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When Eckart Preu raises his baton and conducts the Stamford Symphony, he has one dream goal. The maestro wants to melt away.
I don't make any sound, I just stand up there and wave my hands around, says Preu. As conductor, he exists in the visual plane between two parties: the orchestra and the audience. Comparing his role to a film director, he feels the epitome of a proper execution is when his presence is incidental and goes almost unnoticed.
I want to melt away so the audience and the orchestra can communicate directly, he says. Of course the film director never appears on camera, and Preu, like all conductors, is eminently front and center for every performance. Though he would love to be the guiding hand just out of sight, he says that isn't an attainable goal.
Music has always been a part of life for Preu, who grew up in East Germany. His father and brother were involved in the musical arts. As a child, he played soccer and performed in the Dresdner Kreuzchor boys choir. He knew one day he would have to pick either sports or music, and he chose music.
The 42-year-old Preu remembers when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. By then, he had already toured with the boys choir and was exposed to Western influences. With the reunification of Germany, opportunities to study abroad opened up.
Preu performed around Europe, and 15 years ago made his way to the United States. He studied in Hartford, worked in New York and ran the Norwalk Youth Symphony. When an opportunity to take over as music director for the Stamford Symphony arose, he pursued it eagerly.
Preu wants to help the audience delve deeper into classical music. An hour before each performance he holds a brief conversation for those who wish to learn the background of the pieces they'll hear that evening. Preu hopes the effort to create a narrative around the music makes it more accessible for those not as familiar with the works.
Preu's committment to helping others develop a love of classical music permeates the Stamford Symphony. The Kids Come Free and MusiKids programs are targeted at making classical music accessible to kids.
The 2011-12 Stamford Symphony Season, Music of the Masters, will kick off Saturday, Oct. 15, with Gershwin. The show will delve into jazz and ragtime, with pieces from Dvorak, Stravinsky and Joplin as well. There will also be a gala before Saturday night's performance celebrating the era of the speakeasy.
Preu wants music to be fun and interesting, not stuffy and overly formal. To maintain a sense of spontaneity, each Stamford Symphony performance this season will feature a surprise not listed on the program.
Nothing kills fun more than predictability, he says.
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