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The Intensity of Conductor Pablo Heras-Casado

Conductor Pablo Heras-Casado

A young Spanish conductor making his mark today has aimed to know a variety of ensembles, repertoires, and styles.  As WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, he’s also committed to giving back to the community through music.

Listen to Pablo Heras-Casado conduct The Philadelphia Orchestra on WRTI, in a program featuring the music of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Mendelssohn on Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 1 pm.

Radio Script:

Music:  Felix Mendelssohn, Scottish Symphony

Susan Lewis: Mendelsssohn wrote the Scottish Symphony from impressions on his grand tour of Europe in 1829. Conductor Pablo Heras-Casado has made something of a grand tour himself, in the last decade debuting at multiple orchestras, opera companies, and festivals all over the world.

Pablo Heras-Casado:  I always was feeling I needed to experience and know everything, and of course it was a time for me where it was very important to get as much experience as I could, and to conduct everywhere...and get to know many different groups and bands and ensembles.

SL:  Born in 1977 in Granada, Spain, Heras-Casada co-founded an early-music ensemble as well as a group focused on avant-garde works in the '90s.

PHC:  I cared a lot about those ensembles; I was extremely involved in every aspect. After these many years of experiences all over the world, this is my goal — to keep this intensity but with different families I’ve been building in the last 20 years.

SL:  He’s now principal conductor of the Orchestra of St. Luke; its "Subway Series" of free concerts in the boroughs illustrates another of his goals.

PHC:  You have the chance of reaching more and more people, and you can have a bigger influence on the social aspect of  music, and helping others through music to have better conditions or better life — for  me this is very very important and very satisfying now.

SL:   Pablo Heras-Casado received Granada’s 2012 Medal of Honor and was named the 2014 conductor of the year by Musical America. 

PabloHerasCasado051616SLLF.mp3
Conductor Pablo Heras-Casado talks with WRTI's Susan Lewis about his passion for getting to know different musical styles and ensembles early in his career, and what he believes is important now.

Susan writes and produces stories about music and the arts. She’s host and producer of WRTI’s TIME IN online interview series, and contributes weekly intermission interviews for The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert series. She’s also been a regular host of WRTI’s Live from the Performance Studio sessions.