Mahler's music has a special significance for Andris Nelsons. The Gewandhaus conductor describes his life and career with Mahler's symphonies, from his first encounter to his interpretations with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. An interview with Andris Nelsons on the occasion of the upcoming Mahler Festival in Leipzig from May 11 to 29, 2023.
PM/SMZ- Jan. 12, 2023
Do you remember your first encounter with Mahler's music?
Andris Nelsons: That was relatively late, at the age of 11. At that time I started to play the trumpet and did martial arts like taekwondo. In addition to physical activity, I was interested in philosophy and psychology, self-discipline and the mysticism that surrounds martial arts, and I was looking for music for meditation. During the Soviet era, it was difficult to get hold of recordings. A friend told me about a cassette with music that started with nature sounds, birdsong and the like. He gave it to me - and it was Mahler's 1st Symphony! I was thrilled: this mystical mood of nature at the beginning, this "Misterioso"! I quickly realized that one of the greatest composers ever was behind these sounds. After that, I got to know all of Mahler's symphonies, played them on the trumpet, studied the scores and listened to recordings. But it all started with the 1st Symphony!
And as a conductor?
For me as a Latvian, singing is essential. As a conductor, my path with Mahler therefore began with the 2nd Symphony, where the choir plays a major role at the end. The same applies to the 8th Symphony, which I also conducted early and often.
Then it is surely no coincidence that you will be performing these two symphonies with the Gewandhaus Orchestra at the 2023 Mahler Festival in Leipzig?
That was a joint decision within the team. First of all, we considered the wishes of our guests. Outstanding orchestras and conductors from all over the world have been invited, all of whom have a special relationship with Mahler. We asked them which works they would like to contribute to the 2nd Mahler Festival in Leipzig. In the end, the festival program came together like a jigsaw puzzle - and I am happy to be able to present the 2nd and 8th symphonies with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. I'm really looking forward to this festival: fabulous orchestras will come together and dedicate themselves to these great symphonies in our Gewandhaus Hall. We will spend these days together, exchanging ideas, attending each other's performances ... We are meeting here in Leipzig to celebrate Mahler and his music - but also to offer the people of Leipzig and their guests the opportunity to get to know fantastic artists. At the same time, our guests - musicians, music lovers, Mahler fans, tourists - have the opportunity to experience Leipzig, this wonderful city of music that I have taken so much to my heart. I am proud to welcome everyone here. Leipzig is not just a city of Bach and Mendelssohn. Mahler and many other composers also spent an important part of their lives here. In Leipzig, our guests can not only hear all of Mahler's symphonies performed by the world's leading orchestras within a very short space of time - they can also visit the house where Mahler lived while he was 2nd Kapellmeister at the opera, take a walk along the paths he took and search for traces of Mahler.
When the various interpreters take on Mahler's symphonies, it promises fascinatingly different approaches to his music.
Absolutely: every orchestra has its own history, tradition and way of playing. As a conductor, you start from this and at the same time incorporate your own wealth of experience. What ultimately happens when you rehearse and perform a symphony with an orchestra remains an inexplicable miracle. From performance to performance, from day to day, the interpretation will change. Every day the heartbeat is different ...
Is the contradictory nature of his character and the world-spanning range of his timeless themes, from death and transience to love and heavenly joy, the reason why his music speaks directly to so many people at different times?
I believe that it is precisely our time, which is shaken by violent contrasts, in which much is fake, in which terrible but also many pleasing things happen, that needs composers like Mahler. This entire spectrum is reflected in his music. It is addressed to every single musician in the orchestra, to every single listener in the audience. This moment in which one encounters the music directly, allows oneself to be moved and touched, is decisive. Everyone can share their own thoughts and feelings, their worries and happiness with the music. This creates a tremendously intimate, trusting community between you, the composer and the music. Isn't that wonderful?
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- Mahler Festival 2023. picture: Gewandhaus zu Leipzig
Further information about the Mahler Festival 2023 can be found at www.gewandhausorchester.de/mahler-festival
