CBSO artistic director Andris Nelsons has taken up a new position in the US. He talks to Christopher Morley about the challenges ahead on either side of the Atlantic.
When I first registered 鈥淎ndris Nelsons鈥 as a daily Google alert for me I began to receive a barrage of references to some American baseball-player or other, followed by a few mentions of the young conductor who was 鈥渓eading鈥 (as the Americans say) our City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Gradually the baseball chap took three strikes, and the musical Nelsons took centre stage.
A couple of years ago the American press became full of rumours that Nelsons was set to become the next music director of the august Boston Symphony Orchestra, having made a spectacular debut standing-in for the ailing James Levine.
And now those rumours have come true, Nelsons having accepted that position, which begins at the start of the 2014-15 concert season, the end of which sees the termination of his permanent contract with the CBSO (there will be a rolling contract year-on-year after that). And Google alert is once again bursting.
鈥淎s I remember, you once asked me one-and-a-half years ago about Boston,鈥 Andris tells me from Amsterdam, where he is preparing for a concert with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
鈥淎t that moment I didn鈥檛 know anything, and nobody else did! Really, this decision has been made recently; for whatever reasons, they took time, but then actually that decision was made very quickly.鈥
Andris has told me several times how much he hates flying. How is he going to cope with all this travelling, especially as he still lives in his hometown of Riga?
鈥淭here are so many things where I thought how I鈥檇 manage. I鈥檓 very Europe-orientated, but I think in my mind, and in any other people鈥檚 minds, this is founded in the city. And also in America, there is that tradition for city orchestras; and that was very familiar to me. It is not so far away.
鈥淏ut of course, flying! This is something I have to overcome. Of course I鈥檓 flying every week, and at the end it鈥檚 just six more hours away from Riga; put the two hours from Birmingham, and it鈥檚 just a little more flying,鈥 Andris stoically declares.
But how will he spend all those long lonely hours? Will he be able to work?
鈥淎t the moment I鈥檓 thinking about sleeping! I can鈥檛 normally study on planes.鈥
And how about the effect this appointment will have upon Andris鈥 family life? He and his wife, international soprano Kristine Opolais have a 17th-month-old daughter Adriana.
鈥淚t sounds like a big challenge, and a certain direction towards the American east coast. Because of course being the music director in Boston I have my duties, and I want to feel the same extraordinary feelings as what I feel with the CBSO in Birmingham, with the audiences as well, and with the people involved.
鈥淥f course it takes time. And of course my wife Kristine, she is singing quite a lot with the Metropolitan in New York in the future, at least twice a year, and that鈥檚 four hours鈥 drive away from Boston, so we can be together a lot more.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of planning, a lot of expectations, and challenges as well. I think that the model for me, for great relationships in an extraordinary way with orchestras, comes from Birmingham. That is something very unique. I don鈥檛, I can鈥檛 wish better, you know, I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 possible!
鈥淚 have my love for the CBSO, and we are completing our journey at least until 2015. And we try to work forward, always in the sense that the planning and the practicalities.
鈥淎nd I will always have two great loves, and in my heart that鈥檚 for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and then for the Boston Symphony Orchestra as well. I mean, there are many conductors having two orchestras, and that is comfortable. The Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of America鈥檚 greatest, and among those that鈥檚 the closest to my heart, and I鈥檓 very happy that I can work with such an orchestra, and I really want to make a great family with them.
鈥淚n the mean time, I have another family which is the CBSO, which is extraordinary and we already have done so many things together, and looking forward to many things in the future again.
鈥淚t came all so sudden to me, the time between me knowing and everyone knowing was not very big at all. But in a way, it was very similar I remember to when I first came to Birmingham. It was very sudden, it was a very quick decision.鈥
Andris has often told me how much he would like to be around for the 2020 centenary of the CBSO鈥檚 founding.
鈥淵es, that was the thing I was thinking that I would stay,鈥 he admits. 鈥淚 should leave earlier, or I should stay for the 2020. So I don鈥檛 know what will exactly happen in that extraordinarily important year. I really can鈥檛 tell how long I will be in my position with the CBSO. It鈥檚 planning, planning. How much time do I have for Birmingham and Boston, for guesting, particularly with Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, and that鈥檚 as far as I can see.鈥
As our conversation ends, Andris is keen to emphasise his attachment to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. 鈥淵ou know, I love the CBSO extremely. You know, I actually spoke with Sir Simon (Rattle), who called me after hearing the news, to congratulate me about Boston. So we spoke about things, we talked about Berlin (which Rattle leaves in 2018, and Nelsons has been touted as a possible successor), and about CBSO.
鈥淎nd I think the CBSO is always open in his heart with a special feeling. It is an orchestra which really love their conductor, I think. I wish I would, but I don鈥檛 think I would ever receive such a love from an orchestra like I felt from the CBSO.
鈥淏ut I wish that every conductor felt as happy as me, being in charge of the CBSO.鈥
Ready for a season of great celebration
*听 General public booking opens on May 30 for the CBSO鈥檚 2013-14 Birmingham concert season, its sixth under Andris Nelsons鈥 music directorship.
Various anniversaries are celebrated during the series: the centenary of Stravinsky鈥檚 almost literally ground-breaking Rite of Spring, the birth in that same 1913 year of Benjamin Britten with a choral tribute from the CBSO鈥檚 celebrated choruses under choral director Simon Halsey (who has recently announced his 2016 retirement from the directorship of the Berlin Radio Chorus), and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss.
The Strauss celebration features Andris Nelsons conducting the epic Symphonia Domestica, Don Juan, the Four Last Songs (Erin Wall the soprano soloist), and a concert-performance of his wonderfully nostalgic opera Der Rosenkavalier. There are other operatic offerings, too: Bartok鈥檚 terrifyingly expressionistic Duke Bluebeard鈥檚 Castle conducted by principal guest conductor Edward Gardner, bringing his expertise from his position at the helm of English National Opera, and, absolutely diametrically opposite, Gilbert and Sullivan鈥檚 deliciously witty and satirical Trial by Jury, John Wilson conducting.
Edward Gardner is at the helm for what promises to be a wonderful experience: the complete cycle of Mendelssohn symphonies, returning the CBSO to its previous home, Birmingham Town Hall, where the spirit of Mendelssohn, who was so much involved in this wonderful building鈥檚 early years, still hovers.
Five premieres beckon, from Birmingham Conservatoire graduate Charlotte Bray, Brett Dean, the award-winning (with involvement from Birmingham Contemporary Music Group) Gerald Barry , Francisco Coll and Hans Abrahamsen.
We can look forward to f guest soloists, including violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, pianist (among his many other talents) Thomas Ades, trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger, and Benjamin Grosvenor, the most exciting young pianist of his generation, and here making his CBSO debut. There are too many goodies on offer to mention individually, but I must just single out one, the concert on April 26 when John Storgards conducts the CBSO Chorus and Youth Chorus in Holst鈥檚 Hymn of Jesus (Sakari Oramo still owes me a return of my score and CD of that), Bernstein鈥檚 Chichester Psalms, and Walton鈥檚 Belshazzar鈥檚 Feast, Mark Stone the baritone soloist.
*听Booking details on 0121 345 0603 or www.cbso.co.uk
