COMPOSERS: Astrid Bscher
LABELS: Orfeo
ALBUM TITLE: Andris Nelsons: Genius On Fire
WORKS: Genius On Fire
PERFORMER: Andris Nelsons, Kristine Opolais, Klaus Florian Vogt
CATALOGUE NO: C 874 131 V
A powerhouse of musical intensity and energy, Andris Nelsons (opposite, top) is one of the hottest conducting talents around. Still in his mid-thirties, he has been music director of the CBSO since 2008 and next year is poised to take over at the helm of the Boston Symphony. Charismatic and contagious, he possesses the rare ability of being
able to live in the moment yet maintain a firm hold on music’s structural rudder.
Director Astrid Bscher spent two years with the young maestro, capturing intimate moments behind the scenes with family, friends and in rehearsal, and what emerges is a young man bursting with talent but with his feet firmly on the ground. It’s a journey as exhilarating as the performances he obtains, yet away from the adrenaline rush of his rehearsals and concerts he emerges as a calm, thoughtful personality – he even finds time to introduce his beloved pet terrier to the orchestra in his home city of Riga.
Yet it is music that above all fires his imagination. As he freely admits, his brain is continually multitasking, working over in his mind thorny interpretative problems. No matter where he is or what he is doing music is coursing through his subconscious. His infectious dynamism is so close to the edge at times that one cannot help but fear for his health, but as long as he can sustain his insatiable musical vision, orchestras and audiences will be queuing up to journey with him.
Julian Haylock
