Jacek Kaspszyk Will Open the Symphony Orchestra of India’S Autumn 2017 Season at the NCPA with Two Remarkable Performances
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August 2017 ON Stagevolume 7 • issue 1 RISING OPERA STARS ROSA FEOLA & SERGIO VITALE JACEK DR. KANAK RELE & 50 YEARS OF NALANDA KASPSZYK The Polish conductor PRATIBIMB MARATHI NATYA at the NCPA UTSAV IS BACK NCPA Chairman Khushroo N. Suntook Executive Director & Council Member Deepak Bajaj Editorial Director Radhakrishnan Nair Contents Editor-in-Chief Oishani Mitra Consulting Editor Ekta Mohta 14 Editorial Co-ordinator Hilda Darukhanawalla Art Director Amit Naik Deputy Art Directors Hemali Limbachiya Tanvi Shah Graphic Designer Vidhi Doshi Advertising Anita Maria Pancras ([email protected]; 66223820) Tulsi Bavishi ([email protected]; 9833116584) Senior Digital Manager Jayesh V. Salvi Cover Credit Sophie Wright Published by Deepak Bajaj for The National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai – 400021 Produced by Editorial Office 4th Floor, Todi Building, Mathuradas Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai - 400013 Printer Spenta Multimedia, Peninsula Spenta, Mathuradas Mill Compound, N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Features Mumbai – 400013 Materials in ON Stage cannot be reproduced in part or whole without the written permission 08 14 of the publisher. Views and opinions expressed Reflections New Faces of Opera in this magazine are not necessarily those of On the Cremonese violin. By Anil Dharker Soprano Rosa Feola and baritone Sergio the publisher. All rights reserved. Vitale, both from Italy, are on the brink of international stardom NCPA Booking Office 10 In Pole Position 2282 4567/6654 8135/6622 3724 The award-winning Polish conductor Jacek www.ncpamumbai.com SMITH Kaspszyk will open the Symphony Orchestra 16 of India’s Autumn 2017 season at the NCPA The Sam of All Things At the NCPA, renowned tabla virtuoso HUBERT with two remarkable performances. Beverly Pereira takes a look at the successful career of Suresh Talwalkar gets set to perform a the celebrated maestro concert highlighting the myriad ways of RICHARD 20 approaching sam, the crucial juncture in Indian classical music 34 that signifies the end of the Indian Dance at the NCPA existing cycle (avartan) as well as In this new series, we go behind- 34 the beginning of a new cycle. the-scenes of the several arts By Meena Banerjee departments at the NCPA. This month, we talk to Swapnokalpa Dasgupta, Head – Programming 28 20 for Indian Dance Ney Rosauro An interview with the Brazilian percussionist 40 The Widening Perspective of Music Education 24 David Tunley writes of the infinite Nalanda and Me possibilities in music education Dr. Kanak Rele has devoted her life to her dance institute and research centre, Nalanda. Here, 46 she talks about her journey of Bird’s-Eye View more than half a century A look at the powerful architectural photography of Prasad Pawaskar 28 Follow us on: Chelsea de Souza facebook.com/NCPAMumbai An interview with the Indian 51 pianist Programme Guide @NCPAMumbai All of August’s events at NCPAMumbai the NCPA 31 youtube.com/user/TheNCPAMumbai1 A Novel Idea pinterest.com/ncpamumbai Two plays in the line-up of this 62 year’s Pratibimb Marathi Natya What’s Next Utsav have taken inspiration What to look forward to in the We look forward to your feedback and suggestions. Please do drop us an from best-sellers. By Reshma O. coming months email at [email protected]. Pathare COVER STORY In Pole PositionThe award-winning Polish conductor Jacek Kaspszyk will open the Symphony Orchestra of India’s Autumn 2017 season at the NCPA with two remarkable performances. Beverly Pereira takes a look at the successful career of the celebrated maestro acek Kaspszyk conducting six to eight of the Piano Competition every four comes with long- season’s programmes, attending years. standing experience auditions, dealing with musicians’ But the celebrated maestro of conducting the problems and taking time out for who has worked on some of the Warsaw Philharmonic interviews, Kaspszyk goes on tour most prominent stages of the six Orchestra, an with the orchestra, and conducts continents has taken more than ensemble with whom the final stages of the reputed just one orchestra to exalted he enjoys an excellent International Fryderyk Chopin heights in his long and illustrious rapport. As the artistic career. Within Europe, he has and music director been closely associated with of Poland’s oldest institution, the Berlin Philharmonic, RSO theJ eminent Polish conductor “I was particularly Berlin, Orchestre de Paris, Vienna opened his tenure in 2013 by influenced by Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of conducting the ensemble in the Europe, and the Oslo, Stockholm final concert of the Chopin and Mahler and the and Czech Philharmonics. Outside His Europe festival. The same Second Viennese Europe, he has conducted year, he also conducted the first School to which I renowned orchestras including three concerts in the history of the the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra