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Archive of monthly comments from Leonard Slatkin: 2007-2009

2009

JANUARY, 2009
Greetings from Taipei.
     The final two weeks of 2008 have been spent in Asia: the first in Tokyo, and the current one in Taiwan. It has been eight years since I last conducted any resident orchestras here in the Far East. Most everything has been on tour with American and English ensembles. [ more ]

MID-JANUARY, 2009
It is only halfway through January of the new year but there is so much to write about that I thought it best to get a head start. [ more ]

FEBRUARY, 2009
After two very intense weeks in Detroit, I thought it would be a simple matter just to go back on the guest circuit. After all, no administrative responsibilities and all I had to do was just conduct.
     Naturally, it did not work out quite that easily. [ more ]

MARCH, 2009
A great deal of February was spent in teaching mode. First up was a trip to Interlochen, which was not my idea at this time of year. Checking the weather became a fixation as the day of arrival neared. It is at least 10 degrees colder in that part of the world than in Detroit. None the less I arrived to chilly but not unbearable temperatures. [ more ]

APRIL, 2009
For all the weather ills that befall us at this time of year, March is in many ways my favorite month. Baseball is back. Four and a half months of withdrawal are at an end. All is right with the world. [ more ]

MAY, 2009
Many people tell me that I work too hard. There are probably some who don’t think I work hard enough. All I know is that I have just spent one year during this past April. So hang in with me. This is not going to be short. [ more ]

JUNE, 2009
On the road once more. This time for six weeks. Groan!
     Now that I actually have a physical place of residence, it seems more difficult to be away. All those boxes that need to get unpacked, getting used to a new kitchen, and those pesky tools that I need to stay away from.
     This has been a season in which I have visited several orchestras that have not been on my radar much, due to other obligations. [ more ]

JULY, 2009
One can feel it in the air. The end of the concert season is close and various forms of time off are near. There is a physical letdown and the best you can do, after the ardors of a tough season, is to take little vacations along the way.
     Such was the case at the beginning of the month of June. [ more ]

AUGUST, 2009
This month’s installment will be quite a bit shorter than most. The reason is simple: I took most of July off.
     As with last summer, my son Daniel and I took three weeks to visit various baseball parks around the country. Our time was divided into the West Coast stadiums and then Chicago and St. Louis. It was at the latter that I attended my first All-Star Game. We had a terrific time and are trying to figure out what we will do next summer to top this trip. [ more ]

SEPTEMBER, 2009
Usually I am content just to write about the past months activities, with no stopping off for side trips. But since 65 seems to be one of those special occasions, and since it turned out to be unique, I have decided to share it with everyone a bit earlier than usual. [ more ]

OCTOBER, 2009
Finally! A chance to spend more than one week with the DSO!
     Music directors are supposed to be working with their orchestras on a regular basis. In the previous season, since my appointment in Detroit happened rather quickly, I was only available for five subscription concerts. So, in most ways, this 2009/2010 season is truly my first full year. It is a time of settling in with the new band, getting familiar with how we will work together, and for me to immerse myself in the new environs. [ more ]

NOVEMBER, 2009
We ended last month with the Cardinals winning their division, the Tigers still in first place, the Lions on a one-game winning streak and the DSO in great shape.
     Three of the four collapsed quickly. The orchestra remained in first place. [ more ]

DECEMBER, 2009
No complaints this month. In many ways, I am lucky to be writing anything at all. But with the enforced vacation, due to a heart attack on November 1st, I have had some time to reflect about many matters, most having very little to do with music. [ more ]

LATE DECEMBER, 2009
It is very rare for me to have an entire month free of conducting, much less two. Clearly the first one, this past November, gave me no choice, what with having the heart attack and recovering. But the surprise was how willing I was to let go and take the second month off for purposes of recuperating. [ more ]

2008

JANUARY, 2008
Happy New Year! 2007 has ended on a mostly upbeat note. In some years, December is a more quiet time for symphonic conductors. What with Holiday Pops, Messiahs, and other concerts devoted to this time of year, there is not much place for a lot of the traditional or adventurous symphonic fare. [ more ]

FEBRUARY, 2008
The New Year has gotten off to a quick start, hampered by a severe cold.
     Beethoven 9's in Milan were great fun, a term one does not usually associate with this piece. But it seemed appropriate for the audience, which was looking for this high level of entertainment to bring in the festivities. [ more ]

MARCH, 2008
On the road again. The shortest month of the year can seem the longest when travel is involved. [ more ]

APRIL, 2008
Life on the road is tough. A different orchestra each week, travel difficulties, strange accommodations. But when it goes well, all the travails get put behind. [ more ]

MID-APRIL, 2008
Normally, I try to keep this column down to once a month. But every so often, something happens which demands a "special edition." For the past eight days, I have been in Detroit, the first time I have conducted there since being appointed music director. This was originally to have been a guest date, but now it was much, much more. [ more ]

