Hello! I am Marcelo Lehninger, one of the six finalists hoping to become the Fairfax Symphony’s new music director. It is a pleasure to participate in this blog, and I hope you all will enjoy reading about my experience with the FSO so far.
Last Sunday, my wife Laura and I attended a welcome reception at the lovely home of Mr. and Mrs. Mason. It was a great opportunity to be able to speak one on one with some of the FSO musicians, board and staff members.
Since I live in the greater Washington DC area, I have been to some FSO concerts and was thoroughly impressed with the orchestra’s sound. Conducting the orchestra for the first time on Monday was quite exciting because I felt the connection with the musicians was terrific. We spent a significant amount of time on Scheherazade and the violin solo was beautifully played by David Salness. To summarize, great musicians and a very positive working environment!
It’s been a very busy and interesting week. I am having the pleasure of meeting many of the people who are dedicated to the FSO and obtaining a deeper understanding of the wonderful work that the Fairfax Symphony is doing for the community. The public education system in Fairfax is top notch and the FSO’s involvement in the system is inspiring.
On Tuesday, I had dinner with some of the musicians before the rehearsal. It was very important for us to get to know each other better. I could sense their excitement towards the idea of having a new music director and the conversation flowed as if I was among a group of close colleagues.
I am looking forward to the concert on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. at GMU’s Center for the Arts. I’ve selected a spectacular pianist, Angela Cheng, and a very exciting program for you. We will travel around the world taking the “Little Train of the Brazilian Countryman” to the beautiful “Gardens of Spain”. Also, for the 100 year anniversary of Rimsky-Korsakov’s death, I’ve chosen the beautiful “Scheherazade”.
To enhance your concert experience, please join me for the free ConcerTalk at 7:00 p.m. It will be an informal conversation about the pieces in the program.
See you Saturday!
Marcelo
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Marcelo Lehninger's week with the FSO
Posted by FSO at 2:23 PM
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4 comments:
Our vote is for Marcelo Lehninger. We have had the opportunities to see and hear him conduct the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Jacksonville, FL, the National Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin's program in Washington,
DC, and again this summer at Carter Barren Ampitheatre. He demonstrates such enthusiasm performing and connects with the orchestras while exhibiting his understanding and love of music.
So impressed by the energy, enthusiasm and authority of Mr. Lehninger. The Villa-Lobos piece was a charming introduction. Ms. Cheng's passionate interpretation of the Falla piece was emotionally rich and really enhanced by Lehninger and the FSO. Scheherazade - wonderful. Such a connection to the orchestra and the audience. I have seen Mr. Lehninger conduct twice before in the Washington area and each time I leave with an immediate need to hear my favorite compositions from the evening again (iTunes is an acceptable, but not sufficient subsitute). I hope that Mr. Lehninger receives serious consideration for the position of Music Director. He gets my vote.
This season is so exciting for the audience and the orchestra. I have been a regular at FSO concerts for years and must say that Maestro Lehninger's performance was one the most impressive I can remember experiencing. The sound was incredible and the energy of the musicians and audience was palpable. In addition, his blog and pod cast seem very sincere in that he would be committed to making the FSO the best it can be.
Mr. Leninger conducts with the excitement and feeling reminiscent of a young Kurt Mazur. I first saw him conduct at the National Symphony where he blew away the competition. His rapport with both the audience and orchestra was later apparent at the Carter Barron. Most recently, performance at the Fairfax Symphony was on of the the best I have seen. I hope he stays in the area, as this young star is rising.
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