“Conducting is creating a sound sculpture and channeling the soul of a score”
Donizetti’s iconic Lucia di Lammermoor is grand opera at its most glorious. For Maestra Lucía Marín, working with State Opera South Australia and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra will mark a historic first, not only for her own career, but also for her country: it will be the first time a Spanish woman ever conducts an orchestra in Australia.
What’s the first music-related memory you have?
Being hypnotised by Sesame Street and the cartoons on tv! I couldn’t walk nor speak, but music already had a mesmerising power on me. I can’t really remember my life without music: at my auntie’s house there was a piano, and I remember getting close to it, the keyboard being at my nose height… I would have been two or three, I could barely lift the lid! My passion for combining sounds sprouted from there, and then when I was eight one of my teachers suggested my parents to sign me up at the Conservatory. At fourteen, my piano teacher told me I should really consider it, not so much as a passion or as a hobby, but as a real job.
How did you move from piano to conducting?
Piano has always been my favourite, but it’s a “lonely” instrument. I’m passionate about playing with other people, and the role of the conductor caught my attention. I did a course, was lucky enough to work with an amazing coach and mentor to study the technique. I have since worked with many Simphony Orchestras in Spain and in the United States and still feel honoured to call this my job.
What does conducting mean to you?
What a complex question, we could talk for hours about that… Conducting is creating a sound sculpture, expressing the soul of the score. When you conduct, you create a unique relationship with each player in the orchestra, and you’re the conduit of the relationship between the players themselves. I find it so fascinating.
How does it feel to be the first Spanish woman to conduct in Australia?
I feel deeply honoured, it’s a fantastic opportunity. Lucia di Lammermoor is a very interesting challenge also because of the defining role Lucia had in Dame Joan Sutherland’s career and how it made her one of Australia’s operatic stars almost overnight. If there’s one thing I absolutely love about music is that it’s a universal language, breaking down barriers and differences.
This interview was written by Jesus Jimenez for the Spanish newspaper El Ideal, translated by Laura Danesin.
