was clear from the beginning that this man was going to give a lot, and rightly expect a great deal from us. As we were all at different stages in our careers, what we had to give back existed not in the form of our brilliance, talent, musicianship or style, but rather in our ability to transform ourselves and give ourselves up to the process.

Erica Muhl and Vladimir Ponkin at the piano rehearsal

The Staatskapelle Weimar very quicky worked out what was going on with all of us and the course.  Their patience in facing 13 different conductors each day, covering Strauss' Don Juan, Tchaikowsky's Romeo and Juliet overture and Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks and Firebird 1919 was necessarily generous and their feedback to us during the coffee breaks was utterly valuable and compassionate.  What became important throughout the week was for us as a group of 13 highly competitive individuals to unite as a team and generate as much supportiveness and positivity as possible towards each other, Ponkin and the orchestra through this challenging learning process.

Ponkin would often let us start off on the podium, and then intevene mid-beat, shaping our right arm in front of the orchestra in the way he wanted us to move. A touch to the shoulders to relax, behind the knee to remind us of stability, a word about tempo, all going on as we held our nerve and worked with the orchestra. This was, in every sense, hands-on teaching. His roots lay in the school of Nicolai Malko, a much softer style than we often see today.

Most of us had experience of contemporary music and of groups that really did require a clear, basic beat with a lot of rehearsal, but this was a new level of psychology, of knowing when to let go of the musicians, when and how to intervene, how to develop power and control through the softest and smallest of gestures, of working in the box, and outside the box.

 Jeri, Sung Jun, myself and Jared exchanging e-mail addresses

Of all the conductors, I readily admired the women from the US the most.  Jerri Johnson  had already built a profile for herself and was working with Marin Alsop, as was Rei Hotoda from Chicago. Rei and I had a wonderful discussion about the cultural factors behind contemporary Japanese music, and is herself an expert in this field. Erica Muhl teaches composition at USC in LA. When she conducted, a world opened up infront of her.

                               

Rei Hotoda, Simone Lattes and myself at breakfast      

One week of intensive work like that feeds you much more than you're aware at the time, and it necessarily leads to a phase of consolidation for all of us.  The masterclass process is crucial for all of us as we carry on along our paths as conductors, to recover treasures from our own past learning, and open ourselves deeply to the real process of trust that new learning from a master requires.  Regardless of our strengths and weaknesses, those of us who chose to grow, did.

 

Just how many successful young conductors today can you think of, who "don't need" to give their skills a check-up with a masterclass? How hopeful of the future does this make you feel?

 

 

http://www.classicalarchives.com/artists/moscow_state_sym...

www.reihotoda.com

www.ericamuhl.com

http://www.nationaltheater-weimar.de/2004/index.html