Carlos Kalmar participated in a live chat on October 11. Below is the edited transcript of the chat.
Jim Palermo (Grant Park Music Festival): Carlos is here, ready to go. What are you up to these days?
Carlos Kalmar: I'm in Oregon working with the Oregon Symphony.
Jim Palermo: What big projects are you involved with?
Carlos Kalmar: I'm conducting Szymanowsky with Jenny Koh, then next week Mozart with Robert Levin.
Jim Palermo: Carlos recorded Szymanowsky with Jenny and the Grant Park Orchestra on the Cedille label.
Jim Hirsch (Chicago Sinfonietta): Carlos, welcome. How do you like Pritzker Pavilion? What works well and what, if anything is challenging about the venue?
Carlos Kalmar: Hi Jim. I think the Pritzker is the most amazing outdoor facility in the world!
Jim Hirsch: In what ways?
Carlos Kalmar: Challenging is the traffic that goes nearby, and the air and water show during rehearsals at the end of the season.
John Ryan (Music of the Baroque): Greetings. I've enjoyed your concerts with Grant Park. Do you program differently for a free festival like Grant Park than a traditional ticketed season?
Carlos Kalmar: Yes, programming is different. The Festival is free, so I do not feel the pressure of having to sell tickets. More adventurous!
Jim Palermo: What is Bob Levin up to?
Carlos Kalmar: With Bob Levin we do a concert same style as when Mozart was alive. The order of the pieces is unusual.
Rosalind: Hi, from The Sage Gateshead, England. So that's why you divide up the Mozart symphony into 2 halves?
Carlos Kalmar: First three movements from a symphony, then Un sourire by Messiaen, then Robert plays a concerto, then he improvises, and at the end we play the fourth movement of the symphony.
MusicLover: Do you get a lot of pressure to stick with the standard rep, and if so, will you continue to mix it up?
Carlos Kalmar: The pressure in GPMF is not big. Our programs are very innovative, we can take risks. Where else could you mix Mozart Requiem with Tibetan Chant??
MusicLover: Indeed--how was the overall response from the audience for the Mozart/Tibetan monk concert?
Carlos Kalmar: I think they loved it. Especially the last night, when we worked it differently, so the "intermissions" between monks and us didn't disturb the flow of the evening.
Rosalind: Any big highlights for Grant Park next season you can reveal?
Carlos Kalmar: GP programs are in progress. Yes we have big projects, but nothing is for sure yet, so I can't reveal anything, because we might change our mind.
Jim Palermo: Good answer, Carlos. Very diplomatic.
Carlos Kalmar: Smile.
Jim Hirsch: Yes, but let's finally break some news on ccm.org, okay?
Carlos Kalmar: We can do that when we are sure what will happen. We don't create programs in a week (wish!!!!)
MusicLover: How about some hints--ballet? theatre? jazz? We won't hold you to it...!
Carlos Kalmar: The reason why our programming is good is because we invest so much time and energy, and we revisit our ideas all the time...
Ballet yes - I think the collaboration with Joffrey last time was amazing, we all had a lot of fun and the audience loved it.
Jazz is hard because there is not so much crossover stuff to choose from.
And we have already worked with actors. In January I'm working in Baltimore on Elgar's Falstaff, interspersed with actors. If it works, I might bring that to Chicago.
Rebecca Levy (Grant Park Music Festival): Hi Carlos. What is the rehearsal schedule like in Oregon? Do you prefer having more time to rehearse or do you like the more intense time frame at GPMF?
Carlos Kalmar: Hi Reba, the rehearsal schedule is kind of the standard that every orchestra has in the country. Nobody in the world is a fast as GPMF Orchestra. They are genius.
Karen Ryan: Hi Carlos - So you'll be in Baltimore in January - where else will you be conducting this season?
Carlos Kalmar: LA next month, Madrid in December, Lahti in November, Amsterdam in March, Dallas in April and Kansas as well, San Francisco Symphony in February
Rosalind: But nothing in England sadly?!
Carlos Kalmar: Ireland probably next season, and I'm talking to RSNO as well
mfouche (Grant Park Music Festival): Hi Carlos - How do you like the open aspect the outdoor GPMF rehearsals?
Jim Hirsch: What do you do to stay cool on the really hot, humid nights? Do they give you a stream of cool air from somewhere?
Carlos Kalmar: Air conditioning is a great invention.
Rosalind: Does the new GPMF acoustical system help to cancel out traffic noise? That was the most frustrating thing with the old venue I guess.
Carlos Kalmar: Traffic noise can't be cancelled. But the venue is placed differently, that helps already, and the system is so brilliant that you often forget Lake Shore Drive.
MusicLover: On an entirely different subject, it seems as though the word is getting out to the public about GPMF, undoubtedly because of the new facility at Millennium Park. However, there are plenty of people in the Chicago area who still don't know.
Carlos Kalmar: Yes, but the word is out there. I think we'll see an amazing development happening very fast. Chicagoans love the Park.
Karen Ryan: You mentioned Jenny Koh performing in Oregon this season - which other Chicago artists do you particularly enjoy working with?
Carlos Kalmar: I like so many artists...gosh! It doesn't really matter, where they come from. Problem is, you can't work with them all the time. I just worked with Valentina Lisitsa, whom we have seen in Chicago so often!
