Conductor’s Lab, Aix-en-Provence, France

July 2013.

Invited to participate as a conductor for this week-long series of master classes and conducting workshops, Rafael’s experiences made a lasting impact on the ways that he fundamentally thinks about music and conducting. The Conductor’s Lab features no master conductor, rather, all of the feedback and commentary is provided by the musicians in the ensemble. Unusual for a master class, the ensemble was comprised of a double quintet of strings and winds and for this Lab Importantly, all of the musicians in the ensemble are active members of the Berlin Philharmonic. The opportunity to spend a week learning from these musicians and to conduct them in a lab setting was life-changing.

The repertoire for the week consisted of Mendelssohn’s Ein Sommernachtstraum (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Op. 61, and Ravel’s Ma Mère l'Oye. No photos or video were allowed of the Berlin musicians.