Music director to bow out with a work of love

After the 2001-02 season, Jahja Ling will return to conduct two programs during each of the following three seasons.

By JOHN FLEMING

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 25, 2001

TAMPA -- Jahja Ling will bid farewell with Mahler's Symphony No. 3 in his final concert as music director of the Florida Orchestra.

"The symphony is all about love -- love of nature, love of mankind and love of God in the final slow movement," said Ling, who will conduct the work in April 2002. "It's just something very special to me, and every time I do it I'm very moved by it."

Today, the orchestra releases its 2001-02 masterworks schedule. In addition to being Ling's farewell season, in which he will conduct seven programs, it will also feature five guest conductors being considered to succeed him as music director.

They include Michael Christie, a young American who will return for his second engagement with the orchestra to open the season in September; Russian conductors Pavel Kogan and Dmitry Sitkovetsky; Stefan Sanderling, a German whose father, Kurt Sanderling, was conductor of the Leningrad Philharmonic; and Theo Alcantara, former music director of the Bilbao Symphony in Spain and the Phoenix Symphony in Arizona.

In general, each will conduct a mainstream symphony or standard orchestra work plus a concerto or other piece with a soloist to give the orchestra an idea how each handles a basic program.

"It's great for the orchestra to get a fresh outlook," Ling said. "These conductors will come with their trademark repertoire. When you're guest conducting, you like to bring your best piece."

Next season's guest conductors are not necessarily the only candidates for music director. Maximiano Valdes, who is on the podium this weekend, could be a candidate, and the orchestra search committee has several other conductors under consideration.

Ling will take a hands-off approach to the search.

"The present music director doesn't get involved at all, unless they ask my opinion," he said, "but usually I'll leave it up to them because it's become too personal. I'd just feel funny."

In November, Ling will be joined on a program by his wife, prize-winning pianist Jessie Chang, and his son, Gabriel, a pianist and freshman at Yale. Chang, who was married to Ling on New Year's Day, will be the soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3. Maestro and son will team up on Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos.

"I want to have a family farewell celebration concert," Ling said. "It's just a way of saying thank you, Tampa Bay, for a wonderful experience."

Ling's Florida conducting agenda for next season also includes Verdi's Requiem, Elgar's Symphony No. 1, Schubert's Symphony No. 9 and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5.

Resident conductor Thomas Wilkins will lead the last two masterworks programs of the season, including the finale with three piano soloists: Janina Fialkowska, Jon Kimura Parker and Andre-Michel Schub.

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg will play the Brahms Violin Concerto. Other soloists include violinists Elmar Oliveira and Robert McDuffie, guitarist Marija Temo and pianist Stewart Goodyear.

Three younger soloists will be featured during the season: pianist Lang Lang, making his third appearance with the orchestra; cellist Daniel Lee, coming back for the second time; and pianist Lilya Zilberstein.

Two orchestra principals will be soloists, concertmaster Amy Schwartz in Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 2 and oboist Martin Hebert in Francaix's Flower Clock.

After 2001-02, Ling will be music director laureate. He is contracted to conduct two programs during each of the following three seasons.

Ling continues as resident conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra as well as music director of its summertime Blossom Festival. He is also music director of the National Symphony of Taiwan.

He expects to have mixed feelings as his 14th season as music director in Florida winds down.

"Of course it'll be emotional," he said. "Fourteen years is a good tenure as a music director. Especially in the years when we had a lot of difficulty, many people advised me that I should leave, but I stuck around because I believe in the orchestra and community. Now I think they have a good situation.

"It goes without saying that it's sad that I have to leave, but at the same time I feel very proud that the orchestra has come this far."

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