A Dutch Guqin Lover–An interview with Mr. Lute Brommer, conductor of Changjiang Philharmonic Orchestra

By Chen Guo

I met Dutch conductor Lute Brommer for the first time at Exit D of Yangjiawan Metro Station. Wearing a red plaid shirt, he looked thin and tall. The talented and experienced conductor was gentle, elegant,and confined. While chatting and laughing, we found our way into a nearby coffee house and started the interview there.

It has been eight years since Lute had settled down in Wuhan,China. Before coming to China, he was the last disciple of the famous maestro Sergiu Celibidache, the principal conductor of many well-known European symphony orchestras, and a professor of chamber music at a conservatory in Paris. Soon afterwards, he was attracted to Chinese culture.He learned about Tai Chi, and grew to appreciate the music of the chimes and guqin. Like Alice going down the rabbit hole to Wonderland, he became obsessed with Chinese music culture.He spent three years studying Chinese language at the Paris Diderot University. He ultimately quit his job and came to Wuhan.

Since he arrived in 2010,Lute has been serving as the conductor of the Changjiang Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphony Orchestra of Wuhan University. He established the“Luojia Orchestra” Chamber Orchestra and “Wuhan Sergiu Celibidache Music Festival.” He led a symphony orchestra concert at the “French Music Festival”at Qintai Grand Theater in 2011,as well as two sessions of the Hubei Symphony Orchestra,and countless amazing musical festivals.

He mentioned that his most impressive conducting experience in Wuhan was at the first “Wuhan Sergiu Celibidache Music Festival,” where he performed a symphony with musicians from all over China. This performance helped him learn about different music cultures and Chinese people’s love for music. He said that the cultural richness of China was comparable to that of Europe, and the opportunities for cultural integration in different parts of the country were great.He said working in Wuhan had been a treasure because of the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with excellent musicians from all over the world.

In the same year, Lute entered Wuhan University as a postgraduate student in the archaeology department, focusing on ancient Chinese musical instruments. When talking about the chime bells, he couldn’t hide his enthusiasm. He marveled at the discovery where so many musical instruments with complete scales were found in an ancient tomb, exclaiming that it was a miracle. Moreover, with the ancient music theories engraved on the chimes, the audience seem to be able to perceive a majestic ceremony in the Warring States Period through the music, which was shocking and compelling.Afterwards, he sighed again, “In Europe, it is difficult to find such well-preserved instruments that have existed for thousands of years.”

西方指挥家 东方学古乐——访长江爱乐乐团指挥律德

文/成果

在杨家湾地铁站D出口，我第一次见到荷兰指挥家律德先生。红格子衬衫，瘦高个，干练、洒脱而庄重，迥异于传闻中他指挥台上的形象。说笑间，我们走进附近一家咖啡厅，开始了这次采访。

律德正式来到中国武汉定居，已经是八年前的事了。在这之前，他是传奇指挥大师切利毕达克的关门弟子，许多欧洲知名交响乐团的首席指挥，与巴黎一家音乐学院室内乐专业的教授。随后，他邂逅中国文化，接触太极，喜欢上编钟，迷上了中国古琴，从此，对整个中国音乐文化喜爱得一发不可收，如孩童发现了新的乐园。他花三年时间，在巴黎第七大学专攻中文，之后辞去工作，来到江城。

2010年抵汉以来，律德担任长江爱乐乐团、武汉大学交响乐团指挥，创办了“珞珈乐坊”室内乐团和“武汉•切利毕达克音乐节”。在他的指挥棒下，演绎出了2011年琴台大剧院“法国音乐节”交响乐团表演，两届湖北省交响乐团音乐会，和无数精彩绝伦、令人叹为观止的音乐盛宴。

他提起在武汉印象最深的一次指挥经历，是在第一届“武汉·切利毕达克音乐节”上，与来自中国各地的音乐家共同协作一次交响乐演出。这次演出，使他感受到各地不同的音乐文化，和各地人们对音乐的浓厚喜爱。他说，中国的文化富饶程度与欧洲不相上下，而且中国不同地区的文化有更多机会融会贯通。在地处华中的武汉工作，拥有和各地优秀音乐人沟通合作的机会，他对此视如珍宝。

The study of the chime bells was a journey of further understanding music theory for Lute, and learning the guqin allowed him to deepen his understanding of traditional Chinese music. Talking about the experience of playing the guqin,the biggest shock to him was the composition of Chinese music revealed by the guqin. Chinese traditional music is free. “It’s like walking around, looking here,looking there, and when you are tired, just stop.” In his eyes,playing the guqin was a genuine enjoyment. He could feel the greatest degree of peace, find his self-identity, and even devote himself to creation without any distraction. Upon hearing this, I knew that, like a boy falling in love with a girl, Lute was obsessed with the guqin. I couldn’t help smiling.Such a successful conductor had chosen to become an apprentice and restart his musical journey.

I asked about his plans and goals for the future. He said that he intended to create an EUChina youth orchestra with half Chinese musicians and half European musicians and focus on musical and cultural exchange.He also wanted to create more opportunities to blend Chinese and Western music with diverse cultural elements.

It was an honor for me to meet a musician who was as curious as a child about Chinese culture and as elegant as an elderly gentleman in life.

2016年，律德在第五届琴台音乐节上指挥乐队表演Lute at the Fifth Qin Tai Music Festival in 2016

同年，他作为考古系研究生进入武汉大学，着重研究中国古代乐器。聊起编钟，他眉目中难掩惊艳之色。他说，在一座古墓中发掘出这么多乐器，历史如此悠久，乐器音阶又如此完整，称得上一出奇迹。更让人惊叹的是，编钟上还铸刻着一系列古音乐理论，乐音中仿佛可以看到战国时期雄浑浩大的盛典现场，令人瞠目结舌。后又叹息一声，在欧洲，已难寻到这种历经数千年还保存完好的乐器。

研究编钟对于律德来说，如同一次乐理层面的提升，而学习古琴，则使他对中国传统音乐的了解更进一步。聊起弹奏古琴的经历，给他最大震撼的是古琴所透露出的中国乐曲编排。中国传统乐曲自由随意，仿佛散步的闲人，时停或时进，无拘而无束。律德告诉我，弹奏古琴对于他是纯粹的自我欣赏与享受，他能感受到最大程度的平静和自我，更能心无杂念地投入创作。听罢他一席话，我能感受得到，律德之于古琴，仿佛男孩对心上女孩那般，有着浓郁的迷恋和深邃的欣赏。我不禁莞尔，一位已经如此成功的指挥家，竟会选择成为学徒，重启一段音乐旅程，实则一段佳话。

我问到律德未来的打算和目标，他说想创立一个中欧青年演奏乐团，一半中国音乐家，一半欧洲音乐家，开展音乐交流。他想创造更多机会，使中西音乐和文化元素交融并进。

这是我的荣幸，能够聆听这位对中华文化如孩童般好奇，又在生活中如老者般优雅的音乐大师畅谈他的奇妙音乐之旅。