December 2008

10 minutes with... Kent ?Nagano

The Munich-based, California-born conductor will lead the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's first 30th anniversary concert this January

WORDS SABINA-LEAH FERNANDEZ

You're conducting the first concert for SSO's 30th anniversary on 9 January. Have you been to Singapore before?
It’s my first time and I’m very curious about the city. I’ve heard so much about its cosmopolitanism, dynamism and unique sights and charms.

Did you want to be a conductor from an early age?
Well, I always wanted to be a musician. Music touched and fascinated me in my early years and I was lucky to have a good and exceedingly educated teacher. But I also had other perspectives, for example, architecture or jurisprudence (the theory and philosophy of law). The last, I have been studying for a few semesters.

What instruments do you play?
The viola, and of course the piano.

The piece you're conducting, Elektra, is quite dark.
Elektra is not the most famous of Richard Strauss’ operas but it is radical, haunting and fascinating. The libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal is based on a Greek drama about a horrible family tragedy. It explores the darker limits of the human psyche looking at life as an expression of inconceivable demonic possession.

What's your definition of a good performance?
When I feel the spirit of the music and the interaction between the audience and the performers. This produces an unmistakable atmosphere in the hall.

What happens behind the scenes?
Hard work. The constant studying of scores and the transfer of one’s own readings and investigations to the musicians — all that demands discipline.

What do you say to people who think classical music is dull and dated?
Open your ears! Listen! Classical music is anything but boring. The repertoire of classical music is incredibly rich. There is something for everyone: drama, atmosphere, expression, passion and emotion.

Kent Nagano – Elektra is on 9 January 2009 at ?Esplanade Concert Hall.
Visit www.sso.org.sg for the ?full year’s programme.