BY CUTCOMMON
Imagine conducting an orchestra that brings together some of the leading talent in all of Australia for a one-night-only performance of Mahler.
Sound a little daunting? Even Alexander Briger thinks so — and he’s the chief conductor! But he reckons it’s worth the excitement of leading the Australian World Orchestra, especially when an epic symphony is on the program.
This month, Alexander will take musicians and audiences through Mahler 9 — some of the “most intense and deep music ever written”. And while standing in front of a stage full of experts might be nerve-wracking, the conductor also feels the raw energy that comes from the joy of making good music together. He tells CutCommon what it’s like to be part of AWO, and why he’s hanging out for Mahler.
Alexander, tell us what you love about the Australian World Orchestra.
I love the excitement and heart palpitations I get every time they assemble and I hear them play. And I especially love the thrill of seeing them walk out en masse for a performance. There’s an energy this orchestra transmits to the public that doesn’t happen with other Australian orchestras, and I can absolutely feel that throughout my whole body. And I selfishly love hunting down the great conductors of the world, getting them to come to Australia, and actually seeing them walk in for the first rehearsal! I know all the other musicians love that feeling too, even if they’ve played with those conductors in their own orchestras — something about them being with ‘us’.
So how would you describe this feeling and dynamic of an orchestra that unites top musicians from all across the country, just to have a great time making music together?
This is not a day job for them. All egos are left at the door. Things like unions and committees and seating plans and complaints and pecking order don’t exist. They’re there just to play their hearts out, and that’s what happens.
If we go overtime, nobody cares. Nobody cares where they sit. If there are any issues, everyone remains calm and happy. They put their heart and soul into the week, because all they want to do is play to the best of their abilities and, of course, have a great time with old friends and colleagues.
It’s completely different to every other full-time orchestra on earth.
AWO has programmed Mahler 9 for its big 2023 event — why do you think it’s a fitting choice for this group of talent?
The reason I formed the AWO in the first place was of course to show off the amount of talent this country has produced, but also to perform Mahler’s ninth symphony. I’m obsessed with it as I believe it to be the greatest symphonic work ever written — the pinnacle of all symphonic music. It’s the perfect piece for a massive orchestra like this one, an orchestra that excels at performing this sort of intense Romantic music.
I waited a long time to program it, and then last year I asked Maestro Zubin Mehta what he thought of the idea to program it and he said to me: ‘You must absolutely do this symphony. It’s as if it was written for this orchestra!’ That sealed the deal for me.
What moves you most about this symphony?
It’s the most intense and deep music ever written — without any doubt, the greatest of Mahler’s works.
It’s like you’re floating in another world when you listen to this music, especially the last movement and its final pages. You don’t even know where you are.
Everyone has a different feeling when listening to and/or performing this work. It’s impossible not to be moved to your very core by it.
So how do you stand at the podium and not be blown away by the force of this enormous piece of music? How do you maintain focus when it’s that stimulating, emotional, and loud?
Good question! Still the conductor’s job is to control everything — to make sure it’s together, and then make music on top of all that. Absolutely you get incredibly involved in the music, but you can’t let yourself go to the extent that the orchestra falls apart. I’ve seen that happen — not just with this symphony! — and the result is always a disaster.
When you are standing there, of course you become incredibly moved, but your technique must still control everything — no different to a soloist playing the slow movement of Beethoven’s Emperor concerto, or a singer singing the final pages of Der Rosenkavalier!
Many of the musicians you’ll be leading will have performed Mahler’s music with their own orchestras back home. What do you want to give to them with AWO that they can take into their future performances, too — whether it’s a fresh take on the music of Mahler or an inspiring memory to associate with the ninth?
Yes, they have all played this symphony, I’m sure. What they will get is that feeling of playing the work with the AWO — an orchestra they all adore, admire, and are in a way fearful of because of the sheer talent around them. It’s daunting to play in this orchestra, and there’s that extra ‘buzz’ during performances with this orchestra.
I will also do something at the end that will give it an extra emotional depth, both to the players and audience. You’ll just have to come to find out what that is!
In addition to the musicians you conduct, you have also worked with a substantial number of orchestras and opera companies around the world. What does the AWO give you that you can’t find anywhere else?
Conducting this orchestra is truly daunting. Even though they’re all my friends and colleagues, I can’t tell you how nervous one gets, especially before the first rehearsal. I don’t quite get that to this extent with other ensembles.
And then one starts to relax because we are all there to make music to the best of our abilities, and no one is judging. That is a constant problem with other orchestras — you are only as good as your last performance! And when the performance comes, one feels pure joy on the podium being emitted from these players — and that exuberance in turn feeds to me. It’s a one-off. It’s not like next week there will be another gig with the same group. AWO could never become like that. It would lose all its uniqueness.
Before we go, let’s hear your one-liner pitch: why should audiences come along to hear Mahler 9 with AWO?
Easy — to experience the greatest symphony ever written played by one of the greatest and most awe-inspiring orchestras on earth!
