By Emily Williams
Carlos Izcaray didn’t set out to become a conductor. When he was 16 or so, he dreamed of being a hotelier in the Caribbean. Then he heard a recording of Yo-Yo Ma performing the “Elgar Concerto.”
“There was something there that clicked,” he said. That’s when he knew he wanted not just to play music, but to create musical experiences by conducting full orchestras.
He’s planned a series of such experiences that will unfold beginning Sept.18 and 19, when Izcaray takes the podium as the newly appointed music director for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. The ASO’s 2015-2016 season kicks off with Izcaray conducting his first EBSCO Masterworks performance at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center.
The Venezuela-born musician did not take a direct path on his journey to find a passion for music, but he said that growing up in a musically inclined family helped.
“My dad is a professional musician and educator, with a very good batting average when it comes to his pupils ending up in the music business both as performers or also as educators,” Izcaray said.
Though he and all of his brothers can call themselves musicians, he said his parents’ approach was always laid back – not so laid back that Izcaray didn’t begin playing the violin at the age of four, though.
“That’s when I started to get the goosebumps in certain moments of music,” Izcaray recalled. “My appreciation came quite early. My love for it as a passion and a career path came much, much later.”
While attending a boarding school in Madison, Wisconsin, Izcaray began playing in a youth symphony orchestra, which nurtured his desire to actively lead the orchestra, rather than just performing.
If he had any doubts about his choice, he said they were laid to rest during his time at the internationally acclaimed Interlochen Center for the Arts, where he participated in a summer-long program before attending the school for a year.
“The feelings are so fresh because I just went back now to conduct the World Youth Symphony Orchestra,” he said. “Seeing those kids and their enthusiasm, it reminded me of exactly what I went through back then.”
Izcaray has called four countries home – most recently Germany – and has performed around the world.
“Each concert itself is a timeless experience, especially when it’s done right,” he said.
Though the audience’s reception of the performance is important, Izcaray said that the change from day one of rehearsal to the day of the performance is what makes for a great musical experience.
“Some of the concerts I’ve done here in Alabama have been some of the best – there were great expectations coming from everywhere,” he said. “The orchestra was curious. I’m curious about them. They’re curious about me. There are question marks everywhere and the answer to all of those question marks is in the concert.”
Expectations for the Season
As for this season, Izcaray has created an arc that tells its own story, and the opening performances on Sept. 18 and 19 will set the tone for the year.
“It’s like getting that first dance,” he said. “She said yes. There’s this great excitement and you really don’t want to step on that dress.”
Izcaray said audiences can expect the traditional sound of the symphony this season, with a few personal touches from his own repertoire.
“With this season we have struck a good balance between, for example, presenting some of the most well-known master works – such as Beethoven’s Ninth and Fifth,” he said. “Yet we’re also bringing some other works that perhaps don’t get performed as much.”
Audiences will be treated to world premieres as well as staples such as the Classical EDGE series and the Red Diamond SuperPOPS! conducted by resident conductor Christopher Confessore. Guest artists will range from well-seasoned soloists such as Arnaldo Cohen to younger artists and composers.
“I’m challenging myself and really stretching,” Izcaray said. “As if it wasn’t enough conducting a full season, I’m playing as a cellist in one of the works. I think that piece is going to be really well received. It’s a piece for cellists, orchestra and a movie. It’s a cinematic experience.”
With the first performance as the season’s pacemaker, Izcaray will begin with a bit of the unknown.
“I expect a lot of people will come that know the orchestra, but I like to think there are a few who have never seen this orchestra,” he said. “Usually those are the ones that have the freshest ears to new music.”
The concert will begin with “Tambor” by Joan Tower, a Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy-winning composer who is American but, like Izcaray, grew up in South America.
“This transcultural thing is something that I wanted to keep in mind for the first concert,” Izcaray said.
Second will be a piece by Erich Korngold, a man from the “old world” who became known as father of the Hollywood sound. The sound then shifts with a piece by John Corigliano called “Mannheim Rocket.” It is contemporary and full of humor while highlighting the craftsmanship of its orchestrator.
“Then, at the very end, Strauss with the ‘Der Rosenkavalier Suite,’” Izcaray said. “It is just one of the most amazing orchestral experiences there is and I wanted to finish with a bang.”
It is a love story and acts as the champagne toast to the end of the evening’s music.
As with the first concert, audiences can expect light and entertaining music as well as thought-provoking and profound performances from Izcaray this season.
It is Izcaray’s journey into the human spirit and it begins Sept. 18-19 at 8 p.m. at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center.
“We’ve already agreed now to embark on a journey together – the orchestra, the community and myself – so the overall feeling is excitement.”
For more information on ASO’s season, visit www.alabamasymphony.org or call 975-2787. ϖ
