L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 12 L'Italo-Americano " When I started con- d u c t i n g , s o m e o n e told me I was too old. This recognition for m e i s a g r e a t revenge." Nominated for the 2023 edition of the Grammy A w a r d s , E n r i c o F a g o n e knows he reached an impor- t a n t m i l e s t o n e , n o t o n l y because the Grammys are the most prestigious award in music worldwide, but also because they mark a kind of restart in his career. "Just before the pandemic I had some health problems, they f o u n d a b r a i n a n e u r y s m , " Enrico tells me during our meeting at the Colburn School in Downtown Los Angeles. "For about a year the London Symphony Orchestra invited me to conduct and I always had to decline. When I got well, it was special for me, it was like being born again." And it was thanks to an album recorded with the Lon- don Symphony Orchestra that Enrico Fagone was the only Italian nominee in the classical section at the 65th e d i t i o n o f t h e G r a m m y Awards, and the second over- a l l , a l o n g w i t h M å n e s k i n . What led him on Sunday, Feb- ruary 5, to find himself among i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y r e n o w n e d m u s i c i a n s a t t h e G r a m m y A w a r d s c e r e m o n y a t M i c r o s o f t T h e a t e r i n L o s Angeles, was his work con- d u c t i n g t h e M u s i c a S o l i s l a b e l ' s a l b u m A s p i r e . " A monographic album on which soloists Seunghee Lee on clar- inet and JP Jofre on bando- neon worked on compositions by Villa-Lobos, Piazzolla and unreleased works by Jofre himself. Jofre is an Argentine composer whose style is influ- enced by different cultures: his music represents a cultural bridge between Argentine tango music and contempo- rary music," Enrico explains. The conductor is originally f r o m S o m a g l i a , i n t h e province of Lodi, but currently lives in Lugano where he is f i r s t d o u b l e b a s s i n t h e Orchestra della Svizzera Ital- iana and a teacher at the Con- servatory. Enrico, you just had a unique experience. How was it? It was incredible. Seeing Beyoncé, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez... I even talked a little bit with Damiano from Mane- skin, we consoled each other! (laughs) The world of pop is a world I'm not used to but it fascinated me. I come from metal, I started playing elec- tric guitar. In fact, it was great to see, among the various musicians at the awards, also Roberto Trujillo, Metallica's bass player. How did your conduct- ing career begin? Growing up, there was no school to become a conduc- tor, it was hard to see a young maestro. Arturo Toscanini himself, who also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, had a great experience as a cellist until, one evening, the conductor of the New York Philharmonic got sick and he took his place: from there on, it was history. Now things are very different, con- ductors often don't even play an instrument, so you happen to see very young conductors, the so-called "baby conduc- t o r s . " I a m a b i t a t y p i c a l because I first made a career in the orchestra as a double bass player and then, when I was expecting my first child, about seven years ago, I felt l i k e b e c o m i n g a f a t h e r i n music as well, so I started studying composition and found myself in a new posi- tion for me. Accompanying you in this experience was your assistant and friend, as well as musician, Luca Gabbiani. Yes, Luca runs a musical reality in Casalpusterlengo, a small town in the Lodigiano region. All our lives we've chased the dream of perform- ing in cities like New York and L o s A n g e l e s , b u t t h e r e a l heroes are those who get their hands dirty in the province. It is essential to help young peo- ple and make them under- stand that classical music is a serious thing, it can become a profession. One person who helped me so much in my career was pianist Martha Argerich: she really cares about helping young talent and that is why on Saturday, February 11, I will be in Irvine conducting the youth orches- t r a o f t h e M u s i c t o S a v e Humanity foundation. This is the first time for you in Los Angeles, but you are at home in New York. I was first in New York on vacation with my wife, and it was magic. I regularly teach at Juilliard, and after the first c o n c e r t , I w a s a p p o i n t e d music and artistic director. Then, because of the pan- demic everything came to a standstill but now it is picking up and I will visit the United States more often. There are three major music universi- ties in America: Juilliard in New York, Colburn in Los A n g e l e s , a n d C u r t i s i n P h i l a d e l p h i a . W h e n t h e y h e a r d I w a s h e r e f o r T h e Grammys, the double bass teacher at Colburn, Peter Llyod, invited me. Every time I realize how much love for Italians there is in America: just think of Riccardo Muti, who is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's conductor. I am living the American dream as well. What difference did you find between the Ital- i a n a n d t h e A m e r i c a n orchestral worlds? I o n c e c o n d u c t e d W e s t Side Story by Leonard Bern- stein, a composer and pianist, and a New York musical leg- e n d . O n t h a t o c c a s i o n , I understood that's their music and one quite can't obtain the same in Italy. In Italy for example you do Verdi and you get goosebumps as soon as the orchestra attacks. In A m e r i c a , t h e y h a v e t h i s Broadway vibrato, which was born here, and here is per- formed naturally. What did you learn in y o u r p r o f e s s i o n f r o m traveling the world? As a conductor, you estab- lish a give-and-take relation- s h i p w i t h m u s i c i a n s , a n d when you travel the world so much you learn according to d i f f e r e n t r e p e r t o i r e s . I n America, there is much more respect for art and artists. The energy of the audience here is also different, perhaps a little too loud for classical music. It is strange, but also nice, to see the audience explode the way it does sometimes. I also notice a younger audience here, while in Italy it is a more closed niche. The men- tality in Italy is that classical music is not a job, but it is and should be respected as such. W h a t i s y o u r f i r s t m e m o r y r e l a t e d t o music? When I flunked out of sixth grade. At that time, I decided to take guitar at the oratory w i t h a t e a c h e r f r o m m y school. As soon as I picked up the guitar, I could see my hands were going by them- selves, with incredible ease. M u s i c h a s a l w a y s b e e n a revenge for me, something I have always excelled at. And I a l s o s t a r t e d a l i t t l e l a t e because I was already 12 years old when usually you start around 6 or 7. A n d t h e n w h a t h a p - pened? When I started the Conser- vatory, I switched to double bass, and I won many compe- titions. I've always been hun- gry, with music. The fact I had economic difficulties made me somehow fiercer on one hand, and also more carefree on the other. I felt like I had nothing to lose, really. My parents, who had completely different careers, didn't have any kind of expectations so I've never experienced that type of pressure. What characteristics must a conductor have? T h e c o n d u c t o r i s l i k e a teacher, he must have empa- thy, authority. They should be r e s p e c t e d b y o t h e r s n o t b e c a u s e i t ' s a d u t y , b u t because they have something to say. As a conductor, you m a n a g e t h e e n e r g y o f t h e thousand people behind you, the audience, and the hun- dred in front of you, your musicians. At the same time, you have to feel everything, which is an innate gift you improve with study and tech- n i q u e . A n d , i n a s e c o n d moment, you have to let go of everything, empty your mind, feel the music, and let go of the technique. A n y p i e c e s y o u ' v e dreaded directing? When I directed West Side Story in New York because the musicians knew the piece very well. Among composers, the most difficult is certainly Giacomo Puccini, he is a cul- tural bridge, there is a before and after him. He is a pioneer of jazz. Conducting Puccini is like being on a boat, there is a constant change of tempo and particular interventions. SILVIA GIUDICI Enrico Fagone (above) has been nominated at the Grammy Awards (Photo: Adriano Heitmann) Enrico Fagone, an Italian orchestra conductor at the Grammy Awards LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE TRADITIONS

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