Big ask, big payoff

Rossen Milanov

There are weighty issues behind the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra's A Matter of Life and Death tomorrow night, the last concert of its 2006 Vero series. Expect music that deals with the big questions, we are promised, and big answers will be given.

The man with the baton for these revelations is Rossen Milanov, a Bulgarian making a name for himself in American concert halls. He has been associate conductor with the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2003, and Peter Dobrin of the Philadelphia Inquirer says he is "every bit as solid as any cameo player", and responsible, two months ago, for some "pretty wonderful drama" with Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

The man himself laughs when I mention the review.

Philadelphia had been first choice when he left Bulgaria 16 years ago, an oboist who "had already covered most of the repertoire and wanted to be more than a one-line player".

He chose the Curtis Institute for his studies, a shrewd move with the Philadelphia Orchestra just a few blocks away.

"Curtis is a boutique conservatory," Milanov explains. "There are only about 160 students and it's completely free - if you are accepted they take care of everything. It's an inspiring place because everyone isso talented and the teachers are also performing artists which, in our profession, is very important."

It was hearing the Philadelphia Orchestra that made him determined to be a conductor.

"It is rare to find an orchestra that has preserved such individuality in its sound and its interpretations. There is almost no difference in their playing between rehearsals and performance because they do both with equal commitment and involvement."

A personal highlight of the concerts he has conducted was Shostakovich's Fifteenth Symphony earlier this year. Milanov admires the Russian composer's political intents and hidden subtexts, balanced by his insight into the human soul.

"Every time Shostakovich wrote, he managed to be right on the border of what was acceptable to the officials and what would be illuminating and redeeming to the people who needed a communication.

"I grew up with his music, and experienced it in this context."

The challenge in Auckland tomorrow night will be to achieve a slightly different perspective on the symphonic repertoire.

"It's a programme that looks for connections and links that take us beyond the world of music for their inspiration."

Pointing out the literary origins of Strauss' Don Juan and the chamber-music-like proportions of the two Sibelius offerings, Milanov feels the evening is "more about mood, interesting pieces of colour and different styles of playing".

Strauss' symphonic poem is "such incredibly sensuous music", he says, "and everything happens so quickly. I just wish we could play it twice so people could notice every detail."

The other unusual aspect of tomorrow night's concert is the lack of a soloist, although I suspect actor George Henare will more than compensate for this as the evening's MC.

Milanov says, "When you have a soloist, you have a star. But when you have only a conductor, the star is the orchestra. We not only have to make up for the lack of a soloist, but every member of the orchestra knows that he or she is the soloist. It makes it really exciting."

* What: Auckland Philharmonia
* Where and when: Aotea Centre, tomorrow 8pm