Photo of Maestro Stefano Ranzani courtesy of Seattle Opera
Maestro Stefano Ranzani is not only a talented conductor, but an engaging, charming, and philosophical person. In a personal interview conducted backstage before closing night, he shared his thoughts on his career, the Seattle Opera production of La Traviata and his personal philosophy. When prompted to add any comments at the end of the interview, he gave an impromptu, elegant discourse on the power of music to unite the world, gathering peaceful people together across the borders of countries and languages.
Maestro Ranzani explained that, “Music is a kind of Esperanto, a 7-syllable code, that is universal.”
He expanded on that thought by explaining that anyone who learns the fundamentals of music theory can speak a common language with other musicians, making music perhaps more universal than a spoken language like Esperanto. But, beyond the ability for understanding the language of music, the inherent beauty of music elevates our combined consciousness when we listen to music, both musicians and audiences alike. In a world dominated by this kind of shared love for music, there is simply no place for war and aggression.
You may be asking yourself how Maestro Ranzani came to possess this lovely vision about music? The answer is that his formation as a conductor is based on his experience at the legendary La Scala theatre. Under the tutelage, and influence of Gianandrea Gavazzeni, the long-time Principal Conductor at La Scala, Maestro Ranzani was steeped for seven years in the rich musical tradition of the theatre. Maetro Gavazzeni was himself a pupil of the great Arturo Toscanini and was very generous in sharing his knowledge of conducting, along with the podium, with younger conductors. He also encouraged the young Maestro Ranzani to conduct at other theatres and expand his career.
Here are a few highlights from the interview. They illustrate how his tremendous vision and experience are translated by Maesto Ranzani to productions like La Traviata at Seattle Opera.
Maestro Ranzani started as a violinist at La Scala and played for eleven years. Like many good conductors, he understands what it is like to play a musical instrument. It was interesting to hear him explain how that relates to conducting. He said,
“Conducting is such a complicated job. It is more difficult than it might appear because you have no physical instrument, only a baton. That baton is a kind of radio transmitter with a message that you to deliver; you must “play” the instrument, which in this case is the combination of the entire orchestra, the chorus, and the singers on stage. It is not simply a matter of keeping time like a metronome. Rather, it is a sophisticated art of translating your interpretation and passion into the music. It takes a lifetime to develop, and very fortunately for me that lifetime was spent at La Scala”.
Maestro Ranzani fondly remembered an early experience with the opera Feodora. At that time, Maestro Gavazzeni had the good fortune to know Umberto Giordano, so the composer himself was in the audience when Maestro Gavazzeni conducted Feodora! This illustrates that there was a very direct transmission of knowledge about that work. These days, even sophisticated opera-goers may not have heard of this opera, but Enrico Caruso sang the role of Fedora’s lover in the opening production.
Maestro Ranzani added that to be an effective conductor,
“From the first to the last note you have to believe it is the best opera ever written. So, for the moment La Traviata is the best opera ever composed. You start fresh from the beginning, and every time you discover something new that you did not notice the last time. I try to give myself 100 percent to that job.”
Opera has too long been confined to a narrow audience, generally an older generation that has grown up with classical music. Maestro Ranzani emphasized,
“The non-traditional staging and positioning for the main characters created a more modern feeling for this production of La Traviata. I think it makes sense to try the more modern approach to try to see if it attracts a younger audience, which is something that is needed to expand the reach of opera.”
When asked about his experience in Seattle, Washington, Maestro Ranzani expressed his genuine affection for what he found to be a lovely city with authentically open, kind and gentle people that he encountered on his visit, personifying his vision of a world united by the love of music.