Q&A with conductor, pianist and composer Simon Bruckard

Conductor, composer and pianist Simon Bruckard stands out as one of the most industrious young stars of the Australian music industry. He frequently conducts for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Victorian Opera, State Opera of South Australia and Orchestra Victoria.

Bruckard recently shared his insights on the sources of his inspiration, how he got to where he is now and his advice for people aspiring to follow in the same footsteps.

Can you share your journey in the world of conducting? What inspired you to pursue a career in music and conducting?

Like a lot of conductors, I started out playing the piano. I found myself drawn to working a lot with singers and spent several years working in opera companies. I was lucky to be given opportunities to conduct and had a few very generous mentors.
I really just love theatre and wanted to be a part of creating it. I write music too, and conducting seemed to just come out of the necessity of making it all happen. I enjoy the collaborative aspect of music making, and conducting is just one part of it.

Working with a renowned conductor like Simone Young must be an incredible experience. What has been the most valuable lesson you've learned from her during this collaboration?

You can never prepare too much. Simone is one of the most hard-working musicians I’ve come across. Even on music she has conducted many times, over many years, she is always trying to find more detail, more nuance, more expression.

‘Peter Grimes’ is a complex and emotionally charged opera. What aspects of the music or story do you find most compelling?

Britten’s music is just so evocative. Each act is separated by musical interludes which are sometimes performed in concert as the ‘Four Sea Interludes’. I love that Britten trusts and allows the audience to just listen to music with no singing. He somehow manages to capture all the moods of the sea – the stillness, the motion, the viciousness – but of course it’s also a reflection of the characters and intensely human. The sheer variety of colour is extraordinary.

What unique challenges does conducting Benjamin Britten's music present, and how have you and Simone Young prepared for this production to ensure a seamless performance?

Britten was meticulous with detail in his writing, and many musicians have an attitude towards his music that is that if you simply do what’s on the page you achieve what the composer wanted and the music speaks for itself. But I think this piece, which is so much about the sea, requires a particular kind of push and pull, a flow, a sense of spontaneity and motion. Finding that freedom without going too far is the challenge of this piece.

Simone has conducted Peter Grimes many times over almost thirty years. Like all opera, the musical interpretation is driven largely by the text. Knowing the text and the characters well, and using that as the impetus for how to interpret the music is the best form of preparation.