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Dutch conductor grooms young Hong Kong talents
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OVER the past several years, Amsterdam-born conductor Jaap van Zweden has been traveling back and forth between the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in the US and the Hong Kong Philharmonic in China to foster young talents in his role as music director of both orchestras.
One of his most accomplished trainees is Fung Lam, a Hong Kong composer.
On Wednesday, van Zweden brought Lam and the Hong Kong Philharmonic’s new production “Quintessence” on a musical tour of Shanghai. The orchestra also played another two world-famous symphonies — Mozart’s “Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major K218” and Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1 in D Major ‘Titan’.”
Van Zweden, the Musical America’s “Conductor of the Year 2012,” will next take his talent to the 175-year-old New York Philharmonic where he will be its music director starting from the 2018-19 season.
Van Zweden holds the belief that music, or the love of music, is an international language that every musician speaks regardless of their cultural background.
Q: For the Shanghai performance, I saw you selected a new piece “Quintessence” written by a young Hong Kong composer. What pushed you to take such decision?
A: I have to say that I’m always open to new pieces. When I’m here in China, I would love to see the culture and the talent of this country. I also took a Chinese solo violinist Yang Tianwa with me on tour. Here I go back to honor the talent to this country, that she perfectly matches the style of my team. And as the director of Hong Kong Philharmonic, I feel like I have a responsibility to help young musicians contribute to Hong Kong. In the coming season, I will have 4-6 young composers writing new pieces for me. We will then play them in performances, and let the audience vote for their favorite ambassador for Hong Kong music — I will bring the most popular piece on my next tour.
Q: What are some of the important things you’ve taught Hong Kong Philharmonic to guide them to success, say, this wonderful tour?
A: Definitely discipline and preparation. Both elements make you free on the stage. It’s important for the public to encounter real artists — a real artist should not be driven by fear, but be driven by the desire that he or she wants to show greatness. Also, we are not just going for success, it is distracting. My point is, since we don’t know about heaven, the road to heaven might be more beautiful than heaven itself. We are enjoying the musical journey, and appreciating the chance to experience this journey together. After then, it’s on the public to decide whether we are a successful orchestra or not.
Q: Since you value the road to success so much, can you talk about what you’ve learned from your past career as a conductor, from the Netherlands to the US and then to China?
A: Well, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my own journey, I would say never stop learning. Even if other people view me as a great conductor today, I always try to get up as a kid, desiring to encounter new things. Yes, I can still learn some ideas from the same score after opening it for 3,000 days.
I’ve told my orchestra: Every day when you wake up, you should think about what you can learn today; every time you open your score, you will find something new as long as you are willing to invest in the music, the performance, and yourself. For me, I don’t think it’s so difficult to be a good conductor, but very difficult to be a father of the orchestra.
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