On Sunday (12/13) at Arts Desk (U.K.), Gavin Dixon writes that Jaap van Zweden, music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, “is going places. At 55, he is already 16 years into a second high-profile musical career. His first, as a violinist, saw him appointed leader of the Concertgebouw…. He’s well known among orchestral musicians for his intensive rehearsal technique.… The Dallas Symphony … [has] been on an upward trajectory since Zweden took charge in 2008. He is bringing the orchestra to the U.K. in April as part of a European tour…. Diversity seems to be the keyword for Zweden’s career at the moment. His international reputation rests largely on Austro-German Romantic symphonies, particularly Beethoven, Mahler and Bruckner. But now he’s moving in new directions, expanding his repertoire into some surprising areas … [including composers] Christopher Rouse, Steven Stucky, Mason Bates, Jennifer Higdon, James MacMillan, Wolfgang Rihm.” Says Zweden, “It is very important for me as a musician to do more contemporary music than before. It inspires me, and I think that my St. Matthew of Bach will be a better St. Matthew if I do contemporary music.”
Posted December 17, 2015
Pictured: Jaap van Zweden with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
