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Musica, maestro (e rivoluzione)
– Leonetta Bentivoglio | July 27, 2019
Per le lezioni dell’Italian Opera Academy, il direttore d’orchestra sceglie Le nozze di Figaro di Mozart e parla di Salisburgo dove celebrerà il leggendario Herbert von Karajan “Cambiò il suono per sempre: con lui gli strumenti cantavano come una voce umana”.
Riccardo Muti guida con acutezza verbale, profonda sapienza musicale e sapido umorismo (l’aneddotica esilarante allevia l’impegno serrato e rigoroso) giornate di lezioni (aperte al pubblico che riempie la platea del Teatro Alighieri di Ravenna) sul significato, la tecnica e la sostanza misteriosa del dirigere un’orchestra. Che in questo caso è la sua Giovanile Cherubini, «progetto nato nel 2004, composto da giovani che cambiano ogni tre anni e formato per plasmare l’identità anche etica di una professione da vivere come un privilegio», ci dirà Muti, sottolineando che numerosi musicisti passati attraverso l’esperienza della Cherubini suonano oggi in compagini internazionali. Siamo nel pieno del periodo da lui annualmente dedicato all’Italian Opera Academy (fino al 2 agosto), iniziativa giunta alla quinta edizione. Stavolta il corso, concentrato su cinque maestri del podio a inizio carriera, selezionati fra centinaia di aspiranti nel pianeta, si vota all’indagine delle Nozze di Figaro di Mozart. Magnetico è lo spettacolo delle istruzioni impartite dal glorioso docente, dei suoi densi ritmi pedagogici, della sua scomposizione trasparente dell’edificio operistico, di un’analisi che penetra con scavo certosino tutti i momenti strumentali e vocali della partitura. Ci si tuffa in ogni cellula dell’opera e quando si riemerge se ne afferra un’altra che s’assembla con la precedente e la successiva. Una fucina, un viaggio, un’avventura. E un’occasione per parlare di un mestiere affascinante nell’anno in cui cade il trentennio della morte di un leggendario esponente della categoria, Herbert von Karajan, avvenuta il 16 luglio 1989 ad Anif, vicino a Salisburgo, dov’era nato nel 1908. «Karajan m’invitò a dirigere nel festival salisburghese fin dal ‘ 71», ricorda Muti, che da allora in poi è stato presente a Salisburgo ogni estate e quasi approda al mezzo secolo di partecipazione al festival, il che è un primato assoluto per un direttore. Pochi giorni dopo la scomparsa di quel Re Sole della musica, fu Muti a condurre, il 23 luglio, il Requiem di Mozart nel Duomo di Salisburgo come tributo al memorabile collega. Quest’anno Muti celebrerà Karajan nel festival austriaco rendendogli onore, a capo dei Wiener Philharmoniker (13,15 e 17 agosto), col Requiem di Verdi. «Diressi lo stesso brano a Salisburgo a fine agosto dell’89 con i Berliner Philharmoniker, che dal ’55 erano stati l’orchestra di Karajan», riferisce Muti. «Fu lo stesso Karajan a scegliermi per quell’occasione. A Pasqua s’era consumata la sua rottura con il suo complesso berlinese e mi aveva chiamato per dirmi: vorrei che in estate fossi tu a dirigere i Berliner nel Requiem al mio posto».
Chi è stato Karajan, secondo Riccardo Muti?
«Uno dei tre direttori fondamentali degli ultimi decenni. Toscanini è l’adesione al testo e l’instancabile perfezionismo. Furtwàngler è la capacità d’immettere l’inatteso nell’esecuzione e un’estemporaneità che fiorisce su base solida. Karajan è la rivoluzione del suono, la sua magnificenza. Non prescindeva mai da un’ineffabile, ammaliante beltà sonora. Con lui l’orchestra cantava come una voce umana, e i Wiener hanno mantenuto questa magica facoltà».
Wiener e Raffinar furono i suoi due grandi amori.
«Rese celebri i Berliner con dischi, film, tournée… Grazie a lui divennero star. Quanto al suonare come cantando, è a tutt’oggi una cifra inconfondibile dei Wiener,
nel segno del suono di Karajan».
Che fu da molti venerato, ma reputato da altri di voluttuosità calcolata e artificiale.
«Solo nell’ultima fase delle sue esecuzioni una coltre sonora uniformante rivestiva compositori diversi per epoca e linguaggio. Stravinskij non amava il Sacre du printemps diretto da Karajan: lo considerava smussato, edulcorato da punte telluriche. Inoltre il suo Haydn e il suo Mozart paiono rivestiti da una patina romantica che ora può sembrare obsoleta. Però bisogna tener conto del fatto che Karajan viene da un mondo che precede i movimenti cosiddetti filologici. Non prevedeva affatto le interpretazioni di alcuni contemporanei gruppi barocchi d’oltralpe, che a mio parere risultano spesso irritanti. Certi fondamentalismi esecutivi tolgono passione e vitalità alla musica».
