5 Fragen an Kerem Hasan
Am 19. Oktober 2024 wird Kerem Hasan bei «Mozart & Beethoven» das Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich und Mezzosopranistin Beth Taylor dirigieren. Im Interview gibt Kerem Hasan Einblick in seine musikalische Reise und seinen Bezug zu Grafenegg.
«Dies wird das erste Mal sein, dass Beth Taylor und ich zusammenarbeiten, und ich freue mich schon sehr auf diese Zusammenarbeit! Zumal das Programm mit Mozart und Beethoven auf beiden Seiten ausgewogen ist.»
What significance does the Salzburg Young Conductors Award, which you won in 2017, have for you?
It was an incredible honour to win the Salzburg Young Conductors Award in 2017. The competition is like many others, in that we had the opportunity to present an entire program with the Camerata Salzburg as part of the Salzburg Festival. This allowed the competitors to devise and put together a personalised program allowing us to present ourselves in the very best way possible. To be able to perform with the fantastic Camerata Salzburg was an experience I will never forget!
As a conductor, you are in demand internationally and lead numerous projects from Tyrol to North America. What was your personal highlight and why?
I have been very grateful to have several highlights throughout my career. I would count conducting Alpine Symphony with the Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck as one of them, performing the Star Wars title with the orchestra of my hometown, the London Symphony Orchestra as another, and of course having the opportunity to work with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Mahler’s 9th Symphony as part of many exciting experiences I’ve been able to share with musicians and audiences over the years!
What experience as Chief Conductor of the Tiroler Symphony Orchestra, which you led in Innsbruck from 2019 to 2023, had a particular impact on you and why?
Being part of an organisation over several years, having the opportunity to make artistic decisions and sculpt the style and way an orchestra works has undoubtedly been the highlight. We have been so fortunate to be able to perform such a diverse amount of repertoire together, and with excellent soloists too! The Tiroler Syphonieorchester Innsbruck have a wonderful spirit and style, especially in classical repertoire like Mozart, that performing this earlier repertoire with them was a real pleasure!
What are you most looking forward to in the new 2024/25 season and why?
I am returning to the Welsh National Opera to conduct a production of «Le Nozze di Figaro», and this is undoubtedly a highlight of the season! Mozart’s genius in every aria, ensemble number and recitative shines through and is simply inspiring to conduct! I am also very much looking forward to making music again with the Tonkünstler Orchestra and having the chance to work on such a delightful program too.
On October 19, you will be conducting the Tonkünstler Orchestra in Grafenegg with Beth Taylor as the soloist. Have you worked with her before? And what can you already tell us about the program?
This will be the first time that Beth Taylor and I work together, and I very much look forward to this collaboration! Particularly as the program is balanced with Mozart and Beethoven on either side; Beth and I will be performing de Falla’s «El Amor Brujo», with the exotic harmonies an unique style of de Falla balancing out a program with two extremely popular symphonies!
Kerem Hasan's Selection
What music has particularly influenced and accompanied you as a musician?
I grew in a household that listened to all sorts of music, and not the classical sort! This is reflected in eclectic taste of many styles of music, ranging from traditional Neapolitan Songs, to Bruckner’s Sixth symphony with the inimitable Bernard Haitink, or the voice and musicianship of the legendary Freddie Mercury!
What music inspires you in particular?
I can only answer this question by saying that it depends on what I am conducting that week! I find inspiration in music ranging from the operas of Mozart, all the way to the epic symphonies of Gustav Mahler and beyond. If the music is performed with heart, and is well written, I can certainly be inspired by it.
Which composition would you take to a desert island?
Mozart. No question. There really is no one else I would consider!
What music do you listen to to relax?
I tried to reflect this in the playlist I have attached, with such a wide variety of styles! I love listening to Motown classics, and have recently discovered the wonderfully talented Jon Batiste.
Kerem Hasan in Grafenegg
Mozart & Beethoven
Tonkunstler Orchestra · Beth Taylor · Kerem Hasan
MOZART / DE FALLA / BEETHOVEN