CONDUCTING
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Conducting
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My very first conducting gig came when, at the age of eight, I had the responsibility to lead the junior orchestra at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan in a short piece by Howard Hansen, a traditional honor bestowed upon the concertmaster of that illustrious ensemble at their summer-ending concert. It was my first inkling of the meaning of the saying: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” So true, but it felt so good.
Many years passed until 1987, when I was called upon unexpectedly (and somewhat deviously, I may add) to conduct a fully staged run of Verdi’s La Traviata at the long-standing Innisfail Music Festival in North Queensland, Australia. It seemed their usual music director had ditched it out of Dodge for greener pastures, and since I was going to be teaching at the local conservatory as part of my sabbatical leave anyway, the higher-ups figured why look further. I told them that I would be willing to work with the string players, but that was as far as I’d go. When I arrived and noticed that I was the only one in town holding a baton, and they gave me this pleading look....well, what else could I do? And though it wasn’t La Scala, it was a great learning experience, and helped to extend my moribund conducting career many more years.
I had, as they say, “caught the conducting bug,” and was even offered some conducting engagements in the Boston area upon my return to the BSO after my sabbatical leave ended. Alas, those never took place, as my invitation to be associate concertmaster of the Utah Symphony intervened. So much for conducting.
Not so! In 2004 I had two conducting opportunities fall out of the blue! One was the music directorship of the Vivaldi By Candlelight chamber orchestra series in Salt Lake City. This annual Baroque concert has been a fixture of the Salt Lake Concert scene for over twenty-five years, and is the major fund raiser for the fine organization, the Utah Council For Citizen Diplomacy. I continue to be its music director, having the responsibilities of programming, selecting the musicians, writing the program notes, promoting the concerts, and occasionally throwing in a concerto, as well as conducting this fine ensemble.
The second opportunity was when my good friend, flutist Sergio Pallottelli was visiting for Thanksgiving and asked me if I wanted to be the conductor for the gala festival-ending concert with the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, held in conjunction with the International Flute Festival of Lima. I told Sergio, as I had told the Ozzies twenty years earlier, that I was no conductor. He suggested we let the director of the festival decide. It turned out that I was, in fact, a conductor, and for three years running led the orchestra for that concert.
In the meantime I also have had opportunities to conduct the University of Utah Philharmonia in my own Overture in the Classical Style, the Salt Lake Symphony, and most recently, the Sinfonica Nacional of Ecuador. I find it a great thrill to be able to command the greatest sonorities humanity has ever heard with the flick of a wrist. Being an orchestral musician myself, I respect how challenging a task it is to play and how important the conductor is. I’ve worked with many of the world’s greats and have tried to learn from their example. I unabashedly offer my services, right here on this web page, to conduct and/or solo with any orchestra interested in having me.
“Elias has conducted small ensembles here in the past, but this was his local debut with a large orchestra. And it was an auspicious debut — so much so that one would like to see him direct an orchestra here more frequently. What stood out in Elias' conducting was a keen sense and a wonderful understanding of the music. His interpretive talents are remarkable. He knows what he wants and he conveys that to the orchestra. And the musicians delivered...Elias managed to bring excitement to this well-known work (Beethoven 5) that even the most jaded listener would find intriguing. He wasn't afraid to bring romantic passion to his interpretation, and the result was an exhilarating performance that was intense, electrifying and boldly dynamic and vibrant.”
Deseret News 4/22/08
“The concert opened with Vivaldi's Sinfonia ‘Alla Rustica’ in G major, op. 51, no. 4. The 15-member ensemble played the short three-movement work with robust vitality under Elias' capable direction . . . The only other ensemble piece at Saturday's concert was Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major. A true concerto for orchestra, Bach gives each player the opportunity of being showcased in a solo capacity. The outer movements of the three-movement concerto were given a dynamic reading. Elias chose brisk tempos, and it worked marvelously, with the ensemble playing with virtuosic flair.”
Deseret News 12/11/06
“The Vivaldi by Candlelight concerts celebrate their 25th anniversary this year. For the occasion, music director Gerald Elias chose a program that was wonderfully vibrant and delightfully diverse. The string orchestra, hand picked by Elias, who conducted the concert, was equally impressive in its playing.”
Deseret News 12/9/07
I am particularly excited about my novels, Devil's Trill and Danse Macabre, excursions into the dark side of the classical music world, published by St. Martin's Press.
In 2009 I was honored by Barnes and Noble, who selected Devil's Trill for their Discover Great New Writers fall catalog, in which was written: "Rich in music detail and featuring a fabulously roguish cast, Devil's Trill will delight music lovers and mystery fans alike. Danse Macabre, featuring the same roguish cast, will be released in September, 2010."
See what Dick Adler, Crime Fiction Reviewer for the Chicago Tribune and Barnes&Noble.com has written on his blog about Devil's Trill.
Read more about my books and read reviews of Danse Macabre, Devil's Trill and Death and the Maiden from the critics, along with interviews and commentary in the blogs. Please visit my MUSIC TO DIE FOR page, where you can hear me perform the music mentioned in my novels and listen to my audio notes on these works.
For more details about what I have been up to, please peruse the other pages of my website. If you are interested in contacting me for potential engagements or for any other reason whatsoever, don't hesitate to drop me an email.
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| LJ Best Books 2010: Mystery |
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