Qualcuno afferma che Karajan fu un despota che alimentò il mito del maestro come “signore del mondo” stigmatizzato da Elias Canetti. C’è del vero in quest’immagine autocratica?
«Stimo immensamente il musicista Karajan, che mi ha donato alcuni degli ascolti più belli della mia vita, e penso sia necessario sfatare pregiudizi. Non fu un uomo altero e si dimostrò generoso. Aiutò giovani direttori, sostenne cantanti. Sapeva riconoscere la grandezza dei colleghi. Aveva nel suo studio una foto di Toscanini e ammirava Antonio Guarnieri, direttore che non raggiunse mai una vasta popolarità poiché non usò i media. Una volta Karajan mi raccontò: entrando nel buio della Scala durante una prova, dal suono che usciva dalla buca avresti potuto dire ecco, sul podio c’è Guarnieri, e solo con Guarnieri ciò accadeva».
Il fenomeno Karajan fu intensificato dal suo investimento sul connubio arte-tecnologia. Circolano più che mai le sue incisioni: la Deutsche Grammophon ha pubblicato due cofanetti, Decca presenta un box di 34 cd in settembre e Repubblica-L’Espresso sta proponendo in edicola una collana di 20 cd.
«Credo che con tutte le tecnologie di oggi, Karajan impazzirebbe di gioia. Adoperò a piene mani i nuovi mezzi: compact, tivù, filmati… Nutriva una fiducia entusiastica nelle possibilità degli strumenti di riproduzione moderni».
E lei, maestro? Si fida della tecnologia?
«Può essere utilissima in prospettiva educativa, ma è perniciosa se trasforma i dilettanti in divi. Una volta si conquistava la celebrità con lacrime e sangue, mentre oggi, tramite certe sofisticazioni tecnologiche, capita che si creino colossi costruendoli sulla sabbia».
Leonetta Bentivoglio, Robinson (La Repubblica), July 27, 2019
Conductors:
Nicolò Umberto Foron
Born in Genoa to an Italian mother and a German father, a family of musicians, Nicolò started playing the cello at the age of four and the piano at the age of seven. He continued studying the piano at the University of Hannover, winning several competitions like the “Jugend Musiziert” and the “Hanns Bisegger” prizes. In 2012 he enrolled at the University of Detmold, and also took part in masterclasses by Matti Raekallio from the Juilliard School.
At 9 he started studying conducting with Peter Kuhn in Bielefeld, and two years later he joined Jorma Panula in Helsinki taking part in various master classes, which gave him the opportunity to conduct orchestras straight from the beginning. In 2012 he joined the class of Karl-Heinz Bloemeke in Detmold. In 2014 he started studying piano and conducting at the Amsterdam Conservatory, where in 2018 he also took up composition. He graduated in Orchestra Conducting in January 2019.
Previously, in 2012, he had conducted the New Year concerts of the Het Zeeuws Orkest in Middleburg, Terneuzen, Goes, Vlissingen and Hulst. For two years he joined Leonid Grin’s Winter Järvi Academy in Pärnu and Tallin, and in 2013 he was among the finalists of the 53rd International Competition for Young Conductors in Besançon, which won him a position as the assistant to Lorin Maazel in Munich. He also collaborated with Herbert Blomstedt, Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, Christoph Eschenbach, Thomas Hengelbrock, Marc Albrecht, Jun Märkl, David Robertson, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Jonathan Nott.
In 2014 he won the “National Master Orchestral Conducting” in the Netherlands, and in the 2015-16 season he took part in more masterclasses by Bernhard Haitink at the Lucerne Festival, and by Marc Albrecht with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2017 he attended a masterclass by Daniele Gatti at the Amsterdam Conservatory. In the same year he conducted the first performance of Boris Bezemer’s Verbena at the Dutch National Opera, and the world première of Frieda Joanna’s Kamisama at the Amsterdam Conservatory. In 2018 he conducted the world premières of David Ko’s Totem at the Academy of Theatre and Dance in Amsterdam, and Brechtje van Dijk’s Niet de Klucht van de Koe’s at the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam.
In 2019 he was selected to join a masterclass with Heinz Holliger at the Peter Eötvös Academy.
Felix Hornbachner
Felix Hornbachner studied Orchestra Conducting with Georg Mark and Andreas Stoehr at the Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität in Vienna, from which he graduated in 2015. In 2013 he took part in the Hernandez Silva masterclass in Elche (Spain), and won the first prize at the International Conducting Competition in the same city. He is currently specialising with Sophie Rachlin.
