Could Andris Nelsons be poached from the CBSO? Christopher Morley speaks to the music director about his future plans.
It’s been quite a spring for CBSO music director Andris Nelsons, with an appendectomy in Cologne, a chance to take advantage of concert-cancellations in Japan in order to marry his long-time fiancée soprano Kristine Opolais, and the release of probably the most important CD of his career so far.
Nelsons, almost unknown on the world stage when his CBSO appointment was announced in the autumn of 2007, is now hugely sought-after.
How has this come about? I ask him as he wolfs his lunch between rehearsals at Symphony Hall.
“I don’t know. I’ve been doing what I’m doing all the time, and this is to conduct music and to love music, and to share my excitement about the pieces with the orchestras.
“That has always been my dream, and I’m really happy that I have the opportunity to conduct the best orchestras.
‘‘It’s amazing; but it gives a lot of responsibility, because, you know, when you appear with all these orchestras, as well as in Birmingham, you have to be very prepared, to be interesting, to have ideas about things you are doing and you have to give reasons to the orchestra why you are doing it...”
But does Nelsons ever conduct pieces he isn’t passionate about?
“There are sometimes pieces which I don’t 100 per cent understand, but when I start to study them I get involved with them.
‘‘Some pieces, I look at and I think ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do it’, but when I start to study, I get in love with these pieces.
“It hasn’t happened that I’ve conducted a piece that I don’t love.
‘‘There are some pieces, even if you think it’s not good music, sometimes in that moment you believe it is, that’s something you have to do.”
I wonder whether this explosion of worldwide interest in Nelsons is linked to his work with the CBSO?
“I think it’s a combination of things. My work with the CBSO is so important for me, of course. It is my musical family. Probably some people have noticed that we are working together, and become very passionate and happy about that.
“When you heard the name of Simon Rattle, 20 years ago, or even now, it’s always ‘CBSO and Simon Rattle’.
‘‘And now, of course, ‘Simon Rattle and Berlin’. But still people talk about the CBSO and Berlin, and I think, I hope, because of our work together some people will associate CBSO and me.”
I comment upon the amazing atmosphere of warmth, and indeed love, between the CBSO and Nelsons which was expressed at the end of a recent Tchaikovsky concert at Symphony Hall.
“For me I think it’s very important, like in a family, you need to have love, you need to have respect – respect for each other, and love for each other in a certain way, and respect and love for music.
“I don’t know how it would be possible to work if there is no understanding with each other,’’ says Nelsons.
‘‘My dream is that we can continue this great respect for each other and love for music, and the excitement to make music together forever.
“When it finishes and it’s time for me to leave, I really don’t want this time to come.
“Simon Rattle was here so long, and Sakari Oramo after him also a long time, and the orchestra, they love their conductors, I think this is a great tradition of theirs.
