Sunday, February 27, 2000
Maestro Santora reviews CCO
28-year-old among possible conductors
BY JANELLE GELFAND
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Mischa Santora became a conductor by chance. Growing up in the home of a professional violinist, he had planned to be a violinist, like his father.
But while he was studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he had to give up the idea.
“I ran into hand problems and could not not play for a while,” says Mr. Santora, 28, who was born to Hungarian parents in Holland, and grew up in Lucerne, Switzerland. “I tried out the conducting program. From there, one thing followed another. I became more involved in conducting, and found it fascinating.”
Since graduating three years ago, Mr. Santora has been turning heads as the music director of the New York Youth Symphony. It's a crack ensemble of musicians aged 12-22 that plays in Carnegie Hall. Mr. Santora's guest artists have included the soprano Benita Valente, violinist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman.
He will make his Cincinnati debut when he takes a turn on the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra podium today in Memorial Hall.
Because every guest maestro is a candidate for CCO music director, the Enquirer is asking each one the same questions.
Question: What is the most exciting thing to happen to you recently?
Answer: It's scary to see a huge picture of yourself in the paper, but that's not my answer (laughs). I had a terrific time listening recently to a performance of (Schoenberg's) Gurrelieder, with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Simon Rattle at Carnegie Hall. The piece is rarely done, so whenever you have a chance to hear it, it's a privilege, especially a performance like that.
Q: In a city with a major orchestra like the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, how does the Chamber Orchestra fit into the musical scene?
A: I really need to know a little bit more about the town and makeup of the audiences. It shouldn't be a competition; it should be a complement to the symphony — an extension or an addition.
The Chamber Orchestra is very different, even if you program the same pieces. For instance, the same Beethoven symphony performed by the CSO is very different with six violins (the size of the Chamber Orchestra's first violin section).
I'd like to know more about what kind of audience the CCO attracts. Are they similar people, or very different? Younger, older, or more of a hip kind of crowd? I have a sense that it is less formal, which is great.
Q: What programming ideas do you have?
A: I find it very important that the orchestra is excited about a program and that I'm excited.
I went through the repertoire for the last three or four seasons, and two things occurred to me: I see very little baroque, which is a great thing to do with a chamber orchestra.
Secondly, I don't see any choral repertoire. I think it would be terrific. Many things can be done with a smaller chorus, (such as) oratorios and cantatas that you don't want to do in a hall with 3,400 seats.
Q: How do you see the whole art of programming?
A: I could talk for an hour about this. I'm in favor of new music and of commissioning pieces, in whatever format that is done. It could be in the shape of a competition or of a resident composer.
I have an interesting experience with the New York Youth Symphony (called) First Music, an important platform for young American composers. We commission four composers annually, so we have a premiere on every concert.
It's important to know that not everything will be great. The point is to try to get the best.
Q: What is the most important role of the music director?
A: How many items can I name? To try to make the orchestra sound its very best, that's what a conductor first and foremost has to do. And, to create an environment where that can happen and where an orchestra can flourish in a community.
Q: What is your philosophy on participation in the community where you work?
A: It's very important. If that's a way to promote the orchestra, to gain support, and win an audience, to do some educational concerts and outreach activities is extremely important.
Q: Should the chamber orchestra have a responsibility to educate the public about classical music?
A: If an orchestra can take on an educational function, that's terrific. But I don't think it's ideal, because what ends up happening is the orchestra does the job the schools should be doing. But in the short run, it could improve musical education in this country.
Q: How do you impress your interpretation of the music on 32 fine musicians?
A: Laughs. I'll try. I find that when you have a strong concept of something, people go along with it. I think it's extremely important to really know what you want to hear, and somehow try to communicate it, whether it's physical, verbal or both. There needs to be flexibility on both sides. Just as the bass accompaniment listens to a big flute solo, so will I have to listen to that solo.
Q: Who are some of your favorite composers?
A: This is a subjective list: Bach, Mozart and Wagner. Objectively speaking, it's hard to make any kind of list. A Beethoven symphony — music doesn't get to be much better than that. That's not to say that Brahms is not a first-rate composer.
Q: What would you like to see in the orchestra's future?
A: I'd like to know about recording and broadcasting opportunities. It's good to make the orchestra more known, depending on where you broadcast. If there's any way for NPR (National Public Radio), it would be better. The other thing is touring, which is another aspect of making a good ensemble known.
IF YOU GO
• What: Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Mischa Santora, conductor; Nicolas Kendall, violin.
• When: 3 p.m. today. • Where: Memorial Hall, Over-the-Rhine.
• Tickets: $2-$18. 723-1182.
• Preconcert: Lecture for adults by Mr. Santora; Small Talk (for kids) to learn about musicians and their instruments, 2:30 p.m.
• The program: Stravinsky, Pulcinella Suite; J.S. Bach, Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor; Beethoven, Symphony No. 4.
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