Since 2014 he has been the répétiteur of the Wiener Kammerchor, the Domkantorei St. Pölten and the Linzer Singakademie. As a choir conductor, he was the assistant to Heinz Ferlesch with the Ad Libitum Choir (2011-2015) and the conductor of the Chorvereinigung Jung-Wien in Vienna (2016-2017). He has been the conductor of the Bachl Choir of Linz since 2018.
He has also been the Conductor of the Mödling Symphony Orchestra since 2017, and the Lied accompanist for soloists Wolfgang Bankl, Eva-Maria Schmid, Laura Olivia Spengel since 2018. As a conductor, he regularly assists Guido Mancusi at the Wiener Volksoper and at the Operettensommer Kufstein. Especially worth-mentioning experiences are: Haydn’s La speziale, Offenbach’s La Chanson de Fortunio and Beethoven’s Symphony no. 2 (2012); a concert at the Carinthischer Sommer in Ossiach, Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5 and Wagner’s Wesendonck-Lieder (2013); Schönberg’s Chamber symphony op. 9 at the Arnold Schönberg Centre in Vienna, Le nozze di Figaro at the Schönbrunn Palace Theatre and Kálmán’s Gipsy Princess at the TAG-Theater in Vienna (2014); Strauss’s Flittermouse once again at the Schönbrunn Palace Theater (2015).
More recently, in 2017, he conducted Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7, the Overture from The Marriage of Figaro, Bruch’s Double Concerto in E minor for clarinet, orchestra and viola with the Steyr Symphony Orchestra, Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis and Bach’s Ratswahl Cantata with the Waidhofner Kammerorchester, and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Linzer Konzertverein at the Brucknerhaus in Linz. He also conducted a half-scenic performance of The Marriage of Figaro at the Wiener Konzerthaus on the podium of the Grazer Musikverein and the Orchester der Sommerakademie of the Wiener Philharmoniker, which he also conducted in La clemenza di Tito in 2018. In 2018 he conducted the Salzburg Philharmonie in Peter and the Wolf.
Jiannan Cheng
After studying Choral Conducting at the Beijing Conservatory, Jiannan Cheng devoted herself to Orchestra conducting, first in Seattle, at the University of Washington, and then at the Cincinnati Conservatory and at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich. She also attended masterclasses by Johannes Gustavsson and Kurt Masur at the Aurora Music Festival in Trollhättan (Sweden), by Neil Varon and Victor Yampolsky, and by Daniele Gatti with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.
She has taken part in international competitions, qualifying for the Deutscher Dirigentenpreis (where he obtained the second prize), and the Michael Hennagin Memorial Prize at the 4×4 Prizes for Composers and Conductors of the University of Oklahoma.
Besides her experience as the conductor of several university orchestras while she was still training, Cheng was the Assistant Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra and of the Ensemble Oktopus für Musik der Moderne in Munich. She held the same position at the National Music Festival in Chestertown, (Maryland), at the Peninsula Music Festival in Door County (Wisconsin), and
at the Heidenheim Opernfestspiele.
She currently holds the post of Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
David Quang Tho Bui
A Vietnamese by birth, David was educated in Berlin, studying Engineering at Beuth University for Applied Sciences and Orchestra Conducting at the “Hanns Eisler” Academy of Music. He also attended several masterclasses taught by Ulrich Windfuhr with the Abruzzese Symphonic Orchestra at the Abruzzese Symphonic Institution of L’Aquila; by Luis Clemente at the Atlantic Coast International Conducting Academy in Esposende, Portugal; by Arthur Arnold at the Prisma Festival at Powell River, Canada; by Nicolás Pasquet at the Allegra International Summer Academy in Pazardzhik in Bulgaria; by Zsolt Hamar with the Savaria Symphonic Orchestra at the Bartók Festival in Hungary. He further specialised with masterclasses by Neemi Järvi, Kristjan Järvi, Paavo Järvi and Leonid Grin at the Pärnu Music Festival and Järvi Academy in Estonia.
David has been the Principal Director of the Wedding Neues Kammerorchester in Berlin since 2017. Also since 2017, he has conducted the Konzerthaus Orchester in Berlin at the Forum für Neue Musik in Lucerne and the Hamburger Camerata at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.
Stephen Lam (Lik-Hin Lam)
Stephen Lam obtained his master’s degree in Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, studying Orchestra Conducting with Uroš Lajovic, Johannes Wildner and Simeon Pironkoff, with the supervision of Zubin Mehta, Fabio Luisi, Bertrand de Billy and Yuji Yuasa (Seiji Ozawa’s assistant). He studied Choir Conducting with Erwin Ortner and Thomas Lang (choir master at the Vienna State Opera), and Musical Theatre under Kornad Leitner.
