Interview with Eric Whitacre

Grammy Award-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre is one of the most popular musicians of our time. With his contemporary, accessible style and innovative projects, he has breathed new life into the choral world and reached a global audience. He has had a close relationship with our Radio Choir for many years: he is a welcome guest both as a composer and as a conductor.

Ahead of one of our joint concerts, Bart T’Jampens posed five dilemmas to him.

Eric Whitacre

An introduction in 5 dilemmas

With Eric Whitacre, we have an American Grammy winner living in our country. He is conducting our Christmas concert, together with the Flemish Radio Choir and his wife, the soprano Laurence Servaes. ‘Many Belgians don’t realise how good they have it in this country.’

“I speak a little Dutch. Like a six-year-old,” says Eric Whitacre (55) at the start of our conversation. His ‘r’ still rolls with a slightly awkward Flemish accent. Whitacre, a composer and conductor with a penchant for choral music, has a remarkable life story. He was born in the gambling city of Reno (Nevada) and received his classical training in Las Vegas, the real Sin City. He then lived in California for a long time, but is now speaking to us via webcam from his flat in Antwerp South. A few years ago, he moved to Belgium with Laurence Servaes, a Belgian-American soprano he met here, and their young son. He also lived in Ghent for a short while. “‘The car park’, as they say here.”

Don’t worry, he’s just joking. There’s little sign of Antwerp or American arrogance in Whitacre. Yet sitting before us is a ‘big name’. Whitacre has collaborated with Hans Zimmer (on the fourth ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film and ‘Batman v Superman’), he’s appeared at TED Talks, and he’s won a Grammy (for the album ‘Light & Gold’ in 2012, which he both composed and conducted). “Well, ‘Grammy winner’: I suppose those’ll be the first words of my obituary, won’t they?” he says himself. It doesn’t seem to be anywhere near that yet, but just to be on the safe side, we’ll quickly put the following five dilemmas to him.

"I find Christmas rather melancholic. The emotions run high, and people are quick to feel disillusioned. It reminds me of ‘The Gift of the Magi’, a Christmas story my father often read to us, which we’re also staging at Flagey and De Bijloke. It’s a popular story in the US about a penniless young couple who go to great lengths to give each other a present, only to realise that material things aren’t what really matter after all."

Eric Whitacre

Composing or conducting?

“Ha, that’s a tough one! I’d much rather be conducting, actually. I feel almost weightless when I’m standing in front of a choir. I feel so alive! It’s incredibly inspiring. There’s also the social aspect: the connection you make with the audience is like nothing else. Composing, on the other hand, is a real slog. I only really enjoy it once it’s finished. (laughs) It’s also the compulsory nature of it that can weigh you down. I’ve just finished the last commission I really had to complete, and now my head is suddenly starting to sing. Because I don’t have to anymore. I’m back in the dream phase now – that’s the best bit. Until you actually have to put it all back together again. Then it hurts all over again.”

Christmas or Thanksgiving?

"Thanksgiving, for sure! It’s a really heartfelt celebration, without religion or dogma; it’s all about being together and giving thanks. We tend to have quite a bit to drink as well (laughs), and after dinner everyone says what they’re grateful for. (Thanksgiving, originally a celebration of the harvest, takes place on the fourth Thursday in November, ed.)

I find Christmas a bit more melancholic. It’s also ‘edgier’, a bit riskier, so to speak. The emotions run higher, and people are quicker to feel disillusioned. It reminds me of ‘The Gift of the Magi’, a Christmas story my father often read to us and which we also perform at Flagey and De Bijloke. It’s a popular story in the US about a penniless young couple who go to great lengths to be able to give each other a present, only to realise that material things aren’t what really matter after all."

"The Gift of the Magi is Eric’s dramatic adaptation of a quintessentially American story – a moving Christmas tale. The newlywed couple, Jim and Della, want to give each other a present on Christmas Eve. What they lack in means, they more than make up for in love, when they find a present for each other with surprising consequences."

Eric Whitacre, composer’s note: *The Gift of the Magi*

A night in Las Vegas or a night at the Ghent Festivities?

"The Ghent Festivities, without a doubt. Las Vegas is fascinating – it’s a sugar rush – but it’s all so superficial. The contrast with the splendour of the surrounding desert is striking. The Ghent Festivities are a wealth of culture in a truly beautiful city. We didn’t actually live right in the festival zone in Ghent – with a four-year-old, a good night’s sleep is sacred – but I loved the idea that you could first quietly catch a concert, and then still go out until 5 o’clock in the morning. Ah well, Ghent is pretty much Europe’s best-kept secret."

Leave Belgium or hand back your Grammy?

"Oh, give my Grammy back, straight away! To be honest, that thing’s only any use as a doorstop. A statuette like that doesn’t mean much; the very idea of competition in music is ridiculous.

I’ve also just grown really fond of Belgium. Belgians are brilliant people. When I met Laurence eight years ago, I wanted to know everything about the best way to date a Belgian (laughs). You see, Americans are a bit like golden retrievers: quick to be sociable and friendly, but sometimes that turns out to be very fleeting. Getting to know a Belgian properly isn’t that easy. But once you’re friends, it’s genuine.

I also love the food here, and the beer, of course. And above all: the way Belgians embrace that culture. I have to admit, though, that Ghent has better beers than Antwerp (laughs). I think Delirium Tremens is brilliant. But it goes beyond all that: I also love the fabric of society here. Healthcare in Belgium, for example, is exceptional. I don’t know if Belgians fully realise just how good they have it in this country. It’s incredible how well this country looks after its people. That ethos, which permeates the whole country, is something to cherish.”

Choir or orchestra?

“(thinks for a moment) I’ll go for the choir after all. I love orchestras, the way they play together, but nothing beats a group of singers who really find their harmony. It’s the purest art form there is. When the voices are perfectly in tune with one another and everything clicks into place: there’s nothing more beautiful. It’s a kind of high that I’ll keep striving for my whole life.”