Latin passion blends with Vienna precision
Colombian-born conductor Andres Orozco-Estrada led the famed Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert at a packed Shanghai Oriental Art Center this week. The performance also featured Chinese pianist Yuja Wang.
The 41-year-old Orozco-Estrada, who also holds Austrian citizenship, is currently principle conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and a principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Last year, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra announced that Orozco-Estrada would become its chief conductor in the 2021-22 season.
Andres Orozco-Estrada conducts a concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Shanghai.
Born in Medellin, Colombia, Orozco-Estrada studied music and learned to play violin before taking conducting classes at the age of 15. He moved to Vienna when he was 19, where he studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts. The city has since become his permanent home.
Orozco-Estrada talked with Shanghai Daily ahead of the performance in Shanghai.
Q: You have lived in Vienna for over 20 years. Can you tell us about your relationship with the city and with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra?
A: Vienna is certainly a city with a lot of history and culture, especially in the field of classical music. The city offered me a lot of possibilities and great opportunities. For example, to learn from famous artists during their rehearsals and to get to know great soloists and well-known orchestras with their music interpretations in rehearsals and concerts.
For me personally, in the beginning of my years in Vienna, I sang in a choir, the Wiener Singverein. There I had the great opportunity to be on stage in the Musikverein. I was working together with orchestras while standing opposite to conductors. The experience gave me the opportunity to observe the conductors, which helped me a lot in the latter part of my career.
During my study at the University of Music and Performing Arts, I was often allowed to sit in on rehearsals in the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus, listening to famous orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic.
When I was working as music director of the Tonkunstler Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic invited me for a concert after the original conductor canceled his performance. I agreed to jump in but requested a change from one piece that I didn’t like. The concert went well, and that was kind of the beginning of my cooperation with the Vienna Philharmonic. Since then, we have performed seven or eight times together.
Q: In Shanghai, you conducted Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor and Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring.” How do you approach those two works?
A: In Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, the soloist’s part is very much in the center, but the work is also very symphonic and we go through the world of sound with diverse emotions and rich virtuosity.
The “Rite of Spring” also features a combination of great virtuosity in the orchestra. There are many solos in the rhythmically charged music. In addition, there is a kind of sound painting in the piece — a ballet in pictures — allowing one to imagine it perfectly through the music itself. This is my goal: if you sit in the concert as an audience knowing or without knowing the story, I hope that you can understand the colors, facets and emotions of the music through our interpretation.
Andres Orozco-Estrada will become the chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in the 2021-22 season.
Q: There are a lot of experienced and veteran musicians in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. How do you, as a young conductor, lead them and express yourself to them?
A: I ask myself the same question every day. On one hand, I explain myself with my techniques, movements, and I show my inner energy without saying a word when conducting. On the other hand, I communicate with the orchestra in real words. For example, “The Rite of Spring” is not a work like a Beethoven symphony or a Brahms piece, which the orchestra plays every week. So I need to find a way to make the orchestra find a stronger connection with the work.
I need to be well organized and clear about the piece myself, and find the balance between how much you control and how much you let the orchestra play and we all become part of the music wave.
Q: Could you comment on Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, who will appear on the stage with you in Shanghai?
A: This is our first cooperation, and I like her very much. She plays sensitively and presents a lot of colors with the piano. She has not only fast fingers, but also the ability to create different atmospheres. She has a ‘free style” in the sense that she played a little bit differently — in a positive way — every night during rehearsals. Therefore, I asked the entire orchestra to be extra awake and attentive so as to keep well connected with her. It was a wonderful experience.
The Shanghai concert also featured Chinese pianist Yuja Wang.
Q: In the 2021-22 season, you will take over the position of principal conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Will you maintain the orchestra’s tradition or do some exploration regarding choice of programs and performing style, given that you were born into a different culture?
A: It was very interesting for me to experience cultural enrichment. I come from Colombia. I can dance, jump or make funny looks, given my typical South American personality. On the other hand, I understand the value of strictness, organization, stereotypes and the German-Austrian mentality. I enjoy the combination of the two worlds. It’s like combining different ingredients when cooking.
Freshness, spontaneity and energy come from my spirited South American background. On the other hand, I try to approach scores with a lot of structure and in a stylistic way, with a lot of knowledge of European music history.
I expect the musicians in my orchestra to be themselves, as much as I expect them to accept me in the same way. I expect them to give everything to music in their own individual ways. To have 100 personalities in one orchestra is very colorful. It’s exciting for a conductor, because sometimes one of my very little gestures can trigger a very big reaction from the performers.
The Vienna Symphony Orchestra has its great tradition and knows the unique “Viennese sound” very well. The more important thing for me is not how many new pieces I can bring to the orchestra, but the way we make and approach music and involve ourselves into it.
Putting your soul and whole body into music — that’s what I request from my orchestras, no matter whether it’s described as passion or engagement. The choice of musical program is just one aspect. The real challenge for me is standing in front of the orchestra and leading it on the emotional journey toward a high-level performance.
Q: What are your thoughts on China’s classical music environment and development?
A: Chinese audiences give very enthusiastic feedback, including clapping and cheering after our previous performances in Guangzhou and Macau. Chinese audiences are kind of “new audiences.” I respect them and they inspire me as well. I’m impressed by the number of young people and families attending concerts in China. The level of appreciation is very high among the younger generation here.
Classical music was born in Europe, where everybody had the chance to go to concerts since childhood. I come from South America, where the case might be similar. We need to make a bigger effort to build connections with classical music. China has been doing a great job organizing concerts and promoting classical music in various ways. I’m proud to see Chinese music lovers attending concerts and expressing to us their interest and appreciation. I encourage them to keep doing so. There is a whole universe to discover in classical music.
