Interview with Gustavo Gimeno & Beatrice Rana | OPL on Tour

This isn’t your first collaboration with Gustavo Gimeno, what’s it like working together again?

Beatrice Rana: It's a real honor to collaborate with Gustavo! We've already performed together in Toronto, and it was a delight! It's always a great experience to play with an orchestra with him as the conductor, and there's even more enchantment in this circumstance!

What’s the most challenging conducting each day in a different concert hall?

Gustavo Gimeno: The challenge is to learn as much about the acoustics as possible so that we can adapt and determine what is required for each hall! Sometimes it happens automatically, and you recognize the type of hall right away; other times, it takes a bit longer. I always go to the hall to listen to the orchestra perform, and this always provides me with the necessary information to know what to change!

The OPL recently recorded the “Symphonie en ré mineur” by César Franck. Are there differences between the recording and tonight’s concert?

Gustavo Gimeno: I listened to the recording we made a few years ago a few weeks ago, and I was also asking myself if I still felt associated with the interpretation. I was relieved to discover that this was still valid. But playing every night in a different auditorium with a different acoustic allowed me to try new things. Due to the general reaction and how the sound combines in a different way throughout the event, I felt it would be a nice opportunity to experiment. Of course, I was experimenting with different tempos and transitions. After a few concerts, the repertoire is truly implanted in the orchestra's system, and you have the confidence to explore, which is both enjoyable and beneficial and then you avoid routine!

What’s special about playing the same repertoire one day after the other?

Beatrice Rana: You could imagine that playing the same repertoire every night becomes routine, but that is far from the case, because not only the acoustic, but also the complicity that we get every night makes a significant difference. Every concert, I believe, is an opportunity to take things a step further and try things we haven't done before!

What’s the most challenging performing with an orchestra by taking the example of the Paganini Rhapsody by Sergei Rachmaninov?

Beatrice Rana: This Rhapsody is like a puzzle, and each piece must fit into place. It's hardly the kind of romantic concerto we'd anticipate from Rachmaninov, but it's a brilliant composition, nonetheless. As a result, the issue is that each member of the orchestra plays a critical part, and everything must come together without any gaps. It's a dream come true to be able to play with this orchestra because everyone rises to the occasion, and I believe the concerts will eventually become very enjoyable!