Peter Oundjian always seems to have a story, some little anecdote about each piece of music he programs for the Colorado Music Festival. Sometimes, they are a little gossipy; other times they get right at the heart of how classical selections come together for a concert.
But they always serve to connect listeners more deeply to the music, and to make them feel like insiders to the process.
The music director’s tales rolled off the tongue during a recent interview about the festival’s 2025 season, which begins on July 3. For example, how he and pianist Hélène Grimaud — “a very dear friend, I’ve known her for 25 years” — decided to perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 for the opening concerts where she will guest star. “We just really love to do this piece together,“ he said, and they knew it would be perfect for audiences in Boulder.
“She is such a sincere artist,” Oundjian said. “She becomes like a medium of the music, and that’s what we should always be trying to do as musicians.”
Another example: He called up another old pal, the legendary composer Joan Tower, and persuaded her to write a concerto for saxophone that he could premiere at the festival. Then he suggested a player: rising star Steven Banks.
“So they chatted and they got along really well, and she agreed to write the piece,” Oundjian said.
The process for the work — “Love Returns,” which will premiere July 10 and 11 — began to take shape.
“Steven went to visit Joan for three days and they just played music the whole time,” he said. “They actually became good friends.”
It’s rare for conductors to be quite so chatty. But it’s a gift to audiences because it helps them listen for nuance — underlying the relationship between performers on stage, or about a special connection a player might have to a composer and a piece of music tailored specifically for their talents.
Oundjian’s connections are what keep the festival season star-powered cohesive. Musically, the 2025 lineup is a variety show. There will be a special focus on the work of Ravel, which is meant to celebrate the composer’s 150th birthday. But, of course, there is Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Dvořák and other expected pleasures, along with several new pieces by contemporary composers.
One of those will be composer Eric Whitacre’s “The Pacific Has No Memory,” a piece he wrote for violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who is among the classical set’s busiest soloists. It will have its second presentations on July 17 and 18 at the Chautauqua Auditorium, where the Colorado Music Festival holds its concerts.
That piece came together over a coffee between Whitacre and Oundjian at a Starbucks — sort of. The pair met to discuss a commission, though as the conversation unfolded, they became convinced a piece that Whitacre was already writing for Meyers would do the job perfectly and that the festival would jump on as a co-sponsor.
“The Pacific Has No Memory” was influenced by current events unfolding at the time. Whitacre wrote it as a narrative piece about the wildfires that took place last year in Southern California. There is tragedy at the heart of the music, though it is “very tender and very beautiful,” Oundjian said.
The season runs through Aug. 3, though there are some special moments audiences might want to consider when organizing a visit or two. That starts with the opening night, which features possibly the most popular of Ravel’s pieces, “Boléro.” Oundjian says the work sounds easy to play but is actually quite difficult to pull off. “Everyone has their own slightly different take,” he said.
That program also includes Stravinsky’s “Feu d’artifice” — his “Fireworks” piece — which is rarely performed in concert these days, making the program both familiar and a bit adventurous for classical regulars.
There are also, as usual in Boulder, a number of exciting star turns by soloists: Classical guitarist Xuefei Yang performs Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” on July 27, and violinist Benjamin Beilman arrives for “An Evening of Mozart” on July 13.
Two ensembles are also likely to hold special interest: the Brentano String Quartet on July 15, and the Dover Quartet on July 29.
But audiences might want to pay special attention to the Ravel works, since it is clear the festival’s in-house orchestra will be in it to win it it. One special choice: Meyers’ performance of “Tzigane“ during her July engagements. It should be lovely.
And, as expected, the season will wrap up with two beloved classical monsters. On Aug. 1, that will be Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 9, which features the choral works “Ode to Joy,” and will be performed by the St. Martin’s Chamber Choir. It’s a rather large production for the intimate Chautauqua Auditorium. “We will see how many people will fit on the stage,” Oundjian said.
The final concert will be Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, a piece that Oundjian has spent part of his career mastering. It is one of the few Mahler works that the composer himself did not conduct at its premiere, in 1909, and he filled it with notes for those who would play it in later years. So, present-day conductors work hard to get at the heart of the piece, finding the composer’s intent while filtering through all of the ways it has been interpreted over time. “We have this kind of free reign with it,” Oundjian said.
The festival is advertising the piece as a season-closer tradition, since Oundjian has programmed it that way since he took over as music director (though the conductor has a little gossip on that, too). Audiences should expect a shake-up for the final event in seasons to come.
“How much longer that tradition will go on, I don’t know,” he said.
For more info: 303-440-7666 or coloradomusicfestival.org.
Leave feedback about this