Jim Palermo: What's the most difficult thing about being a conductor today?
Carlos Kalmar: The motivation of musicians is tricky. You have to bring 90 very different personalities along. And they really know their stuff.
MusicLover: Aside from word of mouth, are there any new and innovative ideas to advertise the free concerts?
Carlos Kalmar: Well, I think the web is a great tool for ads. And I remember seeing stuff about GPMF on the public transportation system as well, radio...
Tony Macaluso: Are there any pieces that you've conducted in the Park that you think took on a different feeling because of being done in that space? (As an audience member, the Adams' On the Transmigration of Souls' the summer before last was one that took on a different feeling from being done in the heart of the city...)
Carlos Kalmar: I think the Transmigration is the perfect example for something that sounds different because of the venue. I've conducted it twice since.
Needless to say that the Transmigration is heartbreaking no matter where you play it. But in Chicago it was special. Natural street noise, skyscrapers....
MusicLover: Yes, and the moon rising over the lake as the orchestra played...
Jim Palermo: BTW, the composer John Adams told me that several friends called him right after the performance to say how moved they were.
Rebecca Levy: I'm getting chills just thinking about it!
Carlos Kalmar: The good news, as far as I'm concerned, is that it wasn't the only time when we experienced something amazing altogether. Remember the Dvorak (Stabat Mater) at the end of last season....
Jim Palermo: Does the Oregon Symphony do out of the box advertising for its concerts? If so, what?
Rosalind: How about the occasional live webcast of a GPMF concert - is there musician agreement for that in place?
Carlos Kalmar: No we don't do that. But we are currently exploring what we could do to change our way of marketing. I think that you have to reinvent that all the time
mfouche: Carlos - Maggy here - do you see a difference between GPMF audiences and the Oregon audiences?
Carlos Kalmar: The wonderful thing about Chicago audience is that I think that since we are at the Pritzker the audience is changing on a daily basis.
There is the core of people, but you see folks as well, with kids, that probably have never attended before. It was magic.
Rosalind: Can you tell us about any future recording plans for the GP Orchestra?
Carlos Kalmar: I'm so happy that in GP we could work with so many living composers, Adams, Kernis, Corigliano, Harbison. And they all love us.
We have started 2 new recordings side by side last season. One is featuring Jennifer Larmore, it might be called "Queens", we recorded Berlioz and Barber already. The other is music by Aaron Jay Kernis
Rosalind: That sounds seriously cool!
Carlos Kalmar: It is. We recorded Barber's Andromache’s Farewell, that piece (great!!!) has not been recorded since the premiere in the 60s.
MusicLover: Symphony in Waves sounded amazing, was it difficult?
Carlos Kalmar: The hardest piece we ever played. The rhythm was so hard, musicians said it was like boot camp. But in the end we loved it.
Rosalind: Well all the recordings up til now have received rave reviews over this side of the Pond! Can't wait to hear them.
Carlos Kalmar: Yes, and it's wonderful to see that we have done so many, considering how often we get together.
MusicLover: Can't wait for the recording...when will it be released?
Jim Hirsch: Carlos, I have to leave for a meeting. Thanks so much for spending an hour with us on ccm.org!
Carlos Kalmar: Bye Jim
Carlos Kalmar: The recording will be released in 08. We'll finish recording next summer, then we'll 'process' the results
Jim Palermo: We still have 8 minutes if there are still other questions.
Rosalind: Any dream pieces you would like to do in Grant Park, money no object...!
MusicLover: Any dream artists you'd like to invite to GPMF?
Carlos Kalmar: Missa Solemnis would be nice. Dvorak Requiem... Mahler. But what I also look forward is the stuff that is brand new to me.
Carlos Kalmar: Well, I would love to see some singers there. If we could get Renee Fleming, and Bryn Terfel, that would be a dream...
Let’s not forget that we already work with some great people...
Hilary Hahn would be nice. And Yo-Yo.
And if I get very very ambitious....Simon Rattle, Maris Janssons...
Tony Macaluso: Question about the Latin programs, especially Misa Criolla & Cantata Criolla. Did you use any particular techniques in getting the orchestra oriented to those pieces?
Carlos Kalmar: Not really. They are understanding, talented musicians. The 'tricky' part was the Cantata. So I sang the rhythm for them. Great laughs.
Jim Palermo: OK, just one or two more questions before we have to sign off...
John Ryan: Carlos, I've enjoyed reading along. I look forward to next summer. Thank you.
Carlos Kalmar: Thanks John
Rosalind: I have to go look after the Chilingirian Quartet... great idea, this chat - you should all do it again nearer the next GP.
Carlos Kalmar: Bye Rosalind.
Rosalind: Bye Carlos.
MusicLover: Time for me to go...thank you for visiting us online. Bravo to the "dream team" of Jim, Carlos, Christopher and all of the staff at GPMF!
Jim Palermo: OK. Thanks to you all for signing on and participating. Carlos, you were great. Thanks for taking time to be with us.
Rebecca Levy: Thanks Carlos!
mfouche: Goodbye all. Carlos, I really enjoyed this.
Karen Ryan: Thanks Carlos!
Carlos Kalmar: Thanks everybody, chat next time!!!
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