{"id":100294,"date":"2023-11-10T13:22:21","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T18:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=100294"},"modified":"2023-11-10T13:22:21","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T18:22:21","slug":"interview-maestro-alex-pauk-talks-music-esprit-orchestras-next-concert-circle-maps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2023\/11\/10\/interview-maestro-alex-pauk-talks-music-esprit-orchestras-next-concert-circle-maps\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Maestro Alex Pauk Talks About The Music For Esprit Orchestra\u2019s Next Concert: Circle Maps"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_100296\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100296\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2.jpg\" alt=\"Maestro Alex Pauk (Photo: Karen Reeves)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100296\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maestro Alex Pauk (Photo: Karen Reeves)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The composers of the pieces in Esprit Orchestra\u2019s next concert, titled Circle Maps, originate from a swath of Eastern Europe that runs from Finland to Slovenia. \u201cThey go from north to south in Eastern Europe in a wave,\u201d observes conductor Alex Pauk. \u201cI didn&#8217;t necessarily intend that when I set out to programme the concert.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also something of a sub-theme revolving around the natural world, and the luminous music of the late Kaija Saariaho \u2014 the title piece of the concert in its Canadian premiere.<\/p>\n<p>As originally scheduled, the programme was to include Pauk\u2019s own composition for harp, written for Erica Goodman. Her illness, however, has postponed that premiere.<\/p>\n<p>We spoke to Maestro Pauk about the pieces the orchestra will be performing in Koerner Hall on November 30.<\/p>\n<h2>The Concert<\/h2>\n<p>The programme consists of<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vito \u017duraj (Slovenia): Api-danza macabra * (2021), \u201cBee Dance of Death\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u017dibuokl\u0117 Martinaityt\u0117 (Lithuania): Millefleur ** (2018)<\/li>\n<li>Valentin Silvestrov (Ukraine): Postludium (1984), Symphonic Poem for Piano &amp; Orchestra<\/li>\n<li>Kaija Saariaho (Finland): Circle Map ** (2012), for orchestra and electronics<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>*North American Premiere<br \/>\n**Canadian Premiere<\/p>\n<p>The Esprit Orchestra will perform with ARC Ensemble pianist Keven Ahfat.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_100297\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100297\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100297\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-4.jpg\" alt=\"L-R: Kaija Saariaho (Photo courtesy of the artist); Valentin Silvestrov (Photo courtesy of the artist); \u017dibuokl\u0117 Martinaityt\u0117 (Photo: Lina Aiduke); Vito \u017duraj (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-4.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-4-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-4-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-4-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100297\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L-R: Kaija Saariaho (Photo courtesy of the artist); Valentin Silvestrov (Photo courtesy of the artist); \u017dibuokl\u0117 Martinaityt\u0117 (Photo: Lina Aiduke); Vito \u017duraj (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Alex Pauk: The Interview<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThe programming is more about putting together some really interesting pieces,\u201d he says. \u201cI met <strong>\u017dibuokl\u0117 (Martinaityt\u0117)<\/strong> in Lithuania.\u201d Pauk had been conducting her pieces already in Canada as well as Lithuania. \u201cI&#8217;ve always wanted to connect with her again.\u201d It\u2019s part of Pauk\u2019s ongoing practice of supporting new work through remounting it over time. \u201cIt&#8217;s something I want to do not only with Canadian composers, but composers abroad,\u201d he explains. \u017dibuokl\u0117 is expected to be on hand for the concert.<\/p>\n<p>Building connections between composers and the musicians of the orchestra over time can also pay off in performances with more depth and understanding. \u201cThat&#8217;s the way I look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Naturally, as a proponent of new music, the work of <strong>Kaija Saariaho<\/strong> was always on the radar. \u201cI met her in Paris many years ago,\u201d he recalls. The timing was never right during her lifetime, however. \u201cThis is the first time that I&#8217;ve performed her music. That&#8217;s a miss on my part for many years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her <strong>Circle Map<\/strong> (2012) is a work for large orchestra and electronics that is intertwined by six quatrains from the verses of 13th century Persian poet Rumi.<\/p>\n<p>The electronic component is based on the six verses recited in the original Persian, processed and mixed in real time during the performance as the orchestra plays. Six speakers surround the audience. Each of the piece&#8217;s movements uses one poem, with a specific orchestration, and method of modifying the electronic recording, layering rhythms and melodic elements.<\/p>\n<p>As a point of fact, he\u2019d programmed Circle Map before Saariaho passed away in June 2023; nonetheless, a memorial performance adds poignancy to the choice. \u201cIt gives us the occasion to draw attention to the quality of her work. It&#8217;s such a beautiful piece, with such clarity. It&#8217;s fulfilling a wish that I had and never took up on to play her music earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The rhythms and music of the Persian language, as recorded, form the basis of the music.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe wonderful thing about this piece is the sense of transparency and clarity, even when you have the whole orchestra playing.