Portrait of Daniele Rustioni on "Les Troyens" at the Bavarian State Opera: Forever young

Created: 05/07/2022, 15:39

By: Markus Thiel

"A crazy, schizophrenic piece", Daniele Rustioni calls "Les Troyens".

© Wilfried Hösl

The position did not even exist until recently: Daniele Rustioni is Principal Guest Conductor at the Bavarian State Opera.

The Milanese has already stirred up the house quite a bit with his previous appearances, now the 39-year-old is at the podium for his first premiere: "Les Troyens" by Hector Berlioz.

At least he doesn't jump anymore.

At least Daniele Rustioni is trying.

The sweating thing has also subsided.

"I let out what's in me, but without crazy things," as he puts it.

What has remained: As soon as the 39-year-old stands at the podium, there is a premiere atmosphere.

As if he were plugging the orchestra and vocal staff into a power plant, that is, into himself. It crackles, even in revivals or in the umpteenth repertoire performance.

You could experience that a few times in the Munich National Theater.

With Puccini's "Madame Butterfly", with Verdi's "Rigoletto" or recently when Rustioni stepped in at the Academy Concert.

Since this season, the Milan-born and London-based principal guest conductor has been the Bavarian State Opera.

The position did not exist before.

Certainly, in Wolfgang Sawallisch's time, Heinrich Bender assisted him as "State Kapellmeister", later Ivor Bolton was a permanent guest alongside General Music Director Zubin Mehta.

Intendant Serge Dorny created this position for Rustioni, who is the second most important conductor next to General Music Director Vladimir Jurowski.

Rustioni is Dorny's souvenir from the Lyon Opera.

As director, he made the then very young musician on the Rhône chief conductor.

After Dorny's move to Munich, Rustioni was promoted to "music director" in Lyon.

This means more responsibility, says the promoted person – probably also to keep him.

Now he can have a say in inviting guest conductors or help determine the broad lines of the seasons.

Three steps out of the Italy trap

Rustioni is about to have his first premiere in Munich.

It's one of the biggest chunks: "Les Troyens" by Hector Berlioz comes out on Monday.

The five-hour saga about Aeneas, the destruction of Troy and the unfulfilled love between the ancient hero and Carthage's queen Dido is in the grand opéra tradition.

That means: big choirs, ballets, extensive singing parts - the full program.

"A crazy, schizophrenic piece," Rustioni calls it.

“The orchestration looks like a German work.

But it should often sound Italian or French - very tricky.

Sometimes it seems as if each number has its own atmosphere.” In London, Rustioni co-directed “Les Troyens” as Antonio Pappano's assistant.

"I only realized what the piece really means when I saw everything on stage and thus looked at it from the outside."

After studying in Milan and Siena, Rustioni moved to the Royal Academy.

Perfect for him, not only because of his journeyman years in London, but also for image reasons.

Of course he conducted a lot of Italian music.

It is "a gift" when, as an Italian, you are automatically asked for Verdi, Puccini & Co.

In addition, you can easily fill your appointment calendar and account with it.

On the other hand, there is this drawer: “You can get out of the trap in three steps.

Firstly, about conducting symphonic works, which is why I always had a position in a symphony orchestra at the same time.

Second, by moving away from Italy.

And third, by saying no over and over again.”

Recently, Rustioni brought the mead into a frenzy

In general, one fundamental thing bothers him – and now it gets – beware of the cliché – Italian short-tempered: “Why is every British or Japanese conductor allowed to conduct the entire repertoire and we Italians aren’t?

Of course, no one can do everything at the same high level.

But it's strange who trusts whom and who doesn't."

Rustioni has already signed several executive contracts, with the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, the Orchestra della Toscana, the Ulster Orchestra and his largest to date in Lyon.

He's just starting out internationally.

Most recently, Rustioni helmed 14 performances in 30 days at the Met, including a premiere series of "Rigoletto," thrilling New Yorkers.

Despite the electrifying appearance, there is a carefully considered thinker about performance practice.

Rustioni respects the line of interpretation from Toscanini to Muti, which pays extreme attention to structure.

Nevertheless, one should not ignore the line, the close orientation to the not only Italian language style, the corresponding colors.

In general, clichés are a horror to him.

“We have to refrain from always seeing Italy as a sunny, happy country.

It is a sometimes very poor country, stricken by fate.

That, too, speaks from Verdi's music.

Milan can be colder in winter than London.”

In addition to "Les Troyens", Rustioni will soon be supervising the revivals of Verdi's "Otello" and his "Un ballo in maschera" in Munich.

That he gets a premiere per season is considered certain.

Unless a big house with a top job beckons.

That this will happen in the next few years is almost certain given the steep career.

Lyon as a continuous flow heater, Munich as an internationally radiant platform that fits.

Rustioni still enjoys the reputation as a young conductor - although he already has a lot of experience in the cross.

It's his charisma that fires the orchestra.

And nevertheless.

"The brutal truth is: until you're 60, you're considered a young conductor." Which means: sometimes there's a problem with authority, even if Rustioni experiences it less and less.

"If you conduct an orchestra and a passage isn't together, there are two possibilities: If you're young, then the conductor is to blame.

When he's older, the orchestra."

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