Dear Friends,

What a summer its been. To be on tour with Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang was extraordinary in every way. Not only were these supreme musicians a joy to make music with, filled with technical virtuosity and free improvisation, but their humanity and warm spirits made the tour into a family like experience: From Montreux to Lyon to Essen to London to Rotterdam to Verona to Ravenna to Chicago to Philaelphia to Newark to Toronto and finally Los Angeles-each night was a pleasure, always something new, and I’ve never seen musicians having so much fun on stage. Even better, all the orchestras played with panache, élan, sparkle and swing. Should not music always be this way?

And yet, some purists dismissed the notion of having fun on stage. Some critics decried the spoiling of their expectations. And some administrators saw this as only a marketing scheme. But the musicians and the public knew the truth: that music can be a source of inspiration, entertainment, and camaraderie. These were some of the best orchestras in Europe and North America: the Philharmonia Orchestra, National Orchestre de Lyon, Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, Orchestra della Arena di Verona, Cherubini Orchestra, Toronto, Chicago, New Jersey and Philadelphia Symphonies and LA Philharmonic. They played at the highest level throughout the tour, and with every concert, Herbie, Lang Lang and I found them open-minded, serious about the music and but also free to have fun. Many of the orchestras asked when they could do it again, like kids wanting to ride the rollercoaster a second time.

Like Lenny always said: Its about having fun. As I begin the new season as Music Director designate of my new family, the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, and also as Music Director of the Hollywood in Vienna Gala Concerts with my friends at the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony (www.hollywood-in-vienna.com) as well as continuing work as Principal Guest Conductor of my longtime collaborators, Sinfonietta Cracovia, I am of mind and body to bring that element of “fun” back to the concert stage.

Is it so necessary to get caught up in the seriousness of our craft, of the “fire in the belly” attitude that the industry imposes, of the expectations to be fulfilled and the weight of tradition on our shoulders? And yet, when the pleasure of making music is evident on the stage, the rewards are self fulfilling. The audience responds more, the musicians are more relaxed, the staff shows less stress, and ultimately, the music benefits the most as it is played with a sense of freedom.

This next season are many firsts for me, from new repertoire, to making even many more debuts, while at the same time returning to some of the many orchestras with whom Ive developed longtime relationships, such as het Brabant Orkest, Württembergischer Philharmonie Reutlingen, National Sinfonica della RAI, CCR Istanbul, Orchestre della Teatro di San Carlo, Orchestra Verdi Milan, and the NDR.

I hope to bring that fun into the music we make and encourage others to do so. We are at an important time in classical music. Orchestras are suffering from the effects of the economic crisis, and education remains the number one priority, and while there are many signs of hope, from young artists and conductors to creative programming to the new formats online to promote music, the most effective way to ensure the continuation of classical music performance is by simply enjoying it again and again and showing the audience what made us musicians in the first place. Then they keep coming back for more. That is what Lenny meant. That is also what Lennon/McCartney meant when they wrote: the love you make is equal to the love you take.

Enjoy the Fall,

Love, John