Cristian Măcelaru interviewed by top Romanian newspaper
Cristian Măcelaru with the young musicians from the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania in Bucharest (Photo credit: Virgil Oprina)
Conductor Cristian Măcelaru was recently interviewed by a top newspaper in Romania. Măcelaru expresses his opinions on the current pandemic and reflects on his projects with Wynton Marsalis and the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania and more, including their 2019 U.S. tour.
Interview: Cristian Măcelaru
Adevarul
April 20, 2020
“FOR ME, MUSIC BECOMES ETERNAL WHEN IT IS GIVEN TO ANOTHER PERSON, AND STOPPING THIS PROCESS CAUSES US SPIRITUAL PAIN.”
With a rising conducting activity, conductor Cristian Măcelaru is one of the most representative conductors of his generation, recently the winner of a Grammy Award. In the last decade, he started from the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2010 until 2011, and is now Chief Conductor of the WDR Sinfonieorchester in Cologne and Music Director Designate of the Orchestre National de France in Paris.
“NOT BEING ABLE TO GIVE MUSIC TO THOSE WHO ARE WAITING FOR IT IS THE CRUELEST PUNISHMENT FOR AN ARTIST.”
Q: Where should Cristian Măcelaru have been now and where he is at the beginning of April 2020, in the middle of a disconcerting spring for all of us, to use a gentle term, and in a very special way for the European and American art world. And I think it’s the first time that referring to Romania, I feel like writing, to include it in the Western art world. The indirect effects of the pandemic that blocked public events around the world are also reflected in the artistic life, chronologically one of the first stops in its natural course.
A: I was looking forward to the month of April. It would have been the first time I would have conducted the Banatul State Philharmonic Orchestra in Timișoara, my hometown, and I had chosen this week to coincide with my mother’s birthday, who turned 77 on April 9th. Initially, it was a surprise concert for her, but at Christmas, I could not hide the fact that I would return home in April so I had to reveal this plan. We will have to wait another year before I can give this gift to my mother, who has always encouraged me to return to Timișoara to the Banatul State Philharmonic Orchestra. And now I’m in Germany, where my current residence is.
Q: How do you think the actors and musicians will go through this period? On the one hand, the many who work in, let’s say, team sports and on the other hand, the stars or individuals …
A: People all suffer as a result of this social distancing. Of course, it is a necessity to save many lives, but in its essence, the human being needs social interaction with his fellows. For me, music has always been the most accessible platform to facilitate this need to unite in thought and spirit with our neighbor. Not being able to give music to those who are waiting for it is the cruelest punishment for an artist. For me, music becomes eternal when it is given to another person, and stopping this process causes us spiritual pain.
Cristian Măcelaru leads the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania at the University of Florida Phillips Center in Gainesville, January 2019 (Photo credit: Virgil Oprina)
Cristian Măcelaru with Wynton Marsalis and the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC, January 2019 (Photo credit: Virgil Oprina)
“STARTING WITH MOZART AND BEETHOVEN, TRUE COMPOSERS UNDERSTOOD THAT EVERYONE ACTUALLY NEEDS ART. MUSIC IS A NECESSITY, NOT A FAD, A WHIM.”
Q: How should public opinion position itself in relation to artists, in Cristian Măcelaru’s opinion?
A: Most people are living with the impression that art belongs only to those who have a certain social status. But starting with Mozart and Beethoven, true composers understood that everyone actually needed art. Music is a necessity, not a fad, a whim. What I have been trying to do for years is to show everyone that a beautiful life is a life enriched by the beauty of music. Music helps us define the spiritual space in which we become more sensitive and loving. This must be embraced, especially now when we are compelled to retreat from one another. And the role of the artist is to show the way to a deepening of these essential values to a society worthy of its ancestors. I hope that all members of this global society understand the important role that artists play in developing a united and prosperous community.
Q: How do the musicians of the WDR Sinfonieorchester in Cologne or the Orchestre National de France go through this period? Both of them are radio orchestras and your work is closely linked to these two groups starting with this season.
