In the late 1990s, when Robert Spano was in charge of the adventure-prone Brooklyn Philharmonic, he often was touted as the next big catch for a major orchestra – a smart young maestro with a disciplined baton and bristling energy. He clearly adored the classic repertoire, from Mozart to Bernstein. He was an ace interpreter of the latest modern scores.
When the Atlanta Symphony named him music director and Donald Runnicles principal guest conductor, starting officially in the 2001-02 season, the partnership became one of the most watched in the country.
Jump ahead 10 years. People are still paying attention.
As The Boston Globe recently observed after Boston Symphony concerts at the Tanglewood Music Festival, “Spano has gone on to become perhaps the most admired American conductor of his generation.”
A decade into his music directorship, the Orchestra and the 49-year-old Spano are at that optimal moment in the relationship: The musicians and conductor know each other so well that they make music by instinct. Filling vacancies, he has hired many of the Orchestra’s key players. Yet the bloom of a growing partnership, and the challenging promise of difficult goals almost within reach, remains as fresh as ever.
“Robert brings an incredible amount of enthusiasm and excitement to the podium, which is contagious to the musicians and results in exciting music-making,” says Principal Cellist Christopher Rex. “Most importantly, his ego is always subservient to the music. I’ve found this to be true not only with the Orchestra, but when I’ve had the pleasure of playing chamber music with him.”
And Spano has made Atlanta home on many levels, with a loft apartment on Peachtree Street and a secluded cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of north Georgia, where he goes for recharging and deep study.
He’s made his intellectual home here, too. Last fall, Emory University named him artist-in-residence, a three-year appointment to lecture and perform. The topics cover Spano’s special interests, ranging from philosophy and science to literature, metaphysics and, of course, music. (The post had previously been held by acclaimed novelist Salmon Rushdie.
When he’s not at home, he maintains a full calendar conducting around the U.S. or Europe. A career highlight from the past decade came at the Seattle Opera, where he was immersed (twice) in Richard Wagner’s four-opera epic Ring Cycle, adding a richness to his interpretations that hasn’t escaped the notice of critics.
Likely the most memorable element of Spano’s Atlanta tenure has been among the most important activities for any arts organization: the creation and nurturing of new works. This is where the future of the art form will be decided; this is where a conductor builds his credentials as a thinker and an “activist” for the art.
Spano has planted his flag with the “Atlanta School of Composers,” which, as the conductor explains favors tonal melodies, intense emotions and an underlying awareness of cinematic and world or pop music.
Yet for the listener, there’s no strict style to the Atlanta School. Osvaldo Golijov’s Latin dance rhythms and Yiddish sound-world (The St. Mark Passion, Ainadamar) has no apparent relation to the bold Americana of Jennifer Higdon (blue cathedral, On a Wire) – to name just two of the group.
Cellist Rex calls this creative diversity “a great morale booster.”
More than just playing premieres, the Atlanta School is about what Spano jokingly calls “watering your composers” — treating new works as a garden that needs tending. The latest addition is Adam Schoenberg, whose music satisfies on first listen, yet stands up to repeated performances. Schoenberg will write a brief fanfare to open the 2010-11 season, one of several Atlanta School fanfares celebrating Spano’s 10th season.
::
Arthur Bucklaw writes about the arts in Atlanta and elsewhere.
