For the final stop of its most recent tour, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra returned to Konzerthaus Dortmund, where it performed a highly acclaimed concert under the direction of its Artistic Advisor Daniele Gatti.
The MCO's Managing Director Michael Adick spoke with Konzerthaus Dortmund's outgoing Artistic Director Benedikt Stampa, who leaves at the end of the 2017/18 season to assume the position of Artistic Director at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. In this conversation, which took place in the afternoon before the concert, they reflected on the MCO's past, present and future – and the important role Konzerthaus Dortmund has played over the years.
The MCO has appeared regularly at Konzerthaus Dortmund since you assumed the position of Artistic Director in 2005. What are some of your MCO highlights?
I’ve been at Konzerthaus Dortmund for 13 years, and the MCO has performed 28 concerts here! There are many highlights, but Daniel Harding’s concerts with the MCO have always been particularly special. Daniel is part of the MCO – part of the MCO’s beginnings and identity – and has appeared very many times here at Konzerthaus Dortmund with you: Otello [in 2010], or with the three Mozart symphonies [in 2016]… George Benjamin with Written on Skin [in 2016] was superb.
Benedikt Stampa with George Benjamin backstage at Konzerthaus Dortmund
When you arrived in Dortmund, the MCO had only been in existence for eight years. This year, we celebrate our 21st birthday. As a young organization, the MCO has developed and grown throughout the years. Where did it stand at the beginning of our collaboration? How do you see the MCO today?
Good question. I remember my first MCO concert: it was in Hamburg with Marc Minkowski [in 2003]. We met again later on, in Baden-Baden, and I remember thinking: what a young, fresh and dynamic orchestra – it’s definitely one of the first top chamber orchestras! Today, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra has grown up and truly come into its own. It has become a confident ensemble with multi-year artistic partnerships – the Beethoven Journey with Leif Ove Ansdnes or your collaboration with Mitsuko Uchida immediately come to mind – and these projects are very important. I would say that the MCO certainly remains at the top of the chamber orchestra league – a chamber orchestra with excellent programming.
The MCO sharing the stage at Konzerthaus Dortmund with Artistic Partner Mitsuko Uchida
Under your leadership, the Konzerthaus Dortmund has become one of the leading concert halls in Europe. You have succeeded in presenting excellent artists in concert series that have come to be known as the “Dortmund dramaturgy”. How has the MCO’s profile changed within the Konzerthaus Dortmund’s programme structure?
Nothing has changed! We realized early on that the MCO’s programmes could work in many of our concert series. We knew that you would be open to doing all sorts of different things: operas, concerts, chamber music… the MCO is incredibly flexible and versatile, and it is certainly at home with every genre.
You were the driving force behind the MCO’s residency in North Rhine-Westphalia. The MCO Academy, a success story for orchestral training for young musicians, began with this residency and still thrives today. Through the MCO Academy, MCO musicians work to pass on their experience to the next generation. What does an orchestra of the 21st century mean to you?
I’ve learned that there are different models: you have everything from the historically informed performance practice movement, where the conductor takes on the central role of leading and directing the group, to democratic ensembles such as the MCO, to state-subsidized orchestras… the smaller ensembles have forced the bigger orchestras to re-examine their identity. Now, through healthy competition, there is room in the classical music market for all different kinds of orchestras. This makes things more exciting for audiences, of course, for promoters, and also for musicians. The variability and diversity in the orchestra world has grown and prospered. I find this a very positive development. 
MCO principal horn José Vicente Castelló with MCO Academist Noemi Gonzalez Medina during the MCO Academy orchestra project in 2016
Through Konzerthaus Dortmund, the MCO has developed connections with many different aspects of the city: our partner class at Gesamtschule Scharnhorst, our collaboration with the Rheinisch-Westfälischen Realschule Dortmund… how do these activities define the Konzerthaus Dortmund and the concert experience?
Because of the Konzerthaus Dortmund’s location – it is right in the middle of the city – the proximity to the people of Dortmund is simply part of its DNA. That the MCO, as a touring orchestra, always returns to Dortmund gives impetus to our community work. These initiatives make sure that people from different walks of life are integrated into what we do – well beyond the concert experience itself. Plus MCO musicians always know where the best bars in Dortmund are!
Students from Rheinisch-Westfälischen Realschule Dortmund taking part in Feel the Music at Konzerthaus Dortmund
Photos: Geoffroy Schied / Sonja Werner / Pascal Amos Rest
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