Principal Conductor Pietari Inkinen 10/26 Yokohama Regular Orchestra Guide

Principal Conductor Pietari Inkinen  
10/26 Yokohama Regular Orchestra Guide

Funaki (omitted): Today we have Mr. Inkinen, the principal conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, here to speak to us. Please give us another round of applause. I will be your interviewer, my name is Atsuya Funaki. Thank you very much. The interpreter is Yukako Inoue.
Mr. Inkinen, your Beethoven cycle finally began last week in Tokyo. Combined with your Yokohama regular concerts, it consists of nine symphonies, and to hear them all, you'd have to go to both Tokyo and Yokohama. It's a long two-year program that will continue through 2021, so it's not just the Beethoven Year of 2020, so I hope you'll stay with us for a long time. Last week, the main focus was on Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, but today we're featuring his Symphony No. 1 and Piano Concerto No. 1. So, the first thing I'd like to ask you, Mr. Inkinen, is there something special about Beethoven's first symphony and first concerto, since they were written when he was still young?

　Inkinen (omitted): These are Beethoven's early works, so you can clearly hear the strong connection to music from the past. However, I think these are extremely important works in that they clearly demonstrate Beethoven's creativity, and the creativity that would go on to shape his future.

Let's focus on the First Symphony. It's often said that Beethoven's signature style really comes through in the Third Symphony, while the First and Second Symphony still retain strong influences from Haydn and Mozart. Putting it this way makes it seem like he hasn't quite become Beethoven yet, or that he's still imitating the old. I disagree. I'd like to hear your response, Mr. Inkinen. What do you think about that opinion?

　I agree with Mr. Funaki. Of course, there are many classical elements to be heard, but the work is also sprinkled with various techniques that he would go on to use as his trademark.

For example, what are some examples of trademarks?

　One example is the astonishing power of the bass. This is very similar to the bass part often heard in his Symphony No. 7. And his works always contain many surprises. The customary practice at the time was to begin with a C chord, but Beethoven didn't. This is what surprises people, but in fact, in Symphony No. 2, when you wonder what's coming next, it starts in a typical way. Then Symphony No. 3 follows, and you can really hear him using his creativity to incorporate various techniques and new things, playing all kinds of tricks on the audience and surprising them.

"Trick" is a very good word. I agree. For example, when you listen to the beginning of the First Symphony, even without thinking too much about theory, you can hear something like a question mark in the music. It's like an appeal to the listeners, "Hmm?", wondering if this is okay. I think it's interesting that music starts like that. Another thing I'd like to ask is that both today's concerto and the symphony are written in C major. What is Beethoven's C major?

　For example, compared to Wagner's Ring Cycle, this one has E♭ as its base key. E♭ has a very deep character, representing the birth of the world deep underground, at the bottom of the Rhine River. But Beethoven's symphonies and piano concertos are in C major, which really feel like the earth itself, and have an easy-to-understand beginning. C, then the second symphony is D, and the third is E♭. It continues like this. So I think C-major is a truly down-to-earth key.

Mr. Inkinen, as you can see from the schedule, the Japan Philharmonic's Beethoven cycle combines not only Beethoven but also other composers. Among them, Dvorak stands out. Today, the main focus of the second half is a Dvorak symphony, and in addition to the Japan Philharmonic, you are also the principal conductor of the Prague Symphony Orchestra, located in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. Has your view of Dvorak's music changed since you began working in Prague?

　I think my understanding of not only Dvorak but also other Czech composers has deepened. Of course, before going to Prague I had been conducting not only Dvorak but also the music of Smetana and Martinu. But when I started working in Prague and touring with them, I could see the Czech spirit being imprinted in my DNA. So I think my approach to Czech music, the tone, sound, and character I wanted to bring out, all of those things, have continued to evolve.

Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, which we will be listening to today, was written in the 1880s. Dvorak was very successful in London at the time, and apparently he bought a villa in the Czech Republic, where he spent a comfortable time in a village called Vysoká. The forests and nature there are said to have been very inspiring, and it is said that this piece was written in such an environment. Do you feel that when you play it?

　I completely agree. I think it's wonderful that he had a period of success in his life, a time when unfortunately none of his colleagues were able to experience that kind of success. However, after he went to America, he became homesick. I really feel that his roots are in Bohemia, and that this song was written during a truly happy time.

You can hear the birds singing in the second movement.
We've talked about Beethoven and Dvorak, and Mr. Inkinen mentioned Wagner briefly earlier. There's one more thing I'd like to celebrate today with the start of the cycle: Mr. Inkinen has been entrusted with conducting Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany next summer, 2020. That's a wonderful thing. They'll be performing it three times in total. The theater there was built by Wagner to perform his own works, and it has a rather unusual structure. Have you ever been inside to see it? Inside the orchestra pit.

　I've been to Bayreuth many times, so I think I have a good understanding of the place. Of course, I know the inside of the pit, and I've also listened to rehearsals and performances as an audience member. I think it's fair to say that the Bayreuth theater is a unique "musical instrument" in the world. Not just the visible parts, but everything is made of wood. So the sound is very unique. And because the pit is under the stage, it has a huge effect both acoustically and visually. The conductor cannot be seen coming in from the audience seats. In that sense, I think the dramatic effect is wonderful.

Rehearsals for the Bayreuth Festival begin in June. I'd like to announce something here: the Yokohama Regular Concert was scheduled for June 13th next year, conducted by Inkinen. Unfortunately, due to his commitments in Bayreuth, he will no longer be able to conduct here. The performance will remain the same, but will be conducted by another British conductor, Paul Daniel. The Beethoven Seventh Symphony that was scheduled to be performed there will be performed by Inkinen at the Yokohama Regular Concert in January 2021, so I'm sure everyone in Yokohama will be able to enjoy it. It's getting late, so I have to wrap up, but I hope that the fruits of your Bayreuth experience can be fed back into the Japan Philharmonic's performances, and that we can perform it someday. What do you think?

　I am very much looking forward to this exceptional summer, and I hope to bring back to Japan the experiences I have gained in Bayreuth and share them with the orchestra and audience.

Funaki: That was Pietari Inkinen. Thank you very much.

　Inkinen: Thank you.

Interviewer: Atsuya Funaki
Interpreter: Yukako Inoue

10/18 Tokyo Regular After-Talk Event here
10/19 Tokyo Regular Pre-Talk here