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Benjamin Zander and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra are a lesson in dedication

The New England Conservatory's Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, led by renowned conductor Benjamin Zander, find that dedication and hard work make a world of difference. Starting June 14, the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra is going on tour to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Gustav Mahler鈥檚 death

We all know the feeling鈥攕omething daunting stands in our path, and we just want to be past it or to shy away. Most of us know that feeling of giving up, too. We might feel momentary relief from avoiding whatever that task is, but that is only temporary. Most likely, we will look back on it in the future and wish we had accomplished it. But when we look at that frightening duty straight in the face and decide that we are going to make it, it鈥檚 a whole different story. Often success stories inspire us to take on future challenges with identical gusto. Like a domino effect, it鈥檚 almost impossible for an accomplished task not to inspire others. The (YPO) certainly knows this feeling of dedication. And their audiences, and I, know the feeling of inspiration.

This coming week, starting June 14^th , the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra is going on tour to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Gustav Mahler鈥檚 death. Not only will the orchestra, which is comprised of musicians aged 12-18, perform at the in Vienna, the in Prague, the , and the , but they will play music that isn鈥檛 normally paired with youth orchestras鈥擬ahler鈥檚 Symphony No. 9 in D Major, Beethoven鈥檚 Piano Concerto No. 4 (played by piano wunderkind ), Tchaikovsky鈥檚 Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra (played by Johan Ellsworth, the principal cellist of the YPO), Dvo艡谩k鈥檚 New World Symphony, and Ravel鈥檚 La Valse. Sounds difficult, right? But what might not be evident at first glance is that when musicians are dedicated, no matter their age, there isn鈥檛 much that can stand in their way.

has been the conductor of the Youth Philharmonic for 38 years and has led the orchestra on 15 international tours. Zander is thought of as a renowned Mahler interpreter, having recorded seven of the composer鈥檚 symphonies. He has focused on the composer with the , the orchestra that he has also been conducting for 32 years. Among the many inspiring aspects of the YPO, Zander is certainly key among them. Because of his commitment, the musicians are motivated to dedicate themselves to the music, to their peers, and to themselves. In a advertising the tour of the YPO and showing footage of rehearsals, musicians of the orchestra said of Zander, 鈥渉e鈥檚 a great guy, we love him,鈥� and 鈥渉e makes the whole orchestra really excited about what we鈥檙e playing.鈥� In recent 鈥渨hite sheets,鈥� or reflections that the YPO musicians write after rehearsals, students said things like, 鈥淚 barely noticed the time passing as we played, I was focused on only that single moment in time, of how my part fit into this incredible thing that is Mahler 9,鈥� and 鈥溾��this piece means not one thing to me, but everything. The whole world. Not just death, but life. Not just darkness, but also love.鈥�

I had the privilege of talking with Zander about the upcoming tour, Mahler鈥檚 music, and his conducting and teaching values.

鈥淭he difference between Mahler and other symphonies is just the sheer complexity,鈥� Zander said, 鈥渢he subject matter is so overwhelmingly deep and challenging.鈥� According to Zander, no other youth orchestra has ever played Mahler鈥檚 ninth symphony. However, he was confident that the YPO could pull it off. 鈥淥ne of the characteristics of a leader is not to doubt the people he is leading. My dream is to do the Mahler ninth, and I simply don鈥檛 allow myself to question [my students],鈥� he said.

This faith has certainly paid off. Youth orchestras typically aren鈥檛 thought of as some of the best ensembles out there. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very rare that a youth orchestra plays like this one鈥� A youth orchestra of this age, there just aren鈥檛 any that play at this level. When you hear one that does, you quickly change your mind,鈥� Zander said. The YPO has most definitely changed the mind of many listeners. In a recent of the orchestra鈥檚 kickoff concert on June 3^rd , Jeremy Eichler wrote, 鈥淥f course you could feel that sense of stretching 鈥� the piece challenges even professional ensembles 鈥� but what was notable was how much worked so well.鈥� On the music blog and virtual journal the , critic Geoffrey Wieting wrote, 鈥淭he YPO compellingly depicted strife large and small, from declarations of war down to malicious susurrations.鈥�

I was not able to attend the concert, but I did get to listen to the recording. The YPO has recordings of many of their performances on , including La Valse, the New World Symphony, and the Variations on a Rococo Theme, the other piece played during the kickoff concert. Jonah Ellsworth鈥檚 mastery of this Tchaikovsky cello piece was clearly shown with his ease of movement; on the second variation, he seemed to be presenting the emotions of the piece as though he was relaying a story, and on the fourth variation, the almost voice-like inflections of the cello came out with the suspended, short glissandos and lightning-fast swells of tremolo. The fifth variation was one of the most impressive because of its infectious, lower register chords that are spread out like butter, while the seventh variation closed off the piece energetically and memorably. While all the recordings on the YPO鈥檚 page are more than worth listening to, it was the Mahler that got me excited.

