Credit: msmnyc.edu
Throughout the years to present times, modern symphony orchestras have had a number of storied concertmasters such as Arnold Rose, Szymon Goldberg, Tossy Spivakowsky, Naoum Blinder, Josef Gingold, Joseph Silverstein, Sidney Weiss and the new generation that include Alexander Barantschik and Frank Huang. Of course these players were and are highly skilled soloists and chamber musicians as well of which another name should be added to the list – Glenn Dicterow, former concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic.
Dicterow retired from his New York Philharmonic post in 2014 after a 34 year relationship that included solo stints with the orchestra in repertoire such as Bernstein’s Serenade After Plato’s Symposium, Waxman/Bizet Carmen Fantasy and violin concertos of Barber, Bartok, Korngold and Szymanowski. These works and more can be heard on the recording The Glenn Dicterow Collection (New York Philharmonic label, 2014).
In Conversation with Editor Leonne Lewis, Dicterow revisits his collaboration with five principal conductors beginning with Zubin Mehta.
“It was very exciting and fulfilling to be Zubin Mehta’s concertmaster in Los Angeles and New York and he was the first music director I ever worked under. I learned how to be a concertmaster under his baton and that was both exciting and challenging. Mehta insisted on constant eye contact with his principals so he could communicate his musical ideas spontaneously. It was then up to us to convey these ideas to the sections we were leading. Zubin’s interpretations would invariably change from performance to performance so I had to practically memorize my 1st violin parts so I could keep this eye contact throughout the repertoire we were performing. I felt very much connected to Mehta and his musical approach with the orchestral repertoire. Zubin excelled in the works of Richard Strauss, Mahler, Wagner, Stravinsky among many others.”
In 1980 Dicterow began the long-standing tenure with New York Philharmonic and his takeaways continue. “My next music director was Kurt Masur and he too was very connected to his leaders and expected us to be able to shape the sound of our sections. I found that the sound of the NY Philharmonic changed with every new music director. Masur’s interpretations of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Grieg, Brahms and Dvorak were marvelous. He brought a darker and more burnished sound to our orchestra.”
And the next maestro is…”Then came Lorin Maazel who was a brilliant maestro with a legendary memory. He had the best conducting technique in the business and could communicate almost all of his musical ideas with his hands. He was also a fine violinist himself so we really got along famously, often exchanging fingerings and bowings with each other.”
Alan Gilbert is the last music director Dicterow worked with of whom he describes as “a very smart and gifted conductor.” He says, “Both Alan’s parents were members of the New York Philharmonic violin section and I actually knew Alan and his sister Jennifer when they were quite young. Gilbert excelled at complicated contemporary orchestral scores and could prepare programs very quickly and very efficiently.”
Of course Dicterow’s recollections would not be complete without mention of Leonard Bernstein. “I also want to mention how inspirational it was to have been able to work with Leonard Bernstein who guest conducted the NY Philharmonic frequently in the 1980’s. His interpretations of the Mahler symphonies were incredibly moving, deep and unforgettable. I was fortunate to be able to perform his compositions as soloist in his Serenade for Solo Violin, Harp and Strings several times on a domestic tour of the United States in the mid 1980’s with him on the podium. It was an unforgettable experience.”
Not surprisingly, many concertmasters begin their career as child prodigies in the truest sense including Dicterow who at age eleven performed Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic when his father was on the stand as principal of the orchestra’s second violin section. As a result, guest appearances with leading orchestras became a new normal for him.
Fortunately, many concertmasters share their insights in lessons or master classes including Dicterow who is on the faculty of USC Thornton School of Music and Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. Also a high-profile studio musician he provides violin solos for films like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin and is a founding member of the Lyric Piano Quartet and Amerigo Trio with cellist Inbal Segev and violist wife Karen Dreyfus.
This Fall Dicterow will hold the Jascha Heifetz Chair in Violin at USC Thornton School of Music having held the Robert Mann Chair in Violin and Chamber Music there for the past eight years. He comments on the honor and about violinists who have shaped his artistic development. “I did study with Heifetz when I was a young teenager and he was no doubt a huge influence in my approach to music. I am also greatly influenced by the great violinists of the 20h century such as Kreisler, Heifetz, Milstein, Szeryng, Oistrakh, Szigetti, Grumiaux and a few others. I am always drawing on their traditions to help influence the younger generation of violinists who might not be familiar with this golden age of violinists. My aim is to help inspire as many students as I can to develop a distinct and unique style of their own.”
Dicterow’s dedication to teaching is also in full view at Music Academy of the West as leader of the Violin and Strings Leadership program - in addition to performing in the school’s summer concerts which includes a performance of Dohnanyi’s violin sonata, Op. 21 on June 27. He offers a tip for students interested in pursuing a career in music. “It is so important for students to be well versed in chamber music and also orchestral works as well as the solo repertoire in order to be a complete musician. It brings a deeper and more meaningful understanding to ones playing. Music Academy of the West covers the gamut of what it really takes to be a great musician.”