By Claudia von Duehren
“You can achieve anything with this orchestra, there is nothing they can’t or don’t want.” Big declaration of love from Kirill Petrenko (51) to his Berlin Philharmonic.
At the presentation of the coming concert season, the native Russian was more open than ever. In a small circle, star conductor Kirill Petrenko spoke about …
… the optimal sound: “I don’t want Karajan wide-screen sound. I wanted the orchestra to sing more, let the bows swing a little further. Now, after four years, something has already happened in the sound that goes in my direction. But we are only at the beginning. I think we can go much further in the direction of distinctiveness.”
… his workload: “Working with this orchestra brings great satisfaction when you realize that the effort has once again paid off. That makes you more mature. Maybe I’m not that hectic anymore. But we are also human and sometimes a sound goes wrong, but we are still geared towards the highest. Mentally it’s the biggest challenge I’ve had so far. You sacrifice a lot, you are very desperate because you think you cannot meet the demands. But you also get a lot.”
… women at the conductor’s desk: “I always had young female conductors as assistants. You have all made a very good path. We still have a lot to do in order to reach the tie, there is no shortage of talent. Of course, the musical quality has to decide in the end, but first someone has to get a chance at all.”
… his free time: “I try to find a balance when I go to Italy or watch a football game. The Italian teams are particularly close to my heart. So of course I’ll see the Champions League today.”
…religion: “The search for spirituality affects my life in a very special way. When I was young, I had absolutely no relation to religion because it was eliminated by the state. Today I look for that in works by Schönberg or Mahler. We would be lost in this life if there wasn’t some kind of support somewhere.”
… his professional future: “For me, the Philharmonic is a life’s work, and as long as I can do it physically and mentally, I want to stay if the orchestra wants me.”
… Russia: “I would wish for nothing more than to give a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic in Moscow or St. Petersburg. But as things are now, it’s absolutely impossible. Even if you know how isolated the audience and the artists are. I hope that I will still be chief conductor of the Philharmoniker when the tide turns there. What is happening there is an apocalypse.”