Conducting himself with great passion

Taiwan conductor Lu Shaochia believes thatmusic is a universal language that can connect people all over the world.迷利倉 The Berlinbased maestro tells Chen Nan why he loves working withmainlandmusicians. Mahler wrote Symphony No 9 as a personal farewell to the world. A century later, Taiwan conductor Lu Shaochia has paid tribute to the great composer by interpreting his masterpiece with an Oriental perspective. "I have always believed that classical music is a mutual language between all people. It doesn't belong just to the West," Lu, 53, says. "SowhenI lead anorchestra to performaWestern classicalwork, I use the expressionof theEast,whichis introverted yet powerful." The established conductor cooperated with the China Philharmonic for the first time to present Mahler's Symphony No 9 on Jan 18 at Beijing Concert Hall. Unlike other concerts, which usually feature several pieces of music, the concert staged only the symphony. "SymphonyNo 9 is complete anddoesn't have room for other works," Lu says. "I enjoy the feeling of purity andweight." As a conductor who adores Mahler and has led international symphony orchestras in performing his work many times, Lu is confident in saying that he understands the composer and his work. At a rehearsal on a gloomy winter afternoon in Beijing, he kept repeating: "This is not what Mahlermeans." "The world of Mahler is like a kaleidoscope. No one understood his music until 100 years after his death," Lu told themusicians of the China Philharmonic. "From the beginning, his music was about death, religion and hope." In contrast to his passionate image onstage, Lu is a man of few words away fromthe spotlight. Lu calls his cooperation with the China Philharmonic ameeting of champions, andmusicians fromthe China Philharmonic say they find Lu's conducting inspiring. The first time Lu cooperated with an orchestra from the mainland was in 1993 when he led the Central Symphony Orchestra (it was renamed the China National Symphony Orchestra in 1996). In 2008, he came to Beijing to unveil the National Center for the Performing Arts in a performance with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra. In 2012, he brought the Taiwan Philharmonic toNCPA. "Orchestras from the mainland develop very quickly. They are different from orchestras from Taiwan due to different personalities and cultural backgrounds," Lusays. "I amvery interestedto learnmore and to cooperate with orchestras from the mainland." Lu has won threemajor conductor competitions: Besancon, Trento and Amsterdam. However, the lowprofile conductor is loath to boast about his achievements. "Usually, prizewinning conductors are associated with 迷你倉ggressive personalities and showy techniques, like an actor onstage. But I amnot that kind of person. I amconservative likemany people fromthe East," he says. Lu studied piano from a young age thanks tohis father, adoctor andapassionate music lover. When Lu accompanied a violinist friend to an audition for Taiwan conductor Chen Chiusen's orchestra, Chen suggested he pursue conducting. "I knew little about conducting, but Chen was very confident in his assessment," Lu says. "I am a shy person and I didn't like the idea of standing infront of so many people." He was reluctant to take Chen's suggestion until he had a chance to conduct his university orchestra. On the night before the performance, he listened to African folk songs at home and unconsciously waved his hands to the music. "I conducted alone inmy roomall night. I just couldn't stop," Lu says. He became Chen's assistant not long after that night. He went on to Indiana University in the United States and the College of Music in Vienna,Austria. In 1988, he participated in a conducting course taught by maestro Gennady Rozhdestvensky and graduated as the only recipient with a Diploma di Honore. His shy personality didn't hinder his career. In 1995, he began his opera career as principal conductor at the Komische Oper Berlin. Numerous guest performances followed, including theOperaAustralia in Sydney and the English National Opera in London. In 1998, he took over the position of GeneralMusic Director of both the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie and of the Koblenz Theater. Between 2001 and 2006, he established himself firmly as a veteran opera conductor through numerous outstanding performances, such as Aida, Ernani and The Day ofMadness. "Media from the West once asked me whether I could do qigong because they thought my way of conducting was so different from Western conductors," Lu says. "I told them that those movements and that energy exists inmy blood,which influencemy understanding ofmusic." He is now based in Berlin, but spends much of the year touring theworld, including long stints in Taiwan and performing with orchestras from the Chinese mainland. He took over the role ofmusic director at the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan in 2010 and is upbeat about the classicalmusic scene there. "Some theaters in Europe closed over the bad economy. But China's classical music scene is very promising. We should show the world our own voice and attitude," he says. Contact thewriter at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn. ... China's classicalmusic scene is very promising.We should show the world our own voice and attitude. LU SHAOCHIA CONDUCTOR 自存倉