Feeding the Soul
Conductor/composer Christian Baldini has not stopped during this pandemic. He has continued communicating, communing and making music - sharing what he loves most.
Photo: Lilana Morsia
My name Christian Baldini. I was born in Argentina, with an Italian father and an Italian/Lebanese mother, and I've been living in the US for almost half of my life now.
I'm a musician. I compose music and I conduct orchestras and opera. I love working with people. I love finding ways to share with others what I love the most. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of being a conductor is that you serve as a catalyst, inspiring, unifying a vision, finding common ground and building trust with whomever you are working with.
This COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down. There is nothing normal about it. What we were used to doing is no longer possible. And we don't know how things will be when the pandemic emergency ends, and when it goes back to "normal". And how will this new normal be? People are struggling. It is impossible to be indifferent to all the suffering that is going on in the world, and I can only hope that a vaccine, cure or treatment are found soon, and that a sense of normalcy will be restored for the sake of so many people.
I am a Professor at the University of California, Davis, where I teach conducting, composition and I conduct the symphony orchestra. Obviously there is no orchestra at the moment since we can't rehearse or meet in person. So I am teaching my students remotely. As there is no orchestra, I have come up with an alternative plan, to invite the orchestra students into the "kitchen". I have done a series of interviews with many wonderful artists such as violinist Judy Kang, conductors Donato Cabrera and Ilan Volkov, principal cellist of the CBSO Eduardo Vassallo, concertmasters Holy Mulcahy and Corine Brouwer, San Francisco Symphony violinist Chen Zhao, Alexander Technique Instructor Noel Hearn and opera star Michelle DeYoung and Washington National Opera Artistic Director Francesca Zambello. You can find the interviews in my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/00musicvideos
I miss making music very much. So shortly after the quarantine started I performed remotely the end of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time with the wonderful violinist Judy Kang. Here it is. With my orchestra in Sacramento (California), the wonderful Camellia Symphony, the musicians and I recently performed remotely from the safety our homes the very end of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. It was what we felt we needed to do, to give our community and ourselves some comfort during these difficult times.
I also came up with a little fun project researching 42 different conductors doing the opening 21 bars of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. The results are here with a video and Medium article.
Things have changed. I'm not really doing what I was doing. All my concerts in California have been canceled. My guest conducting trips to Argentina and Brazil have been canceled. I still have an upcoming tour conducting in Chile which I assume is also going to be canceled. Finalizing the seasons 2020-21 for my two orchestras have been heartbreaking. I'm so excited about these programs and guest artists, but.... are we going to be able to actually perform them? I have tried to compose and I could not do it. The last piece I composed was a violin concerto called Unequal Freedom, which premiered in February 2020. It is a very political piece, advocating for more awareness and change about the current political situation in North Korea.
What can we do now to make things better? I am trying my very best to remain positive and to help those around me as much as I can. Eventually, this too, shall pass. And of course I am worried about people who are struggling, losing jobs and hurting. I am also concerned about the arts organizations, especially in the US, where there is very little government support. As a society, we must remain strong, positive, but also vigilant. We must be ready to help. Music feeds our souls like no other art form does. It accompanies us and enhances our lives in every moment, from dancing to healing, from mourning to celebrating. Without music, our lives would be much poorer. Let's hope for a peaceful and safe reactivation of our essential needs and activities. Music making (and/or listening) is undoubtedly also one of our human needs; it is not a luxury.
To find out more about Christian Baldini, visit www.christianbaldini.info
Photo: Arnaldo Colombaroli