McGegan’s joie de vivre
I’ve blogged once before about how some conductors convey the architecture of the music through their gestures and body language. With Nicholas McGegan, who conducted Bach, Rameau, Haydn and Mozart with the BSO this weekend, he conveys the sheer joy of music. He is like a little fireball on the podium, and if he needs to flap like a penguin from time to time to get the desired effect, so be it! Even though the orchestra had been rehearsing in the Meyerhoff and had a performance at Strathmore on Thursday, it seemed to take them a little while to get used McGegan’s sheer joie de vivre in Baltimore last night, and the beginning of Bach’s 1st Brandenberg sounded a little startled and ropey to me. But they’d found their feet by the end of the concerto and the suite from Rameau’s Naïs was a sheer delight—especially after McGegan’s hilarious introduction, delivered with that particularly engaging brand of Brit wit. Jonathan was very excited about the interview he did with Nicholas McGegan for WBJC, and I can identify with his excitement. It was my privilege to do the interviewing honors when McGegan was here last, and he is a wonderful combination of highly accessible expertise. A conductor who is not only gifted but also has the gift of the gab – what announcer could ask for more?
One Response to McGegan’s joie de vivre