Interviews & Portraits

Tribute to Henri Dutilleux by the French conductor Pascal Rophé and the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (ONPL)

In  2016, music lovers and all music business are going to celebrate the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest French composers : Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013). The Orchestre national des Pays de ...

Leonard Slatkin, from Detroit to Lyon

"I'm not into maintenance. I'm into forward thinking." Leonard Slatkin is currently Music Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de Lyon, having previously held positions with the ...

New Festival In Katowice: Kultura Natura

ICMA’s partner for the 2018 Award Ceremony, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra presents a new festival, Katowice Kultura Natura which will run from the 15th until the 24th of ...

Alan Gilbert, maestro for the 21st century

Alan Gilbert, music director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, will be on tour in Europe in late April. As usual, he will conduct unconventional programs, from Ravel to a ...

Liechtenstein Music Academy is ICMA’s partner for the new Discovery Award

The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) create their Discovery Award, aimed at distinguishing young musicians from 12 to 18 years. This new award category is created in close collaboration with ...

Osmo Vänskä and Sibelius, a lifelong relationship

Osmo Vänskä is currently Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra, an ensemble he has led since 2003. Previously, he was Principal Conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure ...

Dmitrij Kitajenko, Lifetime achievement award ICMA 2015

"It is my very personal opinion that today, an orchestra does not need to have a Music director, unless it expects him to deal with sponsors or politicians." ICMA : Maestro, have ...

Radio Orpheus Named Media Partner Of The Tchaikovsky Competition

Russian Radio Orpheus – a member of the ICMA Jury –  has been chosen as official media partner for the 15th International Tchaikovsky Competition which will be held in Moscow ...

Yury Revich: It’s all about sharing music and arts

ICMA : Yury, what does being ICMA’s ‘Young Artist of the Year’ mean to you? Yury Revich : It’s a great honor of course, I’m very happy that my dedication to ...

Preparing for takeoff: The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra

"Let’s not do a celebration, but let’s do the celebration of Sibelius and Nielsen - the largest in the world" ResMusica: How did your relationship with the RSPO begin, and how did it evolve to ...

Anssi Karttunen, artistic director of the Helsinki Musica Nova Festival

ResMusica: Tell us a little bit about the history of the Musica nova festival in Helsinki (runs 6-14 February 2015). Anssi Karttunen: Musica nova Helsinki became the new name of the ...

The ARC Ensemble committed to Remembering the Forgotten

"I don't think classical musicians really have duties beyond the normal responsibilities of non-musicians or non-artists. I think we enter very dangerous territory when we give artists special responsibility or ...

Joseph Silverstein, the old master who prefers our time

"Hilary Hahn or Frank Peter Zimmermann reached a level of virtuosity which is well beyond what preceded them" ResMusica: You have been the concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1962 ...

Schloss Elmau, Alpine music

ResMusica: Schloss Elmau is a beautiful place.  Can you tell us a bit about its history? What are the links between Elmau and music? Silke Zimmerman:  Schloss Elmau was built in ...

Martin T:son Engström, the Verbier Festival director in high spirits

"If you want to make a career, you have to find a family who will adopt you." ResMusica: Last year, the Verbier Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary. What does the Festival  ...

Hannu Lintu, chief conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra

"The audience understood that contemporary music is a natural thing, not something that you should escape from" ResMusica: You are about to finish your first full season as Chief Conductor of ...

John Storgårds talks about his new Sibelius symphony cycle with the BBC Philharmonic

ResMusica: Although this is not a new symphony cycle of Brahms, Beethoven, or even Mahler, now we have new symphony cycle of Sibelius. Many of your Finnish colleagues have already ...

Sakari Oramo, conductor

ResMusica: You began your career as a violinist, as concertmaster of the Finnish RSO, and now you are conducting the top orchestras of the world. Did you always envision conducting ...

Interview with Philip Glass

ResMusica : In 1976, Einstein on the Beach, and in 2013, The Lost. Mr. Glass, when composing your first opera, did you know that twenty-four others would follow? Philip Glass: (Laughs.) ...

Sebastian Fagerlund, composer

ResMusica: What was your first encounter with classical music? Sebastian Fagerlund: I was born in a small archipelago town in the southwest of Finland called Pargas. There was not much classical ...

Alexander Raskatov about his opera A Dog’s Heart

“The world is so pitiless, we became all tough to each other” ResMusica: Your opera A Dog’s Heart and The Nose by Dimitri Shostakovich are both satirical works which met a ...

Gita Kadambi, General Manager of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra

"We are not restricting our “search” for our future conductor to Finland only" ResMusica: You have just recently been appointed general manager of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. Please tell us a ...

BIS records at 40 years: a brief conversation with Robert von Bahr

"The obvious ones: The Sibelius Edition. The Bach Cantatas. Schnittke, Aho, Christian Lindberg, Sharon Bezaly, Martin Fröst, Ronald Brautigam and Yevgeny Sudbin". ResMusica: Robert, congratulations! BIS has turned 40 years old. ...

Daniil Trifonov, pianist

"The sculptures of Rodin made one of the strongest impressions on me" ResMusica: At only 22, you are celebrated by musical critics and influent artists such as Martha Argerich, recorded with ...

Zhenyu Zeng, Director of the China Europe Youth Orchestra

"We need musicians for orchestras, we don’t need so many soloists." ResMusica: How have you been introduced to classical music? Zhenyu Zeng : When I was 16 I was a professional opera ...

Tribute to Patrice Chéreau (1944-2013)

No one could have guessed, attending Elektra last summer at the Aix-en-Provence festival, that it would be Patrice Chéreau’s swan song. Lung cancer finally took him from us on Monday, ...

Valentina Lisitsa, the pianist 2.0

“I don’t count my time, I don’t have a private life” ResMusica: Universal France promotes you as “the pianist 2.0”, which means a pianist which interacts with her audience. Do ...

Pierre Boulez, composer and conductor

« That is an exceptional moment in my musical life ; I’m happy this recording has been kept. » ResMusica : You have recorded the Rite of the Spring many times. ...

Julia Fischer, violonist

“Making music together is about trust: you open yourself in a way you would not do in a normal relationship” ResMusica: You perform with David Zinman and Esa Pekka-Salonen, two  conductors ...

Tribute to Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013)

“What is fashion? It is what is going out of fashion. Tout est là.” His body bore the marks of a long life, but his mind remained bright, and Henri Dutilleux ...