In All Classical Portland’s Commemorating Carlos series, we have been revisiting some of the most notable moments and memories of your time conducting the Oregon Symphony. What are some of your proudest moments during your time conducting the Oregon Symphony?
The obvious was of course Carnegie Hall in 2011—not only the concert itself, but also the recording we did which won us a GRAMMY nomination. This was the first time in the history of the Oregon Symphony when we appeared in Carnegie Hall (and this is quite an old orchestra!). And I also fondly remember all the concerts we did with the same program here in Oregon. This is of course, in terms of memory, the most exciting—all of that was incredibly important, and very impressive.
The other thing I would mention is the few times—and it happened more than once—when the end of a concert was appropriately met by silence. I remember vividly what happened when we ended Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 many years ago, and at the end—there was nothing. It also happens when you play and end pieces by Gustav Mahler, like his Symphony No. 9. These pieces would have been on the program in my last year as music director, but alas we couldn’t do it because we are all trying to stay healthy, and I hope everybody does exactly that.
What do you think makes the musical community of Portland, Oregon so special?
I would say variety. We have quite a large crowd here that goes to classical concerts of many different kinds, and of course we have the Oregon Symphony as the centerpiece—not only of output, but also I have to say, with all respect to everybody else, of quality. But we have a variety of incredibly wonderful other things—Portland Opera, Oregon Ballet Theater, Chamber Music Northwest, Fear No Music, 45th Parallel, etc. And I’m aware that Portland has a lot to offer also in terms of what is mischaracterized as “pop music” – indie rock is very strong here, and there are a lot of musicians that have very interesting musical ideas. I absolutely love their work, and all this makes up something very special that you find in our community here in Portland.
Photo by Leah Nash
