Backstage Pass: In Conversation with Xian Zhang

You originally began your studies at Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in piano, what inspired you to take up conducting?

I entered the Central Conservatory as a pianist at the age of 11. When I was 16,  I met a conducting professor. I was her pianist/accompanist for all rehearsals. She just gave me a few lessons and prepared me for the conducting audition.

Do you have a favourite piece, composer, or style of music to conduct and if so, why?

There is too much to love and to choose from. I enjoy Mozart more and more as I get older. And I perform a lot of Russian repertoire. As a pianist, I find Bach and Debussy’s music close to heart.

How does conducting a concerto and working with a soloist differ from conducting a full orchestra with no soloist?

It requires more listening and understanding to what the soloist is trying to say.

Which moments of the music in particular should tonight’s audience listen out for and why?

The selection of the Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet is made to focus on the best bits of the four-act ballet. Nokuthula’s Primal Message is a lyrical piece arranged from her Viola Quintet. The composer Nokuthula, nickname Thula, is a renowned violist who won the Primrose Viola Competition when she was 16. The piece is centered on the lush tone of violas that first ushers in the main theme. And it echoes the sweeping melodic shapes in the Romeo and Juliet. Thula is Japanese from her mother’s side.

My personal favorite of the Prokofiev is the final movement – Romeo at Juliet’s Grave. It’s heart wrenching. And I always remember how the dancer moved onstage during the La Scala ballet performance when I was conducting and watching up from the pit. His ballet movements are etched into my musical memory. It jumps out when I hear or conduct this movement.

What do you enjoy most about being in London?

I always find London invigorating. The level of orchestras is astonishingly high.

As a pianist, I find Bach and Debussy’s music close to heart