Indian-origin Danish conductor Maria Badstue: ‘Having lived almost all my life in Denmark, it is still very new for me to be among people who look like me’

Maria Badstue returned to the city for her joint performance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) earlier this April.

Indian-origin 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, "Mumbai 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."

Regarded as one of the best young Danish conductors of today, Badstue received the prestigious 2019-2021 Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship and made her debut in Italy, France and the United States in the 2022-23 season.

The 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 Award-winning singer couldn't make it due to personal reasons. However, it was an Indo-Danish 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 too.

In an interview with mid-day.com, the Indo-Danish 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 her.

How does it feel to be back to perform at the NCPA?
It 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 - the Danish Chamber Players and it has been a tremendously, positive experience.

Why did you choose to perform Copland: Appalachian Spring, Barber: Knoxville Summer of 1915, Mahler: Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 and Beethoven: Symphony No. 4?
Since 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 way.

With Indira Mahajan we were planning for an American first-half. 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 - and it is demanding and developing for the musicians to play.

Known to the wider public for its appearance in the 1971 movie 'Death in Venice´ directed by Visconti, Mahler´s 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 general.

Beethoven 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 scores.

You 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 conductor?
I have been blessed with meeting so many good, inspiring and important teachers throughout my life - both in my role as a musician and as a conductor. I'm grateful towards all my teachers - 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 life.

Besides 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 inspiration.

Tell us about your collaboration with soprano Indira Mahajan for this performance. What were your learnings in the process of working together?
I 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 not-too-far 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 years.

What do you believe is a striking aspect of an Indo-Danish collaboration in music while giving a Western classical performance?
It is a big advantage when a group of musicians know each other - to have a shared sense of playing-style, 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 together.

You have Maharashtrian roots and have visited India quite a few times since 2017 now. What is your favourite part about Mumbai - its culture and food?
This was my fourth visit to Mumbai. Most of the time when I'm 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, it´s still kind of a big experience for me just to have a walk on the Marine Drive or being in a restaurant.

Mumbai 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.