National Orchestral Institute
I’m down at the University of Maryland, conducting at the National Orchestral Institute, a very focused festival with very strong faculty and students. It’s all about orchestral playing, not one of those festivals that tries to do everything (solo, chamber music, master classes, etc). The program is one of the most ambitious I’ve ever attempted. It’s really too much music, don’t you think? Dutilleux - Métaboles, Bartók - Miraculous Mandarin Suite, Brahms - Symphony No. 4. I mean, come on! But that’s the way they do it here.
On the other hand, I keep remembering my senior year in high school when I played in the American Youth Symphony. The conductor, Mehli Mehta (Zubin’s dad), was celebrating his 80th birthday season by conducting the complete Strauss tone poems. The performances weren’t perfect, but they were memorable, and they pushed my bass technique way beyond where I was at the beginning of the season. It was a completely memorable and life-changing musical experience.
So this week at NOI is a reminder that music isn’t only about perfection, though we all try our very best. Freed of that burden and worry, I bet the music this weekend will sound very good indeed.