Conductor George Manahan makes his second trip to the Ohio Theater May 29 and 30, conducting the Columbus Symphony in an all Beethoven program: Leonore Overture No. 3 Piano Concerto No. 3 with Orli Shaham Symphony No. 5 The May 30 performance will be broadcast live over WOSU 89.7, as are all Columbus Symphony Classical Series concerts. I'll be on hand for pre-performance talks one hour before concert time. I hope Mr. Manahan will be joining me. He'll be my guest during the broadcast intermission feature on the 30th. George Manahan has been Music Director of the New York City Opera since 1996. At Lincoln Center, he's conducted a wide variety of repertoire, from Monteverdi to Puccini, Verdi, Schonberg and Britten. I've heard him in a number of performances. I've been impressed by his firm grasp of the structure and the drama of the music, and some of opera's most complicated scores don't faze him. He has great energy and a great curiosity about music. Manahan has held conducting posts with the Richmond (VA) Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra and the New Jersey Symphony. Here's a video clip of George Manahan discussing Verdi's Rigoletto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZSSgKrfd5s
"You know, music is music! I think sometimes conductors in their early years turn down things that might still be a learning experience. If you have a group of players, there are still some challenges whether it's a Mahler symphony or something lighter. The art of conducting is essentially getting musicians to play their best and to want to play for you." (George Manahan quoted in The Julliard Journal, Nov. 2006, interview by Toni Marie Marchioni)
