Volume 23 Issue 9 - June / July / August 2018

should enable it, if we believe in it, then let the private sector, with the
help of the government via new tax structures, show their vision and
prove their worth.
So in those terms, Sir Andrew is coming in as the vacuum cleaner…
Well put! (laughs) Right. I mean, if the orchestra had come to a decision
regarding a conductor in the last two years since I announced my
departure it would have been different, but they didn’t… it was close
but it didn’t happen.
It was close?
It was. But the person took another position.
From an audience perspective these searches are pretty boring
actually – certainly not a public blood sport. I mean, nobody wants to
be known as the shortlisted candidate who didn’t get the job.
Exactly. It’s the opposite of politics, and so it should be. Nobody
should know who’s on the shortlist, and at this point, by the way I
don’t think there’s even a shortlist. There’s a lot of discovery going on.
Listening to you talking about capital gains and tax structures
and the like, is that one of the hats you’ll be hoping to wear less
moving on?
It’s a good question. I mean, I have been music director of two
organizations for almost seven years now – I took on the Royal
Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) officially in 2012 but before that
you’re [still] doing all the planning. I have been working in that kind
of “administrative capacity” for two symphony orchestras for the past
seven years or so. So definitely it was on my mind that now’s the time
to focus more exclusively on musical discoveries, and musical adventures
and musical thinking. Also I will be doing a tiny bit more work
at Yale. Well, I shouldn’t say tiny, more work at Yale anyway. I have
taken over the Yale Philharmonia – the Yale Music School is one of the
postgraduate schools at Yale and it’s the only major research university
in North America that has a dedicated performance music school
and it’s tuition-free so the standard is very high. I’ve been a professor
there since 1981 actually…
Tokyo String Quartet had a Yale residency, right?
Exactly. Part of my obligation as a member of the quartet was
teaching chamber music at Yale.
So I have had a very close affiliation with Yale. It’s very close to
my home in Connecticut and it’s meant a lot to me over the years.
So I was asked if I would take over the program, which is an interesting
ensemble in that they prepare in the same way as a professional
orchestra – all the rehearsals are within one week – six rehearsals. So
not only is it easier for me to be involved, but…
… Also a taste of the real world for the orchestra.
Exactly! And not only that, it means I can bring in international
guest conductors who can give a week, but could never have given two
or three weeks in the old way of preparing.
So tell me a bit more about the RSNO music directorship. I assume
it has its own mix of rewards and challenges, but have there been
transferable solutions from here to there?
The important thing is not to take anything for granted, because if
you go with your expectations rather than with your observations you
are in trouble. Similar and different problems and exciting rewards.
It’s been a wonderful experience with RSNO: it’s an orchestra that
plays with a great deal of expressivity. We’ve been able to tour them
to China and Europe and the United States. And a lot of recordings.
That’s been one of the best things with the RSNO because at
the TSO, as you know, we don’t have a contract that really allows
us to make recordings. The only recordings we have made here are
live, with possibly a patch session. Two performances and you have
to hope there isn’t a bar where things didn’t go well on both nights.
But in the RSNO you actually really record. You go in and you do the
thing and if something goes wrong you work it out. And that allows
people to play with a lot of risk. When you are recording live you want
it to be exciting but the risk element is a really tricky one. I have to
say, though, the TSO has been amazing, really amazing in their live
recordings. If you listen to them… I mean we did The Planets and Rite
of Spring in one night! And I listen to those recordings sometimes
and say “If we had done those in recording sessions, what would have
been more, quote, perfect.” Some of the most exciting recordings are
live; they are not the most perfect but…
JILL BARBER
Metaphora Tour
TUE OCT 16 ◆ 8 PM
Supported by
JOSHUA BELL,
Violin
SAM HAYWOOD, Piano
SUN FEB 10, 2019 ◆ 3 PM
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thewholenote.com June | July | August 2018 | 9