Almost every musician, whether it鈥檚 an eight year old pianist or an experienced, professional violinist, has been told to play beyond the black and white notes on the page. However, Mahler鈥檚 Symphony No. 9 goes a bit further. The notes on the page only begin to suggest the emotion that can be pulled out of the piece, and each note is metaphorically significant to that time in Mahler鈥檚 life. The Ninth was Mahler鈥檚 last completed composition and serves as a farewell to the world as well as a reflection of the atmosphere of those last years. As a composer, Mahler was stuck in the middle of two periods in musical history鈥攖he dissipating world of expressive Romanticism, and the emerging methods of the Second Viennese school (Schoenberg, Webern, Berg) that suggested the movement of music to more cerebral realms. This struggle is evident in the first movement, with the pushing and pulling of these two forces presented in opposing passages that represent these different worlds. The second movement can be seen as a whole metaphor in and of itself. The movement is written as a Viennese dance called a L盲苍诲濒别谤, but is shaky, unstable, and distorted into an almost unrecognizable version of the traditional dance. Occasional fragments of the original theme surface, but it鈥檚 often overtaken by an almost sinister guide. According to Zander, this movement is meant 鈥渢o convey the feeling that the splendor and warmth of traditional Vienna have vanished, that only their shadow remains.鈥� Zander said of the symphony, "If I only had to conduct one piece of music before I died, the Mahler 9 would be it."

Not only does Mahler鈥檚 symphony demand the ability to play emotionally beyond the written notes, but it demands an understanding of all the musical metaphors present. The YPO understands. They played further than the score, but they played even further than the music itself. Their tone as an orchestra was full and rich, and their confidence was evident in their sound as well as their entrances and layering. The attacks of the separate parts were assured, such as in the third movement, which tips its hat to Baroque moods with ubiquitous counterpoint. Each line of the orchestra, from the trumpets to the determined strings, was confident in its duty; like a spider web, each strand is crucial to the construction of the symphony, and the YPO kept it gleaming and certain. Some of the most breathtaking parts of the Mahler Ninth are the translucent areas where the curtain of sound is thin. In the massive , heart-wrenching fourth movement, this happens multiple times鈥攖he bassoon solo, the French horn solo that soars over the hushed orchestra, and, especially, when the violins are hanging by a thread on a high-register melody while the cellos and basses lurk behind them. These are delicate areas, and they were played with care. The YPO was able to understand the layers of the symphony while staying true to its intricacy. 鈥淥ne of the problems with a modern interpretation of Mahler is that the great orchestras are so familiar with it, and they find it easier to play; they forget its complexity,鈥� said Zander. The YPO didn鈥檛 only make me live inside Mahler鈥檚 music, but in Mahler鈥檚 concluding life.

When listening to the YPO鈥檚 recordings, I didn鈥檛 feel as though I was listening to a youth orchestra. However, it wasn鈥檛 that I pictured an adult orchestra playing the pieces鈥攊t was that the YPO sounded capable and determined, two adjectives that are often associated with older ensembles. Age often obscures success, and the YPO was able to transcend that and make me think only of the music that they performed. Though it sounds simple, for a youth orchestra it鈥檚 one of the most difficult tasks to make an audience forget that they are a youth orchestra and to just become source of music. "Music is really a mysterious force, and we don鈥檛 really know how it works, but it transforms people, and the audience was transformed on that night," said Zander of the concert on June 3rd.

Hitting the right notes, shaping phrases expressively, creating perfect moments of silence鈥攖hese are certainly things that make music sound great. But something that isn鈥檛 as measurable, but is certainly evident, is dedication. Zander believes this dedication begins with teaching. He said, 鈥淥ne of the things I do is I give all my kids an A in the first month of the year. They鈥檙e all A students. I teach the person who they see as the person they want to be." Here鈥檚 one of the areas where dedication morphs into inspiration.

Then it got me thinking; dedication comes in threads. Mahler was loyal to his craft, and out of it came music that not only brings tears to the eyes of listeners a century later but serves as a mirror into his inner workings. Through composers鈥� commitment, conductors are inspired. Conductors of orchestras must be devoted to the music they choose to work on, such as Zander鈥檚 dedication to Mahler. 鈥淚鈥檝e had a lifetime of thinking about this music and I come home to my youth orchestra and bring home all that I鈥檝e learned and discovered about this piece,鈥� he said. Conductors must also be committed to the process of leading鈥擹ander said, 鈥淚t takes 30 years to build an orchestra like this. We鈥檝e been on 15 international tours. This is the culmination.鈥�

Musicians鈥� dedication fuels their inspiration to perform. In turn, listeners are inspired by them, and so on. It may be easy to give up on things and to turn our backs on daunting tasks. But, if we鈥檙e lucky, we can get picked up on one of these threads. 鈥淟et鈥檚 not kids ourselves鈥攊t鈥檚 not magic,鈥� says Zander of the music he conducts. And he鈥檚 right; it鈥檚 simply hard work. But if we just close our eyes, it can certainly feel like magic.

Elena blogs at .

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