'Having lived in Denmark, it is new to be among people who look like me'

Indianorigin Danish conductor Maria Badstue recently came to Mumbai for the fourth time but every time she comes here Badstue is busy with work However this time she made a change Badstue visited an art gallery and even dined at a few city restaurants making the experience unique She expresses ldquoMumbai is very different from anything I have seen anywhere else and really enjoy just to be in the city and soak in the atmosphere I marvel every time I am herrdquoRegarded as one of the best young Danish conductors of today Badstue received the prestigious 20192021 Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship and made her debut in Italy France and the United States in the 202223 seasonThe conductor returned to the city for her joint performance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts NCPA earlier this April with the Symphony of India Chamber Orchestra and Danish Chamber Players While she was set to perform with soprano Indira Mahajan unfortunately the Marian Anderson Awardwinning singer couldnrsquot make it due to personal reasons However it was an IndoDanish collaboration in more than one way because Badstue reveals it is the first time she brought the Danish Orchestra with her They took the opportunity to celebrate the music of Aaron Copland Gustav Mahler Samuel Barber and Beethoven tooIn an interview with middaycom the IndoDanish conductor delves into her recent performance with the Danish Chamber players and her fascination with the pieces they played At the same time Badstue also talks her inspirations as well as her Indian connection and what makes Mumbai unique for herHow does it feel to be back to perform at the NCPAIt is always a pleasure to perform at NCPA This time it was extra special because it was the first time I brought a Danish orchestra with me ndash the Danish Chamber Players and it has been a tremendously positive experienceWhy did you choose to perform Copland Appalachian Spring Barber Knoxville Summer of 1915 Mahler Adagietto from Symphony No 5 and Beethoven Symphony No 4Since I was bringing the Danish Chamber Players I had to take their instrumentation into consideration They have a harp and a pianist in the ensemble and I wanted to use all the available musicians in the orchestral concert now we had brought them all the wayWith Indira Mahajan we were planning for an American firsthalf Unfortunately she had to cancel but we kept Copland where the piano has a prominent role Furthermore it is a real standard piece not so often played ndash and it is demanding and developing for the musicians to playKnown to the wider public for its appearance in the 1971 movie Death in Veniceacute directed by Visconti Mahleracutes Adagietto is one of the biggest masterworks in the entire orchestral repertoire and it is always very popular It is beautifully orchestrated with only strings and harp and the harp has a really big role I wanted the Mumbai audience to experience this instrumentation and Mahler in generalBeethoven is one of my favourite composers To play Beethoven is very healthy for any orchestra It is very good for the basics of the orchestra As a conductor you can find new things in the Beethoven scores during a whole lifetime If I went to a deserted island I would definitely bring all my Beethoven scoresYou are regarded as one of the best young Danish conductors today Who were your inspirations while growing up and what inspired you to become a conductorI have been blessed with meeting so many good inspiring and important teachers throughout my life ndash both in my role as a musician and as a conductor Irsquom grateful towards all my teachers ndash and especially towards my conducting teacher Jorma Panula who has taught more or less all Scandinavian conductors and is widely considered as the most important conducting teacher in the world It really takes a village to make a conductor but without Jorma I would simply never have been conducting today and he is still one of the most important figures in my lifeBesides Jorma I was influenced by Esa Pekka Salonen whom I have assisted and also by Daniel Barenboim whose rehearsals I have followed quite a bit in the past Bernhard Haitink has also been an important inspirationTell us about your collaboration with soprano Indira Mahajan for this performance What were your learnings in the process of working togetherI met Indira Mahajan last season when we worked together at Portland Opera She is an amazing singer and she has Indian roots as her father was Indian I am so sorry that she had to cancel this performance for private reasons but I really hope that we get a chance to present her in Mumbai sometime in the nottoofar future When I worked with Indira in Portland I really learned a lot from her and the way she phrases and takes chances she really is an artist and it widened my horizon quite a bit working with her I love doing opera and I have done quite a lot of this over the yearsWhat do you believe is a striking aspect of an IndoDanish collaboration in music while giving a Western classical performanceIt is a big advantage when a group of musicians know each other ndash to have a shared sense of playingstyle way of working and more In this case we brought two orchestras from both ends of the globe together I know both the ensembles well and I had a strong feeling that the temperament of these two groups would be a good match Knowing both cultures I am delighted to have experienced how this feeling was right we are not that far from each other in the way we think and work I very much enjoy working with both SOI Chamber and DCP and I found it surprisingly easy to bring them together This strengthens my sense that the Danish and Indian mentality fits very well togetherYou have Maharashtrian roots and have visited India quite a few times since 2017 now What is your favourite part about Mumbai its culture and foodThis was my fourth visit to Mumbai Most of the time when Irsquom in Mumbai I am pretty much working all the time There is a lot to digest in the music and the scores and I have not had a lot of time to really experience Mumbai But this time I had the chance to visit an Indian art gallery for the first time and went to the Cymroza Art Gallery which was a very inspiring experience and then of course there are the many good restaurants I have visited such as The Table or Flamboyante Having lived almost all my life in Denmark it is still very new for me to be among people who look like myself For that reason itacutes still kind of a big experience for me just to have a walk on the Marine Drive or being in a restaurantMumbai is very different from anything I have seen anywhere else and really enjoy just to be in the city and soak in the atmosphere I marvel every time I am her