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Conductor Renes makes Milwaukee debut: Beethoven's Ninth will mark New Year's Eve
(Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, The Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 29--Conductor Lawrence Renes will make his Milwaukee Symphony debut New Year's Eve, leading the orchestra, chorus and four soloists through Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.
Renes, 38, arrives in Milwaukee as his career is gaining momentum.
A year and a half ago, he decided not to renew his contract as music director of the symphony and opera in Bremen, Germany, because so many opportunities were cropping up elsewhere. He will return to Santa Fe, N.M., this summer, to conduct at the prestigious opera festival there. He earned enthusiastic reviews for his work in the Seattle Opera production of Richard Strauss' "Elektra" in October. As soon as he's finished in Milwaukee, Renes will head to London to lead the British premiere of John Adams' "Doctor Atomic." Then it's on to Brussels to conduct Stravinsky's "The Rake's Progress."
Amid all this opera work, Renes has managed to rack up an impressive list of dates with major orchestras. The Milwaukee Symphony has already re-engaged him for Nov. 13-14, 2009.
"I love opera and I love symphony concerts, and I always try to keep it about half and half," Renes said in a phone interview from his home in the Netherlands.
"We didn't really have classical music in our home," Renes said. "When I was young, gymnastics was my main interest. . . . I was to join the Dutch youth Olympic team, but my mother was opposed to that, so I decided not to continue.
"I wanted to find another activity, and my best friend at school had just started violin lessons. So I thought, why not me, too?"
A new passion
He took to it, and at 14 joined the Netherlands National Youth Orchestra. He went on to study violin at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam and conducting at the Royal Conservatory, in The Hague. His first job out of school was as assistant conductor to Edo de Waart at the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, from 1994 through 1996.
De Waart -- an international conductor whose primary residence is in his wife's hometown of Middleton, Wis. -- will become the Milwaukee Symphony's music director next season.
Renes said his job at the Radio Philharmonic began as a typical assistant conductorship, with all its thankless duties. But de Waart took an interest in him and became his mentor and then his friend.
"It's a very dear friendship," Renes said.
The Milwaukee Symphony has played Beethoven's Ninth many times, including just last season. Renes thinks he can bring a little different touch to it, courtesy of his Dutch training.
"In Amsterdam, they've always been on the front lines of historical performance practice," Renes said. "People like Franz Brueggen and Nikolaus Harnoncourt were coming in all the time. I've always been curious about it, and I played the Baroque violin. All of that helped to shape my point of view about these classical composers.
"But the main thing is to come to Milwaukee and see what the musicians will bring to the Ninth."
In Holland, Renes would spend New Year's Eve celebrating with family and friends, but he's not feeling sorry for himself about ringing in 2009 in Milwaukee.
"Some of the musicians also play at the Santa Fe Opera," Renes said. "I know them from there, and it will be good to see them again. Edo will be nearby, too, so I will be celebrating among friends."
E-mail Tom Strini at tstrini@journalsentinel.com.
To see more of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.jsonline.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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