BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Pianist and conductor Lars Vogt will make a couple of debuts in Australia next week, performing for the first time with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and also stepping onto the stage at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
Lars has established himself as a leading pianist for more than two decades, starting off as a young muso taking out the 1990 Leeds International Piano Competition. Last year, he was appointed Musical Director of the Royal Northern Sinfonia. His interest in music education led him to found the Rhapsody in School project, which has united more than 300 artists in playing and talking about music at German schools.
The musician travels to Tassie from Germany to bring us works by Beethoven, Mozart and Ravel. Did we mention he’ll conduct and play piano? See it for yourself in Hobart and Launceston. Or you can catch him in Melbourne, where he’ll perform his debut at the Melbourne Recital Centre presenting Bach’s Goldberg Variations (he topped the charts with his recording of the work).
You headlined the First Night of the Proms last year, which we think is a pretty big deal. How was the experience?
It was an amazing experience. It’s a wonderful thing in any case to play at the Proms, but to be part of such a special occasion and feel all the buzz and excitement about this incredibly special summer festival starting was really a privilege.
What does it mean for you as a performer to play in front of such a substantial audience?
It feels particularly festive. But I always play at my very best and demand the utmost of myself artistically, no matter where and in front of how many people I perform.
You’ve branched into conducting as well as playing piano – why is it important for you to extend your relationship with the music into this realm as well?
There’s always been a fascination for me about it since I first worked with some really amazing conductors and could see what could be done if a group gets really inspired by someone who is able to send out a special spark in rehearsal and performance. Doing a lot of chamber music in my life, it just seemed like a natural next step of exploring music together with others.
Tell us a bit about the works you’ll be performing with the TSO.
The Mozart K271 concerto was the first concerto I ever played with a professional orchestra when I was 14. I have a long relationship with this masterpiece, and my love for it has only grown even further over the years. All the other pieces I’ve also loved for a long time, but I’m doing them for the first time, so I’m very curious do discover them ‘under my hands’ together with the TSO.
Along with performing, you’ve done a lot behind the scenes for music education. Why did you found Rhapsody in School and what’s your mission for it?
We want to tell kids about our love for music, our passion, why we make this our lives. Make them curious about what might be there to discover – all mostly on an emotional basis, not primarily analytical. We felt that children in Germany often don’t get a realistic and enticing chance to ‘fall in love’ with music. So we hope that us going into schools and playing for them and being as emotional and passionate about music might make them aware of the immense artistic energies they might find in themselves.
What advice do you have for emerging pianists? And do you feel it’s necessary to take on different roles in a musical career rather than focusing on performance of the instrument?
Love for music and never-ending struggle and joy are key to this profession. These days, we can’t isolate ourselves in our practice room only, but we have to reach out into society in every way in our common fight to keep arts altogether alive; the values that are not just purely economic that seem to run our world these days. Wanting to be a good influence for music and for people in the world should be a key motivation.
Lars Vogt will conduct and play piano with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra at the Federation Concert Hall, July 29, and Albert Hall, July 30. If you’re in Melbourne, catch him at the Melbourne Recital Centre on July 25.
Image supplied. Credit: Neda Navaee.