MAY, 2008
Home at last!
     After almost 12 weeks on the road, I have finally landed back in Washington. This will be a three-week stint with the NSO, which right now feels more like three months. No more hotel rooms and horrid Internet connections. And the projects that are looming here are interesting. [ more ]

JUNE, 2008
It seems as if this season will go on for quite some time. Between the travel and not really getting any vacation, some of the weeks can get tiring. But almost all of them are exhilarating. [ more ]

JULY, 2008
And so it ends.
     June saw my final concerts as music director of the National Symphony. These occupied most of the month and, as you can imagine, was a highly charged three weeks. But there was almost as much packed into the first week as well. [ more ]

AUGUST, 2008
Summertime and the livin' is, well, not as easy as it should be.
July started off as planned with a trip to Nashville. Conducting on the 4th of this month is always an interesting experience, no matter where you are. I have done concerts all over the U.S. as well as a few in Europe. However, perhaps aside from Washington and Boston, it is hard to imagine a place more tuned into that date than Music City. [ more ]

SEPTEMBER, 2008
Another long orchestral season has come to a close and it is time to start gearing up for a busy 2008-2009 year.
     August saw a string of concerts in three venues, but with lots of travel involved. I started off in Detroit. For many years, the orchestra's summer home was at the Meadowbrook Music Festival, a sylvan-like setting on the campus of Oakland University. In fact, the last time I conducted the orchestra, before we began the music director courtship, was at this space. In many ways, it is similar to the National Symphony's outdoor arena, Wolf Trap. [ more ]

OCTOBER, 2008
September is usually a very busy month. There are seasons to open and I usually have to be right in the thick of things. But this year it is a bit different.
     After having spent the first week packing up and moving music and belongings up to Detroit, I started the concert calendar at Indiana University. There are five orchestras at the school. Each is very good, and one can sense that there is no problem regarding the future of orchestral performers. [ more ]

NOVEMBER, 2008
With the Far East tour completed, the remainder of October was devoted to a bit more traditional fare, at least as far as my own concerts were concerned. But still, not having conducted my own orchestra in Detroit, it still did not feel as if the season had really started.
     At least the first date was in Pittsburgh, where I am now the Principal Guest Conductor. However, there was the small matter of adjusting to the 19-hour flight from Singapore and the accompanying 12-hour time change. [ more ]

DECEMBER, 2008
Another month filled with travel and good music making. When I think about my original plan, no permanent orchestra and just guest conducting, I now realize that this kind of schedule would have been too grueling. But it is still nice to see both familiar and new faces once in a while. [ more ]

MID-DECEMBER, 2008
Usually these columns are devoted to what has occurred over the course of one month, occasionally veering off into something unusual. However, events of this past week almost certainly demand a special edition of their own, so here it is.
     It is difficult to know what has been more important, moving or even fun. After a long, long wait, I finally stepped on the podium at Orchestra Hall in Detroit and gave what will be the first of many downbeats as the orchestra's music director. [ more ]

2007

JUNE, 2007
Two years have past since we launched this site providing immediate access to an array of information pertaining to my concerts, recordings and activities, yet it does not seem complete without your first finding a greeting or note of welcome from me. So, here's my first try at it. [ more ]

JULY, 2007
The month of June has been quite exciting for me. First, we wrapped up the subscription season of the NSO with the premiere of a harp concerto. The soloist was the orchestra's principal harpist, Dotian Levalier, who played with great feeling and panache. The piece is by Mark Adamo, who is primarily known as an opera composer. The lyrical elements would certainly bear out his reputation in this field, but his use of the orchestra was outstanding, and I believe many harpists will want to take up the work. [ more ]

AUGUST, 2007
Greetings from Aspen, Colorado! It is lovely here, as usual, but with a bit more rain that expected.
     July turned out to be a very exciting month. [ more ]

SEPTEMBER, 2007
The summer season is winding down and orchestras all over the world are gearing up for a busy fall. [ more ]

MID-SEPTEMBER, 2007
Originally, I had only planned to write once a month, summarizing activities that had occurred previously. But the first few weeks of September have had a couple of nice surprises that I felt were worth sharing early. [ more ]

OCTOBER, 2007
On changes in life: By now, most of you will have learned of my recent appointment as Music Director of the Detroit Symphony. Between the positions that I am completing and the ones that are coming up, it is even confusing to me. So let's summarize. [ more ]

NOVEMBER, 2007
Well, October was certainly a busy month. In Washington, at the NSO, we began the subscription season. Beethoven 9 was up first. It is amazing how my thoughts of this work have changed over the years. [ more ]

DECEMBER, 2007
Another whirlwind month has come to a close. There are times when I am not sure that it is possible to keep up with the calendar. And traveling these days is certainly not one of life’s greatest pleasures. [ more ]

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