Kurt Masur, behind him Katia Skanavi (piano), Florence Binder (leader of
2nd violins) and me before the first concert of the cycle.
Beethoven's nine symphonies, five piano concertos, violin concerto and triple concerto, three Leonore overtures, Fidelio, Coriolan, Prometheus and "Wellington's Victory" - what a marathon for the orchestra! A lot of blood, sweat and tears, but I think also a wonderful gift to the orchestra from their outgoing music director Kurt Masur. All the concerts went well, but as special highlights in my memory stay the performances of the 1st, 3rd and 6th symphonies and of course the powerful finale of the 9th with the Choeur de Radio France, marvelously prepared by the choir master Matthias Brauer.
Marlon, Debora, me, maestro Masur, Tom, Carlos and Ken around the score of
Beethoven 9th after the rehearsal.
This cycle was not only a remarkable musical event, but also a great chance to learn this repertoire from a master interpreter. As Masur's assistant I was present at every rehearsal and performance with my scores, and so were many other young conductors (as you can see from the photo above). Occasionally maestro Masur had time to sit down with us and explain his solutions, like using the Weingartner re-orchestrations in certain spots in the 9th symphony.
This cycle was a wonderful finale for Masur's tenure at the Orchestre National de France. And although Daniele Gatti will take the main responsibility of the ONF next autumn, Masur will continue as the Honorary Music Director and take the orchestra to several tours with his core repertoire. The next time I will work with him will be at Beethovenfest Bonn in September, where ONF will perform the full Beethoven symphony cycle.
Conducting the Orchestre EDF at the Conservatoire du 19e
arrondissement