Alain Altinoglu in conversation with Fergus McWilliam (13 min.)

The conductor Alain Altinoglu made his debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker in September 2017 with a programme of works from the French repertoire and Béla Bartók’s Viola Concerto. In this conversation with the Philharmoniker’s horn player Fergus McWilliam, the French conductor tells of his family’s Armenian roots and his thinking behind the programme’s composition. Further discussion points include the connection between national language and musical idiom in the music of Ravel, Roussel and Bartók, as well as in Debussy’s opera Pelléas et Mélisande, from which Altinoglu himself created an orchestral suite that received its premiere in the concert. They also talk about the wide-ranging educational programme of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels – something which, as the house’s music director, is very close to Altinoglu’s heart.