He had a dream and that dream came true.
Ever since he was 10 years old Yannick Nezet-Seguin knew he wanted to be a conductor. At age 34, this French-Canadian is now a rising star at the podium.
In 2006, Nezet-Seguin was unanimously voted the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra's 11th music director, succeeding Valery Gergiev. He is also artistic director and principal conductor of the Montreal Opera, and he started off the New Year in 2010 by making his Metropolitan Opera debut conducting Bizet's "Carmen."
The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is known for its ability to be daring. According to Yannick Nezet-Seguin, that's part of the character of the city, a city that had to rebuild itself completely after World War II.
"The ensemble is extremely fearless, direct and bold," he explains, "What I am trying now is to bring to the orchestra a lot of delicacy, and French music is a wonderful playground for us."
With the release of their new collection of ballet and dance music by Maurice Ravel, that playground is now open to the public.
Ravel's masterpiece "Daphnis and Chloe," is famous for its lush orchestral sunrise in the first movement. Ravel scores his sunrise for harps and flutes. The string players remove their mutes one at a time which gradually brightens the slow, soaring melody. The playful quality of the Pantomime in the second movement demonstrates the orchestra's gentler side.
When describing his set of "Noble and Sentimental" waltzes, Maurice Ravel said the lilting, distinctive Viennese rhythm was all Schubert. Ravel composed his own set of waltzes after discovering Schubert's piano waltzes. Ravel dedicated the score to the "delicious and ageless pleasure of a useless occupation." Many moods are reflected in this set of eight dances, which do indeed offer pleasure. The opening waltz is a joyful whirlwind with bold, expressive writing, especially for the percussion section.
Yannick Nezet-Seguin is able to take the members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra to the core of what he wants because he knows how to make his musicians feel comfortable. He wants them to feel free to express the beauty and the excitement of the music, which is precisely what we hear in Ravel's "La Valse." This sinister waltz starts off in a dreamlike state, eventually climaxing into an orchestral frenzy.
As a young conductor on the rise, Yannick Nezet-Seguin is living his dream. His dream for the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is being realized on their new collection of waltzes and dance music by Maurice Ravel. Throughout this recording we hear not only the fearless, bold approach for which this orchestra is known, we're also getting to know the delicate side of this ensemble as they explore the orchestral wonderland of Maurice Ravel.
(This is a rebroadcast from January 13, 2010)
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