Chinese conductor Xian Zhang is thrilled to be back in New Zealand, leading the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in its Russian Tales concert tonight, which features Rimsky- Korsakov’s Scheherazade, “The Ultimate Orchestral Showpiece” according to the dynamic conductor.
Xian Zhang Photo: Harrison Parrott
Also on the APO programme is the Tchaikovsky violin concerto, with star German violinist Arabella Steinbacher. When she first worked with Steinbacher in Milan, Zhang was wowed by her elegance and clarity of performance. “She really tries to tell a story with the music and she does it with such emotion and clarity. The audience is going to love it.”
Xian Zhang has music in her blood: she began playing the piano at age 3 coached by her parents, who were both musicians, and at 16, she switched to conducting studies with a female mentor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
In her mid-twenties Zhang won the Lorin Maazel Conducting Competition at Carnegie Hall then he took her on as his Assistant, and then Associate Conductor at the New York Philharmonic.
Xian Zhang Photo: Benjamin Ealovega
In 2009 she was the first woman and only non-Italian to be named music director of an Italian symphony orchestra, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Guiseppe Verdi.
Zhang has recently finished her acclaimed first season as Music Director at the New Jersey Symphony where she is renowned for commanding the respect of her orchestra. She says this stems from her respect for the musicians she works with and the rapport she’s able to create with them. Empathy and compassion are central to the chemistry she creates with her musicians.
While not a fan of showy or theatrical conducting, Zhang strongly believes that conducting is a visual art as well as an aural experience.
“The conductor has two roles, to manage the orchestra in front of them but also to communicate with the audience behind them. You must not ignore the audience…the energy you transmit through your gestures and your expressions will be seen and appreciated by the audience as part of the performance.”
Zhang strongly believes that a conductor’s aura and energy play a big role in influencing the sound an orchestra produces. Even the way the conductor breathes can influence the musical vibe that they communicate to the players.
She laughingly confesses that every musician has a ‘black list’ of people they will not work with. “Some conductors or performer will say, “Oh, I will never perform with …so and so” and often this feeling is mutual, it’s just human nature!”
Zhang says when she was young, becoming a musician in China was an impossible dream but today it’s a realizable dream for many young Chinese players. “Every time I turn around there is a new Concert Hall or Symphony Orchestra coming to life in China!”
As a mother of two young boys she maintains that life balance is the key to success and the essential to avoid burn-out in the high pressure arena of orchestral conducting and international touring. “I’ve been learning to relax mentally… I try to allow myself a moment of relaxation each day, just to let things settle.”
Arabella Steinbacher Photo: Supplied
Tonight Xian Zhang will be back leading the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and violinist Arabella Steinbacher in the Russian Tales programme, live broadcast on RNZ Concert at 7.30pm from the Auckland Town Hall.
