Get to know Ryan Bancroft
We spoke to conductor Ryan Bancroft about his upcoming concert with the Philharmonia and Stephen Hough.
You first conducted the Philharmonia in a streamed performance, filmed in the Queen Elizabeth Hall during lockdown. What was your first impression of the Orchestra?
My very first impression of the Orchestra was how down-to-earth the group was and how no note was taken for granted. It’s seriously a breath of fresh air, especially when you’re doing a piece as famous as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony!
What was it like performing for an online audience, with no-one but the musicians and film crew in the hall?
As professional musicians, of course we got used to performing without an audience… almost. Having an audience is truly the final and most important ingredient in any performance that we’ve been working hard for. It’s a slightly grander version of those times when we as musicians would go into our parents’ or guardians’ living room when we were kids and would proudly say, “Look what I learned how to do!”
Have you worked with Stephen Hough before?
I haven’t! It’s a great honour to be able to work with this phenomenal musician.
How do you approach preparing for a concerto performance with a soloist?
Listen, listen, listen, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Many people in the audience will be hearing Nielsen’s Inextinguishable Symphony for the first time – what should we listen out for?
The audience should listen out for how incredible this entire piece of music is! One of the more obvious sections to listen out for is the infamous timpani duel that happens towards the end of the piece, but my particular favourite moment is the beginning of the second movement. It’s a charming, jaunty tune for the woodwinds, composed quite gently, that I’ve always found quite moving in its simplicity. It’s also cute as heck!
Which concert coming up in the Philharmonia’s London season would you most like to hear, and why?
I am most looking forward to the Philharmonia’s Music of Today: Composers’ Academy concert coming up on 7 May. New music has been in many ways my entire life, so it is an incredible treat to be able hear music that has never been heard before for the first time. History in the making!
