April 2, 2024

This interview was conducted by Michael Murphee ahead of our spring concert on May 5th.

What is a Maestro?

The meaning of the word is “a master, a teacher” especially as it comes to the art of music. Being called a “maestro” is also a sign of respect from fellow musicians toward a conductor. However, personally, I am not fond of being called a “maestro” by musicians with whom I work because I am not a master, yet, but a mere student of music.

How does a chamber orchestra differ from a full orchestra?

A chamber orchestra is just smaller than a full orchestra. Whereas compositions for a big orchestra generally include dozens of string players, a full assortment of wind and brass instruments, and a few percussionists, chamber orchestra music, as a rule, involves a noticeably smaller number of strings, a dozen wind players, and one timpanist.

What is an “erased” composer?

When it comes to classical music, just about everyone can name a composer or two. Maybe the first one who comes to mind is Beethoven, maybe it is Mozart, or Brahms, or Tchaikovsky, or perhaps even a few more. It is very difficult to believe, however, that in the course of time there were so few composers who deserve to be performed today. Some of those composers and their music were “erased” from history, especially in the case of women composers, because men dominated the profession and did not appreciate the competition. In other scenarios, it happened because of racial politics, societal attitudes, and so on. Lastly, some composers just didn’t make it through “natural selection.” The truth is that by complying with such reality of the past, we don’t serve justice to history and miss out on a whole lot of really good music.

An overture by Emilie Mayer is included in our upcoming concert. Who would be the greatest influence on Emilie Mayer’s work?

Emilie Mayer was a wonderful composer in her own right. She was prolific, praised by the critics, and popular during her lifetime. Mayer lived in the nineteenth century, and if you look at just about any composer who wrote symphonies then (and she composed eight symphonies!), it is very hard to find someone who was not inspired or influenced by Beethoven.

Why is the Prokofiev Overture of Jewish Themes included in this concert’s program?

The main factor in how I choose what to perform is that it has to be good music. Prokofiev’s music certainly falls into this category. Also, this piece has a fascinating history. It was written in 1919, at a time when many Jewish people were escaping from Russian pogroms. A few Jewish musicians who ended up in the United States approached Prokofiev in New York, offering him a notebook full of folk melodies collected from settlements in the Czarist Empire and asking him to compose a piece based on some of these themes. Shortly thereafter, Prokofiev, captivated by the beauty of the tunes, composed the Overture on Hebrew Themes in only two days. I can relate to this music from the bottom of my heart and love that we are bringing this piece to our audience.

What is a concerto?

Concerto is a genre in classical music. It is usually a large-scale piece that features a solo instrument, or sometimes two or more solo instruments, and is accompanied by an orchestra. “Large-scale” is relative. Vivaldi’s concertos from three hundred years ago, like the ones from The Four Seasons, are only about ten minutes long. Some of the longest concertos, especially from the early twentieth century, are much more extensive. For example, a piano concerto by Busoni, an Italian musician of that period, is a whopping seventy minutes long!

We are playing the Beethoven Triple Concerto this concert. Why did Beethoven write the triple concerto and why these instruments?

At the time of Beethoven, pieces of music were often commissioned by aristocratic employers and were written to fit the number of musicians available, the instruments they played, and their skill. Maybe it had something to do with Beethoven’s choice to write the Triple Concerto as well. As it is always true for Beethoven, this concerto is a piece of ultimate beauty and energy. The concerto is for violin, cello, and piano, and we are incredibly fortunate to have Ayaan, Lazar, and Andrew as the soloists. Each one of them is an impressive, talented, young musician with a bright musical future. I cannot wait to make music together with them, and especially, playing such a beast like Beethoven’s Triple.