10 Questions With: Nicholas McGegan

Conductor Nicholas McGegan answers The Classic Review’s 10 questions.
Where will he most likely find inspiration? How many hours does he study scores each day? And what are the classical music albums he couldn’t live without?

What new repertoire are you currently working on?

The only new repertoire that I have been working on is Tchaikovsky’s Suite Mozartiana. It is terrific fun and a lovely foil to Mozart’s Third Violin Concerto which I am doing with the Indianapolis Symphony. The soloist is their concertmaster, Kevin Lin, who is a splendid violinist.

I am also preparing a performance of The St. Matthew Passion which will be given on Bach’s birthday in Berkeley, California, with Cantata Collective. We will also be recording it as part of a series of CDs of the composer’s major works.

What’s a piece of music you don’t currently conduct but wish you could?

Idomeneo, the only Mozart opera I have not yet done. It is such a masterpiece and so very different from Le nozze di Figaro, which I have been conducting a lot recently.

I really love the operas of Richard Strauss, and I doubt that anyone would ask me to conduct one, but I would love to conduct Ariadne or Arabella.

Are there any classical composers whose music you don’t quite connect with?

Delius is a composer whom I truly do not understand. My fault, I know, but there it is! I find his harmonic style really over-the-top and rather perfumed.

There are certainly other composers whom I like but would never want to perform. Bruckner would be a good example. He is a master, but there are plenty of people who would do his music so much better than I.

What was the latest contemporary music piece that impressed you?

I have given several first performances of new music: a terrific opera To Hell and Back by Jake Heggie and The Passion of Judas by Sally Beamish. I love working with composers on new pieces.

I knew Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and have performed several of his smaller works. He was a composer of boundless imagination and good humor.

🎧 Hear Jake Heggie on Apple Music
🎧 Jake Heggie on Amazon

How much time do you dedicate to studying scores each day? What are your best tips for developing effective learning habits?

It varies enormously. Almost always, I am conducting music that I have done before, sometimes a lot. In that case, I like to try to rethink any ideas that I may have had in the past. I do not have a set amount of time dedicated to studying.

Often, the music runs through my head without having to have the score in front of me. So, I could be on a plane. My neighbours might think that I am napping, but I’m actually going through a score.

Nic McGegan (image: Dario Acosta)

How do you find inspiration when performing?

The musicians in the orchestra or choir are always inspiring. Even though I’ve done Handel’s Messiah over two hundred times, each performance has a different cast of soloists as well as the choir and orchestra.

I get so much delight working with students too. Recently, I conducted Figaro at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. The young singers were close in age to many of those in Mozart’s original cast, and for all of them it was the first time that they had sung their roles. Every summer for the past twenty-five years, I have worked at Aspen. Again, the enthusiasm of the students is so inspiring. I think that I learn as much from them as perhaps they do from me.

Do you experience performance anxiety? If so, how do you manage it?

I get much more nervous playing the keyboard than I do conducting. I dislike playing solo harpsichord or piano and much prefer performing chamber music. I don’t get much chance to practice, so it is always a bit of a challenge to be ready for the concert. Fairly soon I will be playing some Haydn Piano Trios with friends. The music is glorious, and I have to hope that I will play all the right notes!

“Living a varied life will make you a better musician (…) ‘All practice and no play’ will make you a proficient but perhaps a dull musician!”

If music wasn’t your passion, what other career path might you have chosen?

When I was at school, I thought about studying archaeology. It is a subject that I still find fascinating, but I am not sure that I would really have the patience for it. I would love to revisit Greece, Italy, and Asia Minor to look at the ruined sites. In 1964, I went to Rome and Pompeii but have not been able to return since. Every year, new marvels are discovered in the Pompeii excavations, and I would love to see them.

What advice do you have for young musicians starting their careers?

Don’t practice ALL the time. Living a varied life will make you a better musician; read books, attend the theatre, learn to cook, indulge your hobbies. “All practice and no play” will make you a proficient but perhaps a dull musician! Broaden your mind and experience as much as you can.

What classical music albums you couldn’t live without?

My favorite recordings are those made by my friends. I get two for the price of one: I listen to glorious music and happily remember the wonderful times that I have had in my life with the people making them.

Any recording featuring Lorraine Hunt Lieberson would be a great example. The Neruda songs which her husband wrote for her are wonderful. Lorraine and I worked together a lot in the 1980s and 90’s. I have so many happy memories.

🎧 CD: Lieberson: Neruda Songs – on Amazon
🎧 Stream: Lieberson: Neruda Songs – on Apple music

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