Gourlay’s magnetism drives APO
Shostakovich’s 10th symphony a defiant climax for concert
English conductor Andrew Gourlay can reflect on a pretty exotic childhood. Born in Jamaica, he spent two years in the Bahamas followed by a further decade in Manila and Tokyo which meant settling in his family’s UK “home” seemed rather odd.
“I remember the small British classrooms, with mad English history professor characters, something I’d certainly not experienced in the American-style Tokyo schools,” says Gourlay, now in his mid-30s.
But the wanderlust hasn’t left him. He returns to New Zealand this week to conduct the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra’s Defiance programme, an event he looks forward to.
Hopefully, we can expect more of the magnetism that flowed from his two 2015 appearances with the APO. The second concert was particularly breathtaking, exploring exotic strands in the music of Nielsen, Khachaturian and our own Jack Body, with Australian didgeridoo maestro William Barton as soloist.
Perhaps it’s Gourlay’s own Russian ancestry that draws him to composer Shostakovich’s mighty Tenth Symphony that will doubtlessly be the climax of Defiance.
“No matter how many times I conduct this symphony, I always feel the same excitement,” Gourlay says. The strength of this 1953 titan lies in its strong sense of place, Gourlay decides, and he sees an almost magical scenario in Shostakovich’s writing of the work.
“Although it was composed pretty quickly, the ideas behind the symphony had been simmering over a long period of time. Suddenly the trigger to set it off came with the death of Stalin, unlocking the remarkable journey that this symphony is.”
Gourlay’s career has taken him most recently to Spain, where he’s music director of the Orcquestra Sinfonica de Castille y Leon, based in the city of Valladolid and serving an area about the size of Austria.
“This is heartland Spain,” he says. “We’re lucky that the Government supports us to do high-level stuff — this season we have guest soloists such as violinist Vadim Repin and pianist Nikolai Lugansky.”
Gourlay talks of having to smarten up his Spanish language skills to cope with all-important communication but is cautious when it comes to conducting Spanish music.
“I’ve seen too many foreign conductors take on the very English Elgar when it’s not in their blood,” he explains. “I feel that you have to grow up with some music to get the authentic touch.”
Not that this has stopped him encouraging young Spanish composers, workshopping scores and performing the best in concert.
“The orchestral players vote on all this, which means that they are connected with the whole business of commissioning, discovering local music that otherwise would remain under the surface.”