theartsdesk: "Gianandrea Noseda on conducting Mahler and the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra"

Noseda conducting the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra in Mahler's 'Resurrection' Symphony. Photo: Tsinandali Festival.

Agenda.ge, Oct 18, 2019, Tbilisi, Georgia

The brand-new Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra, which performed under the baton of the internationally renowned conductor Gianandrea Noseda at Georgia's newly established Tsinandali Festival, has been praised for its efforts by the maestro in his interview for theartsdesk.com website.

Noseda spoke to David Nice of the review website - who attended the festival held in September at a historical estate in Georgia's eastern winemaking province of Kakheti - about the orchestra involving young performers from across the South Caucasus.

[T]he process of four days of total immersion with the young artists of the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra has been incredibly re-energising also for me. At the end of every rehearsal I was - dead" - Gianandrea Noseda

Drawing in talent from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia, the group rehearsed with the Italian conductor before going on stage for the high-profile inaugural festival which involved major artists including cellist Mischa Maisky and violinist Lisa Batiashvili.

Aged between 18-29, members of the orchestra were led by Noseda, who also served as musical director of the festival. following five weeks of an intense training programme.

[W]ith Mahler Second [Symphony] it's almost impossible to have clarity from the first note to the last without small problems. But you have also to consider the overall performance, how it was something was special, and I will keep for a long time the memory of this performance - Gianandrea Noseda

In his talk with Nice the maestro details challenges, opportunities and surprises he discovered in his conducting of the group, as well as peculiarities of being involved in presenting renditions of classics by Gustav Mahler.

Read the full story here: theartsdesk.com