A: We are trying to find new models which offer music that addresses the spiritual need of the society to which we belong. In my opinion, the main guideline was the quality of the product we give to our listeners. At the same time, it is important to show how an orchestra made up of 100 musicians is the sum of so many unique voices that, together, form a new voice. It is a phenomenon that is often found in nature. The healthier each tree, the more beautiful the whole forest.
Q: What reference points could we rely on in this context? How should we relate now to what surrounds us, as artistic personalities?
A: I continue to believe that the music we present, its quality, will be understood with the clarity of the message that is at the core of each composition. For me, both in the digital and the real space, each note must have a well-understood role, in order to be transmitted with conviction and total clarity.
“MY FATHER, WHO WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT MUSIC, INSISTED THAT EVERY CHILD SHOULD HAVE THE EXPERIENCE OF A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT IN HAND.”
Q: It’s hard to talk about the present. Either we are afraid, or if we are not, we have the fear of being judged that we are not ... So let’s talk a little about the past and then try to look to the future. After studying in the United States as a violinist and conductor, Cristian Măcelaru continued his artistic training with several masters. What are the defining names in your biography until the well-known moment when you were invited to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in order to replace Pierre Boulez?
A: Of course, I can’t begin talking about my first mentors without mentioning my father, who was passionate about music and who insisted that every child should have the experience of playing a musical instrument. His desire for each of his 10 children to play an instrument was also my first introduction to an ensemble sound, because the musical soirées in our house were present almost every a daily event. Then there were many people who guided and helped me to develop my artistic identity. It would be hard for me to write about all of them because it would require a huge book, but perhaps those with the greatest artistic influence remain Sergiu Luca – the violin teacher who taught me how to understand music - and Larry Rachleff – the conducting teacher who inspired me to take the baton in my hand for the first time.
“HOW CAN WE LOVE MUSIC WITHOUT PUTTING AN ENORMOUS EMPHASIS ON TEACHING THOSE WHO COME AFTUER US, DISCOVERING ITS BEAUTY?”
Q: I remember our meeting behind the scenes at the Rose Theater Lincoln Center on the day of the concert of the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania in 2019. You were constantly concerned with the training and supporting young musicians, through the Crisalis Music project, but also through the involvement in the projects of National Orchestras of Romania with Marin Cazacu. What brought you to this idea of supporting young musicians?
A: To be honest, this has always been such a high priority for me that I have never wondered why it does exist. How can we love music without putting an enormous emphasis on teaching those who come after us to find this beauty that others, in turn, have helped us discover? It should be the primary mission of every artist!
Q: What other plans do you have with them, if they are to be achieved? I know that some of these were also related to the collaboration with Wynton Marsalis.
A: Yes, it is true. A new collaboration is planned with the great trumpet player and composer Wynton Marsalis, this time in Romania, not only in New York. Both he and I wanted this from the first sound we created together last year when we performed at the Rose Theater, a collaboration between the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the young musicians who took part in the National Youth Orchestra projects from Romania.
Cristian Măcelaru leads the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania at Barbara Mann Performing Arts Hall in Ft. Myers, January 2019 (Photo credit: Virgil Oprina)
Cristian Măcelaru leads the National Symphony Orchestra of Romania at Barbara Mann Performing Arts Hall in Ft. Myers, January 2019 (Photo credit: Virgil Oprina)
“IN FACT, THE ART OF CONDUCTING IS A CONSTANT PROCESS OF SELF-DISCOVERY.”
Q: Cristian Măcelaru has collaborated a lot with the Métropolitain Orchestra in Montreal, the Symphony Orchestras in Washington, Seattle, Toronto, Baltimore, with the symphony orchestras in Houston and Baltimore, the Civic Orchestra in Chicago, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, many American orchestras. How would you describe this American period, if we could call it as the Picasso periods of different colors …
A: Looking back, I describe this period of almost ten years as the period in which I discovered who I am as a conductor. In fact, the art of conducting is a constant process of self-discovery, I may feel the same from now on. But in this decade, I have learnt not only the beautiful things about an artist’s life, but also the immense sacrifices required to build an international, balanced and meaningful career.