was introduced by China Philharmonic, New WRIGHT to be transmitted via the internet. my mother” Zealand Symphony and Tokyo Between season programming, Philharmonic, among a host Jacek Kaspszyk SOPHIE NCPA August 2017 • 11 Jacek Kaspszyk will conduct the Symphony Orchestra of of others. He is also widely principal guest conductor of was appointed as the artistic and India in September represented on CD, many of which the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in music director of Teatr Wielki in include award-winning recordings Düsseldorf. In the following year, 1998, and its managing director such as that of Rossini’s Il he won the third prize at the two years later. After all, it was at Signor Bruschino with the Polish acclaimed Herbert von Karajan the renowned Polish opera house Chamber Orchestra. He won the Conducting Competition in that he had made his conducting Edison Prize for his recording Berlin. The year 1978 was marked debut and won early success in of Baird’s Concerto Lugubre, with grand accomplishments, 1975. Viewing the coveted position while his recording of Stanislaw including a debut with the Berlin as an opportunity to contribute Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor Philharmonic Orchestra and New to the culture of modern opera with the Polish National Opera York Philharmonic Orchestra. in Warsaw at the time, he says, was awarded a platinum disc. He was also appointed principal “I considered it important to conductor of the Polish National stage and record Moniuszko’s The Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Haunted Manor and, of course, An early start went on to become the esteemed Karol Szymanowski’s King Roger Kaspszyk first encounteredorchestra’s music director two during my tenure at the Polish Western classical music at the age years later. National Opera. As a Pole I think of five, when his mother had taken it is only natural to promote the him to watch Verdi’s La Traviata. music of my country of birth, and Instead of paying attention to the the best way to achieve this is action onstage, he remembers through performance excellence.” being fascinated by the orchestral “As a Pole I think Throwing light on the musical pit and the music inspired by it is only natural history of his birthplace, he the conductor. It was a defining to promote the describes it as “somewhat moment that led him to embark fragmented, considering that from on a career in conducting several music of my 1795 to 1918, Poland did not exist decades later. He recalls that country of birth, as an independent state”. Hence, music was always present in his and the best he explains, its composers lacked home during his childhood. “I was support and promotion. Had particularly influenced by Mahler way to achieve Chopin not left for France, who and the Second Viennese School this is through knows what would have become to which I was introduced by my performance of his music? Those who stayed, mother, a musicologist, who was like Moniuszko, concentrated on unable to work in her profession in excellence” composing operatic music based communist post-war Poland.” on patriotic folk themes. It was the The early exposure to classical very reason for which Moniuszko greats prompted Kaspszyk to earned the sobriquet ‘the father of study conducting, music theory Kaspszyk might be Polish by Polish national opera’. “In terms of and composition at the Fryderyk birth, but he is also a proud British contemporary music, Poland has Chopin University of Music in citizen. Having moved to London certainly made up for lost time, Warsaw. On graduating in 1975, in 1982, he made his debut with and I have had the privilege of he made his conducting debut the Philharmonia Orchestra at working with such distinguished at Warsaw’s Teatr Wielki – Opera the Royal Festival Hall. Thereon, composers as Witold Lutosławski, Narodowa with a new opera he performed regularly with the Krzysztof Penderecki, Andrzej production of Mozart’s Don London Symphony Orchestra, Panufnik and Henryk Górecki.” Giovanni. Conducting the opera London Philharmonic, Royal In September, when Kaspszyk was certainly a fitting start to Philharmonic and Royal Scottish takes the stage at the NCPA, the his career, the seeds of which National Orchestra. Years later, audience will be privy to the sheer were sown as a five-year-old in 2011, he would earn himself passion, energy and musicality of child captivated by the sweeping the prestigious Elgar Society one of Poland’s finest conductors. movements of a baton at an Medal for his interpretations of “Since I have never been to India, opera. Thereafter, his career’s the composer’s music, instantly I am looking forward to a totally trajectory presented him with a placing him in the distinguished new experience, and I trust my series of prestigious positions, company of notable orchestral contribution will enhance the coveted awards and interesting conductors such as Vladimir upcoming performances with the collaborations that took him Ashkenazy, Andrew Litton and Symphony Orchestra of India,” he places – from London and Lahti to Leonard Slatkin.