"So be emotional!"

An American in Weimar: Brandon Keith Brown directs the Staatskapelle at their open air and oscillates with it between hot and cold

June 29, 2017 / 03:14

Weimar. "What you want" this year is the open air concert night with the StaatskapelleWeimarIn the Weimarhallenpark. Plays are only pieces that the audience wanted in advance. On the conductor's desk stands the young American conductor Brandon Keith Brown, who had celebrated his Europe debut only four years ago and is now playing with the Staatskapelle for the first time. Our newspaper spoke to him.

Would you have thought that the audience wanted so many contemporary compositions besides some burners? Pieces like "Danzon No. 2 "by ArturoMarquez Or "Palladio" of Karl Jenkins, Which are comparatively young?

Both pieces are very popular. The wishes of the audience are no surprise to me. I have hoped for a long time, the "Danzon" byMarquez To be allowed to conduct.

Why did you include a "winter piece" like "Sleigh Ride" in this summer concert?

Christmas in July is not a new concept. The holiday season is cold, in July it is warm. This makes a big difference in the musical and also in the psychological temperature. So how to perceive the music. We will heat things up with Queen, then cool down with a sleigh ride. This creates a special magic for Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker".

Is "an American in Paris" played in full length - so full 20 minutes?

Naturally! A novel is difficult to understand if one skips individual chapters. And the music changes so often that the piece is absolutely entertaining. Gershwin's genius has created a real masterpiece here.

Is it more challenging to direct such a wish program than to concentrate on one handwriting and a composer or at least on a few composers in one evening?

Yes, it's a crazy program, is not it? My usual programs with Bruckner Or Mozart are certainly more focused. I try to put on the clothes of every composer and carry his message. This program has many fast changing clothes! This challenges me as a conductor. Brian Tyler's "Assassin's Creed", for example, is a great score I did not know and probably would never have studied.