Robin Ticciati’s friendliness and openness seems indomitable, yet have none of the routine amicability that other frequently-interviewed musicians adopt. He develops his thoughts patiently while speaking and asks himself lots of questions, too. Bruckner’s relatively seldom played Sixth is part of the unusually broad repertoire that Ticciati is conducting in his inaugural season as principal conductor at the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, which stretches from French baroque, via Mozart, Berlioz, Schoenberg and Wagner, to Jörg Widmann and the German premier of Thomas Larcher’s Symphony No. 2. There’s also a striking fondness for rarities such as Duruflé’s Requiem or Messiaen’s “Chronochomie.” In the concerts I’ve seen so far, the orchestra’s sound has gained in warmth and liveliness compared to Ticciati’s perfectionist predecessor, Tugan Sokhiev. Over two short meetings in Berlin, we talked about chamber music, Carlos Kleiber, Shostakovich, Sibelius, and “Der Rosenkavalier,” which Ticciati will conduct for the first time at Glyndebourne Festival, where he’s also artistic director.
Wonderful Misfits
An Interview with Robin Ticciati