Q: Although there have been several collaborations with European orchestras, the return to Europe is closely connected to Germany, to the Radio Orchestra in Cologne and then to Paris, to the National Orchestra of France. When did this take place and in what context? How is it supposed that Cristian Măcelaru will manage to divide the time between Germany and France?
A: I collaborated with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne for the first time in the spring of 2017. It was an orchestra that impressed me with the passion with which they played, but also with their desire to grow artistically. Two more collaborations followed, with Mahler’s First Symphony and then Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, two weeks in which we mutually agreed we convinced each other that it was time to begin a long-term collaboration for a long time. In Paris it was similar, the only difference being that it came much sooner than I expected. As for the balance needed to be the leader of these two musical groups, to my advantage is a direct train, which in 3 hours and 20 minutes takes me from Cologne to Paris. The rest, we will see when in time passes what it will happen.
“THE FACT THAT WE ENDED UP RECORDING THIS RECORD WAS A TRUE MIRACLE.”
Q: A Grammy Award drew the attention of the Romanian general press to the name of the conductor, Cristian Măcelaru. What was so special about this album for which this honorable distinction came? In the context of the other albums you have recorded so far. Because we are talking about a consistent activity in this sense...
A: This disc in which I recorded the violin concerto by Wynton Marsalis, with Nicola Benedetti and the Philadelphia Orchestra, remains a milestone, a special moment in my career. Not necessarily because of the Grammy Award, but because it solidified my relationship with an orchestra with which I had collaborated enormously in the past (over 100 concerts), with the music by a composer who is like a brother to me, and last but not least, with a soloist whose dedication of more than five years to convincing this composer to write this piece of music brought this concerto to life. And the fact that we ended up recording this disc, which days before the recording was still not clear if it would happen or not, was a true miracle. It all happened right at the right time. And the fact that it also received this distinction, it was a reassurance that all the effort we put in was worthwhile.
“IN ESSENCE, I AM GRATEFUL FOR EVERY MOMENT I AM GIVEN TO SHARE THE STAGE WITH ARTISTS FROM ROMANIA.”
Q: Cristian Măcelaru returned to Romania as often as he could in the second decade of this century. Which of the Romanian orchestras is closer to you?
A: For me, every orchestra I collaborate with is like my own child. It would be impossible for me to choose one. In essence, I am grateful for every moment I am given to share the stage with artists from Romania. It is not an easy thing for artists to do this kind of things, to choose. And the fact that I can contribute to the creative process of a musical concept started by a composer who lived maybe 250 years ago, but who is still communicating today the same message of unity and brotherhood that I have as well, this fact honor is emotional even as a thought only if I’m thinking about the honor that is given to me.
“FOR CLASSICAL MUSIC LOVERS, MY MESSAGE IS TO NOT FORGET THAT FOR US, THE ARTISTS, YOUR PRESENCE IS THE HUMAN SPIRIT RESTATEMENT.”
Q: Could you give an optimistic message for the artistic community and one for the classical music lovers public community?
A: For the artistic community, I wish for us to remain united and to prepare for the critical moment that is coming time when we will have to help the global society heal through art, through music. It will be a time when it will be vital to give more than before, with more dedication and even more pathos. The message of brotherhood, especially now in the year when we celebrate Beethoven’s genius, will have to be even stronger and more positive than before. And for classical music lovers, my message is to remember that for us, the artists, your presence in the concert halls will represent the resilience of the human spirit. The moment you receive our gift, the gift of music, in that moment we will create that spiritual space in which we all find ourselves as brothers and sisters.
For our Romanian speaking readers, click here for the full interview.
Cristian Măcelaru with composer and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis at the Chautauqua Institution, August 2019 (Photo credit: Luigi Beverelli)