Page 284 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

That relationship started when I was a violinist in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which I was
involved with thanks to my Syrian-Armenian roots – my family name is Armenian, but my mother
was born in Aleppo. My audition with him was very improvised and informal: he said ‘Can you
play something for me?’ and I just got my violin out! A bit later on when he knew I was studying
conducting, he gave me some opportunities - a masterclass along with some other WEDO
colleagues, observing a rehearsal here, doing a soundcheck there etc.

A few years later I got an offer to become his assistant at the Staatskapelle Berlin – the audition
with Daniel was effectively done, so then I had to go to Berlin and audition for the orchestra!
Everything went very well and I studied there for three years. I say ‘studied’, because I was more
of an apprentice than an assistant: certainly I helped out here and there, but it was also basically
my finishing-school as a conductor.

The most important thing I learned from Daniel was that everything in music has a reason: your
job is to delve into that as deeply as possible, not just in musical terms but exploring the
connections with philosophy, science, life as a whole. He also taught me the importance of
balancing your own instincts with absolute respect for the score - the composer wrote down
everything you need, and your job is to project that through your own temperament, not to go
beyond it.

Daniel's been extremely generous in providing opportunities for me, and still is today. It’s going
to be a big day for me when he comes to Liverpool, especially because it’ll be around fifty years
since his last visit! I’ve played in the orchestra when he’s directed concertos from the piano, but
this will be my first time conducting him as soloist: it’s quite a daunting prospect, but that'll give
me a bit of extra adrenaline!

Speaking of the importance of mentors, what can

you tell me about your plans for outreach work in

Liverpool and how your own early experiences

with El Sistema shaped your ideas on that?

This is so important to me: I decided to take this job not only because Liverpool’s a brilliant city
with a great orchestra, but also because of what’s going on around that. It’s wonderful to see an
orchestra that’s so involved with the community, so committed to inclusion and so invested in
the future - I grew up that way myself. Working with children in deprived neighbourhoods is a big
part of it, but of course it’s not only for the poorest - everybody can be part of the Sistema.

They’re already doing a fantastic job with outreach projects in Liverpool, as are other European
cities: there’s a great Sistema in London too. But what I can do – in fact I’m doing it already! – is to
bring my experience from the original Sistema, the Venezuelan regional one. When I was still
Guest Conductor I started going into schools and talking through ideas and repertoire with the
teachers; I’d rehearse with the kids, maybe conduct one or two pieces in their concerts, just
generally try to share some of my own energy and passion for music.

I’m hoping to get some of my brilliant Venezuelan mates over to be part of that, bringing in
repertoire I know that’s useful and accessible. It would be the second part of an exchange-visit,