James Gaffigan - Developing trust through music - part 1

Part 1 Trust

The dynamic within a symphony orchestra is a microcosm of the world we live in. It is made up of a diverse group of individuals playing different instruments. There is variation in age, experience, gender, ethnicity, political leanings, religion, and more. However, when mobilized in a rehearsal or performance, these very different people function as one organism. Musicians create sound “live” - in the moment - listening and blending. They simultaneously look at their music, their colleagues and the conductor; orchestral playing is chamber music on the grandest scale.

When it comes to producing a great performance, there is no formula, but there are important criteria to attend to:

• Preparation
• Technique
• Listening/reacting
• TRUST

Preparation could be from the individual work (in private) of an orchestral musician, singer or conductor. The ability to read music well and even sight read at very high level brings a specific product to the table. Preparation could also refer to subconscious experiences from the past that influence playing.

As an instrumentalist, technique is obviously the basic control over the intonation, rhythm, as well as musicality and understanding of style. For a conductor, it helps to have good technique physically - it’s important to be clear when you need to be. But clarity doesn’t always convey music. What’s paramount is when and how to use gesture, and most importantly, when to stay out of the way.

Listening and reacting is one of the most important aspects of making music with other people. One can only accomplish so much alone in a practice room. This is especially true for conductors. We need the interaction with others to hone our craft. Ultimately, it’s also how we react, adjust or help the situation that matters…not just how well we know the piece of music.

In my opinion, the undefinable ‘magic’ of revelatory performances comes from trust. Freedom is born from trust and freedom empowers musicians to play thrillingly on their edge. The trust I refer to is a multi-directional street between the orchestra and the conductor. It’s about how we collectively read the room in rehearsal and performance and then generate something ‘in the now’.

The things I consider when attempting to build trust between myself and the orchestra are:

• Who to help in what moment
• Who to leave alone in what moment.
• How to speak to a colleague in rehearsal in a productive way
• How to empower someone
• Who to give a quick glance to with the thoughts: “Have fun with this next phrase and I’ll be there to catch you in the end” or “take us on a journey” or “give more sound” or “you are safe, go for it”. In time, all of these ideas can be communicated with just the eyes or even a feeling in the gut.

Trust is a fascinating thing to me. It can happen after years of working with colleagues or right off the bat in a first meeting. What follows are some of my experiences building trust in a working environment at both the concert hall and the opera house.

James Gaffigan is Chief Conductor of the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. He is Music Director Designate of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra. Since becoming Chief Conductor in Lucerne nine seasons ago, he has made a significant impact on the orchestra’s profile, both at home and abroad, thanks to their successful concerts, international tours and recordings.

Gaffigan is in high demand working with leading orchestras and opera houses throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The 2020/21 season features debuts with the Paris Opera, Valencia Opera and Philharmonia Orchestra of London. He returns to the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra in D.C. and Bayerische Staatsoper. He leads his final season as Chief Conductor in Lucerne that commences with a South American tour and culminates in an Asia tour with Rudolf Buchbinder as soloist.

Recent symphonic highlights include appearances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Bayerischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre de Paris, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Dresden Staatskapelle, Vienna Symphony, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Zürich Tonhalle, Tokyo Metropolitan and Seoul Philharmonic.

In North America, he works with top orchestras including the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

A regular at the Metropolitan Opera and Bayerische Staatsoper, Gaffigan is equally at home in the opera house and conducts at the Zürich Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Staatsoper Hamburg, Dutch National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Santa Fe Opera.