World renowned musician to guest conduct the YSO

By Ann Ritter

A slim, energetic, gray figure stands at the front of the stage in an empty Woolsey Hall. The stage is filled with musicians, all of whom are focused intently on the man's eloquent hand movements and intense facial expressions. As the dramatic final movement of the piece comes to an end and the hands no longer shadow the music's climactic energy, a brief moment of silence falls over the hall. World-famous musician Peter Oundjian is preparing for his stint on Sat., Feb. 7 as a guest conductor with the Yale Symphony Orchestra.

Liz Oliner/YH Daniel Adamson, DC '98, practices for Saturday's performance.

"You need to understand how to be clear with your expressions without using words, so that the orchestra knows with what character it needs to play," Oundjian says. "I conduct for the musicians and for the composer, not for the audience."

Born in Toronto and educated in England, Oundjian began his musical career at the age of six as a pianist and choral singer. He later settled on the violin, the instrument that would eventually make his international reputation.

Oundjian continued his training at the Royal College of Music in London before coming to New York to study at Julliard. He characterizes his years in New York as "very inspiring." Both the creative energy of the city and frequent contact with musical greats like Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman contributed a great deal to Oundjian's development as a musician.

Still, Oundjian is reluctant to give any single influencing factor too much credit: "[Artistic development] comes through years of performing, really. The knowledge you assimilate from performing at 2,000 concerts--that eventually becomes your own artistic voice."

In 1981, Oundjian was asked to join the prestigious Tokyo String Quartet, an honor that took him completely by surprise. "I actually had to stifle a giggle when they called me," he said. Oundjian spent the next 14 years as the group's first violinist, dividing his time between touring with the quartet and teaching at the Yale School of Music.

After injuring his left hand through overuse and being diagnosed with a disease known as focal dystonia, Oundjian left the Tokyo String Quartet. The disease, which has no known cure, results in a loss of control over whatever part of the body it affects. Although it is not a progressive disease, it rarely goes into remission. Sadly, focal dystonia left Oundjian no alternative but to give up his career as a violinist. "I can bluff a bit, but I can't get on stage," he says.

Unable to play at the same caliber to which he was accustomed for so much of his career, Oundjian turned to conducting professionally in 1995. He continues to teach at the Yale School of Music and still finds time for some special projects, such as taking on the artistic directorship of the world-renowned Caramoor Festival in upstate New York.

Musicians in the YSO are enthusiastic about Saturday night's concert, which features Beethoven's Coriolon Overture, Elgar's Cello Concerto, and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9. "We are expecting this to be one of our strongest concerts of the season," Daniel Adamson, DC '98, the featured cellist for Elgar's concerto, said. "Elgar's piece has been my favorite cello concerto ever since I knew that cello concertos existed. It's a very personal piece; I never thought that I would ever get a chance to play it with the YSO."

When asked what he thought made a good conductor, Adamson replied, "You need fantastic ears and discipline. I believe a conductor should be able to write out every note of the score without looking [at the sheet music] before he can even begin to conduct a piece." And Adamson's impression of Oundjian? "He's an incredibly accomplished musician in addition to being fantastically friendly. He has a clear commitment to music."

The respect is clearly mutual. Oundjian sees the YSO as "quite a precious thing. It's hard to believe that many of them aren't training to be professionals," he commented. Despite his appreciation of the YSO's level of musical maturity, Oundjian has encountered some difficulties in preparing for Saturday's performance. "Practicing in an empty Woolsey Hall is a bit difficult," he explained. "When it's filled, it has a wonderful, warm sound, but without people, it sounds like a bathtub."

Aside from the acoustic difficulties, Oundjian too is optimistic about Saturday's concert. He stated, "I conduct so that it feels like the music was created at that very moment. I try to make it entertaining, amusing and, hopefully, a little bit educational."

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