High Life

HIGH LIFE 25 “I did not initially contemplate such a switch,” he confesses, “but Bernstein inspired, encouraged and somehow pushed me to do so. Hence I began taking over some rehearsals, therebyembarking on a newjourney.” Having conducted various orchestras in his native Netherlands and across Europe, Van Zweden was appointed Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2012, an assignment adding to his decade-long tenure as Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which began in 2008. He has since elevated Asia’s foremost classical orchestra to unprecedented heights and is revered as the most authoritative figure in the Asian classical music scene. Beginning in the 2018/19 season, Van Zweden will become the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, founded in 1842 and hence primus inter pares within the “Big Five”, alongside the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras. “The concertmaster is the ambassador of the orchestra to the conductor and vice versa,” Van Zwedenexplains. “The concertmaster should be equally loyal to both while representing the ideas and traditions of the orchestra.” What Van Zweden expects from his concertmaster is perhaps more daunting than usual, not least because hewas aconcertmasterparexcellence, renowned for his ardor and rigor. In Jing Wang, a fellow alumnus of the prestigious Juilliard School, he found the perfect candidate. “Jing Wang knows exactly what I want,” he remarks on his trusted aide-de-camp, “and has the culture of a great orchestra in himself.” “The concertmaster is supposed to be the best fiddle player in the orchestra, the Messi or Ronaldo of the team, so to speak. The difference between a football coach and a conductor is that the former does not take the field, but the latter does.” Jaap van Zweden An avid fan of “the beautiful game” and naturally a diehard supporter of the Oranje, Van Zweden delights in explaining classical music in footballing terms. The maestro is, mind you, extremely well-versed in the sport and regularly goes on holiday with his best mates: namely former Netherlands, Real Madrid and Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink and former Netherlands, Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal. Each of these Dutch masters has been in charge of first-rate outfits, although Van Zweden always has more players under his command thanHiddink andVanGaal combined.