He has been the Principal Director and Artistic Director of the Ponte Orchestra & Ponte Singers since 2010: based in Hong Kong, these Orchestra and Choir are intended as a bridge between European art music and the whole range of Chinese music, including contemporary and pop. With the Ponte Orchestra & Ponte Singers, he has organized over 70 classical music concerts and tours in Europe and Asia; he has conducted symphonies by Mahler, Bruckner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and commissioned works from young composers.
Also since 2010, he has conducted the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Macao, with which, from 2014 to 2018, he toured Russia, Portugal, Australia, Italy, Germany and France. He has collaborated with international soloists and with European, American and Australian orchestras, and has taken part in training projects for young musicians and educational projects for the larger public.
He has been Guest Professor at the Sichuan Conservatory since 2013; there he organises choral and orchestral activities for university courses and high schools.
He was a guest conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Webern Symphony Orchestra (also in Vienna); and of Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Kings Philharmonic in London, St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, German Youth Orchestra, Hradec Králové Festival Orchestra in Prague, Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, Silesian Philharmonic of Katowice (Poland), Sichuan
Chamber Philharmonic, Seoul Chamber Orchestra, Musica Viva and Opera Society of Hong Kong.
He has conducted Carmen, La vedova allegra (2015), Così fan tutte (2016), The Magic Flute, Bohème (2017), and Falstaff (2018).
Répétiteurs:
Veronica Cornacchio
Veronica started studying the piano at the age of nine. She attended the Piano Academy of the Marche Region in the academic year 2009-10, then continued studying at the “Luisa D’Annunzio” Conservatory in Pescara, from which she graduated in 2014 under Filomena Montopoli. Two years later, under the guidance of Marco Moresco, she obtained a Level II-degree as Répétiteur and opera vocal coach. In 2018, she also graduated from a two-year Specialization Course for Répétiteurs and stage directors at
the Academy of La Scala, Milan.
During her long training, she took part in several masterclasses by Andrea Lucchesini, Pietro De Maria and Marco Albrizio, and won a number of national piano competitions.
In 2015-16 she was appointed Répétiteur for the opera season of the Teatro Serpente Aureo in Offida (Ascoli Piceno), where she took part in the productions of Rossini’s Tancredi, Cenerentola and The Barber of Seville, Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Verdi’s Nabucco. For the same theatre she performed in the Grand Gala of Operetta (December 2015).
As a répétiteur, she took part in Manuela Formichella’s masterclasses and in several opera concerts in Rocca San Giovanni (Chieti), at the Teatro Comunale of Città Sant’Angelo, at the Savoia Theatre in Campobasso and at the Teatro Comunale di Atri.
She has been the Répétiteur at La Scala since 2017, taking part in a number of opera productions. In 2018 she was also the accompanist pianist of the Donizetti Vocal Workshop, organized by the Donizetti Foundation in Bergamo and held by Roberto Servile, director Francesco Micheli and soprano Luciana Serra. She also performed in the final concert.
Clelia Noviello Tommasino
Clelia started studying the piano in 2001 with Rita Fusco, then obtained a three-year degree from the “Ottorino Respighi” Conservatory in Latina under Daniela Caratori, before deciding to specialise as répétiteur/vocal coach, studying for two more years with Angelo Michele Errico. She also took part in the “Belcanto, in Pratica!” course, taught by Franco Fussi, Alessandro Patalini, Angelo Michele Errico, Gianni Tangucci and Giovanna Lomazzi.
In 2014-2015 she worked with Giuseppe Sabbatini as the répétiteur and vocal coach for the Course of Higher Education in Singing at the Conservatory of Latina. In the same season she was the musical director, pianist and répétiteur/vocal coach in the creation of Giancarlo Menotti’s opera Il ladro e la zitella. In 2016 she was appointed as répétiteur/vocal coach, pianist, organiser and coordinator in a production of Così fan tutte directed by Alessio Pizzech. As a closing event for the XXIV Misano Piano Festival, Clelia gave a concert with bass Mirco Palazzi on the Italian/French opera and chamber music repertoire. As a répétiteur, she regularly collaborates with such artists as Luciana D’Intino, Alessandro Patalini, Sandra De Falco, Marcello Nardis and Michael Aspinall.
She attended the Course of Higher Education and Specialization for Répétiteurs at the Opera School of the Municipal Theatre in Bologna, and in 2017 she was admitted to the Specialization Course for Répétiteurs and stage directors at the Academy of La Scala, Milan. In 2018 Clelia worked as the répétiteur of the Opera School of the Municipal Theatre in Bologna, taking part in several concerts and operatic productions organized by the School in collaboration with the Theatre.
Daniel Strahilevitz
In 2015, he won the first prizes at the Baden-Württemberg Piano Competition in Stuttgart, and at the Composers Forum Prize of the “Hanns Eisler” Academy of Music in Berlin and was invited the following year by Lang Lang to perform at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival. He recorded for the Belgian RTBF and the Israeli “Voice of Music” Radio channels.
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