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Bees, Flowers &amp; Global Connections<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;re connected to ancient Iran,\u201d he says of Saariaho\u2019s work. \u201cWe&#8217;re also connected to Ukraine,\u201d he says, referencing the inclusion of <strong>Valentin Silvestrov\u2019s Postludium<\/strong>. \u201cIn this case, also, identifying with Ukraine.\u201d It\u2019s part of Pauk\u2019s own background, as he points out. It\u2019s important to acknowledge and affirm such works as a statement supporting the notion that Ukraine has its own identity and culture, a concept that war propaganda denies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbove and beyond all that, this is a work of such great beauty and powerful orchestral statements followed by beautiful chords and sonorities.\u201d The boldness of Postludium\u2019s opening tapers into a quieter ending on the piano. \u201cIt&#8217;s an interesting progression. By the end, you&#8217;re floating. It&#8217;s about the music first and foremost.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u017duraj\u2019s Bee Dance of Death<\/strong> is, before anything else, an intriguing piece of music. \u201cIt&#8217;s a really cool piece. The Flight of the Bumblebee appears in it in unusual ways. The orchestra, much of the time, there&#8217;s a lot of imitation of buzzing of bees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The piece is dedicated to the composer\u2019s father, who was a professional beekeeper, and laments the decline of the species. Still, the mood isn\u2019t entirely sombre. \u201cIt&#8217;s got this wonderful humourous aspect,\u201d Pauk says. But, the riffs on Rimsky Korsakov aren\u2019t all there is to the piece. \u201cThe musical structure is very intelligent, and it&#8217;s a real piece of music, but you can have fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u017dibuokl\u0117 Martinaityt\u0117\u2019s Millefeuille<\/strong> is an atmospheric piece. \u201cLiterally, a thousand flowers, refers to the background style of many flowers found commonly in European tapestries. It&#8217;s a very textural image in those cultures,\u201d he says. The music makes use of multiple tiny sonic gestures in 4ths, 5ths, and octaves \u2014 pure intervals, as he explains. \u201cIt&#8217;s a textural piece, primarily, a sonic garden of a thousand flowers, and if a light wind blew, the texture would be shimmering.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe pieces really cover an interesting range of textures,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_100298\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-100298\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-100298\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-3.jpg\" alt=\"L-R: Kevin Ahfat (Photo: Donald van Hasselt); Esprit Orchestra (Photo: Karen Reeves)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-3.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-3-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-3-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-3-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-100298\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">L-R: Kevin Ahfat (Photo: Donald van Hasselt); Esprit Orchestra (Photo: Karen Reeves)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The Musicians<\/h3>\n<p>A graduate of the Juilliard School, and a Rebanks Fellow at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, award-winning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2022\/10\/06\/interview-pianists-bruce-liu-kevin-ahfat-share-insights-osm-competition-finalists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pianist <strong>Kevin Ahfat<\/strong><\/a> will perform Silvestrov\u2019s piece<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;d heard his performances, but never worked with him.\u201d Alex says. Kevin fit the bill when it came to finding someone to tackle the adventurous and demanding Silvestrov piece. \u201cHe&#8217;s thrilled to be playing the piece,\u201d he says. \u201cHe&#8217;s got all the technique and expressiveness. This is another thing I like to do is to give people opportunities that are hard to come by \u2014 to play a piece like this,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<p>The Esprit Orchestra draws on Toronto\u2019s deep talent pool when it comes to classical musicians. Pauk is aware of how lucky he is to be able to tap into it. \u201cI&#8217;ll say,\u201d he agrees. \u201cBut we&#8217;ve worked at it for 41 years,\u201d he adds. \u201cI always try to create environments where everyone can do their best.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tickets and more information for the November 30 concert are available [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rcmusic.com\/events-and-performances\/esprit-orchestra-presents-circle-maps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/masthead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/events\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><u>events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:anya@ludwig-van.com?subject=Let's%20chat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><em><u>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525351000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0QTqKRwRJQFGK3KoJYigxX\">HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The composers of the pieces in Esprit Orchestra\u2019s Circle Maps concert originate from a swath of Eastern Europe that runs from Finland to Slovenia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":100296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40430,18,19,875,4967,29,38,4557,63],"tags":[221,1194,5914,37715,40884,40883],"yst_prominent_words":[7587,14729,38238,22138,7584,19901,6616,32829,6613,12857,14728],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-q5E","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100294"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=100294"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100300,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/100294\/revisions\/100300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/100296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=100294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=100294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=100294"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=100294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}