Photo by Nico Rodamel
Last month, Maestro Leonard Slatkin came home. OK, he grew up in California, but St. Louis was home to his Russian-American grandfather, home to his father, home to him in the formative years of his career—and it’s where he made his closest friends. He’s been conducting professionally for half a century, and he’ll turn 75 next year. No, God no, he hasn’t come back to retire. But he’d had enough with the administrative work, and he wanted a base of operations so he could travel (this year it’ll be to France, Russia, Germany…). He’ll come home to deep relaxation with his wife, composer Cindy McTee; warm friendship; the Cardinals; and healthful, experimental grilling on the deck of his new Clayton house.
Where else did you think about settling?
The West Coast, because that’s where my son is. But taxes are too high, and there are earthquakes and fires… Then we looked in the southwest, Arizona and New Mexico, and it wasn’t so convenient to get to and from places. We were back here in October, and Cindy thought she might drive around; she didn’t know St. Louis as well as I do, although we met here.
How did you meet?
Orchestras read works by composers, and hers was one that was selected. From that time on, I played her music all the time.
That was back in the late 1980s, though. When did you start dating?
Almost 10 years ago, and we’ve been married for seven. I had several practice marriages. This is the one where the real art of loving and collaboration and respect has clicked. It took a long time for me to figure out how to do it. And I finally have an answer to a question a lot of people ask: Who’s your favorite composer?
And your favorite composer liked St. Louis?
Oh, yes. Above all, she loved the people. Everyone was so helpful and nice and welcoming. And it was a great balance between the hustle and bustle of a city like New York and a place with the feel of a very intimate town. Then a real estate agent called about a house in Clayton that wasn’t quite finished, so we could customize it… Now we’re here, and we’re almost seven-eighths of the way through the unpacking process. People come up on the sidewalk and say, “Hey, what are you doing here?” It feels very much like home.
Well, it was home, first for your grandfather.
My grandparents on my father’s side settled here when they came from Russia in 1913. My father was assistant concertmaster of the orchestra. And of course I was here with the St. Louis Symphony for 10 years in the secondary roles, learning the craft—and then I came back and spent 17 years as the music director.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 22 years since you left for the Washington National Symphony. And then the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, which won its first Grammy nomination under your baton and took its first overseas tour.
Detroit was really in a tough way as a city when I went there. The city was going through bankruptcy, and the orchestra was demoralized. But after a six-month labor dispute, we became leaders in the renaissance and revitalization of the city.
What’s your favorite of all your accolades?
Winning the first Grammy nomination for the orchestra was a big deal because it came out of the blue. The National Medal of Arts. The Legion of Honor in France. [He was named a chevalier.]
What was your proudest accomplishment in St. Louis?
Founding the youth orchestra. And it’s gotten so strong. I think one of the greatest tributes anyone can have is that after you leave, it becomes even stronger.
What did you think of your successors?
When I left and they had Hans Vonk, that was exactly the right thing to do: Go to somebody very different from me. And David was again the appropriate choice, very different from Hans. But David continued some aspects of the work I’d done, focusing a lot on American music. He tends to be a little more challenging to his audience than I was. And he continued to help the orchestra grow on the national and international stage.
What do you make of the new music director, Stéphane Denève?
I was the one who gave him his big break in the U.S.! I’d seen him conduct an orchestra in Paris, and I went backstage to meet him. I said, “You were really wonderful. I’d like to invite you to Washington.” We’ve been emailing each other, especially now that France is in the finals of the World Cup. He’s a lovely man and, again, a good contrast. He’s Eurocentric, although he’s developed quite a fondness for American music. He was perhaps a more suave level of playing and refinement. I was more of an extrovert. Vonk was a classicist. David was an experimentalist. Denève will perhaps bring more of a sheen and a refinement.
What do you wish were different for the orchestra?
They still have the same quality, and everybody I talk to seems pretty content with their lives here. Powell Hall is still a little too big. Putting 2,500 people in every time is hard in a city this size. And you want to see it full.
You’re recovering—fast—from a triple bypass. Do you regret your gourmand years?
No. Well, maybe. I love to cook, and now I’m learning to experiment with low fat, low salt, low sugar—so it’s not low flavor. I have a terrific gazpacho recipe which in this climate is perfect. I grill a lot of vegetables. Last night I grilled Cajun tuna steaks with an onion and snap pea stir fry. And I’ve managed three weeks without Ted Drewes. I’ve knocked off about 24 pounds since the surgery. I should never read about medical procedures before I have them. It’s way too much information. But this time, it caused me to think.
It’s a shame you had to miss your last few concerts in Detroit.
Yes. But they had a gala, and I made it to that, and my son, Daniel—who composes music for films in L.A.—had written a piece of music for me, unbeknownst to me, and he came and conducted it. His first time conducting at the podium of a large orchestra! He said he was so nervous, but I didn’t notice, because I was crying the whole time.
You’ll spend much of this year traveling—will that wreak havoc with your new diet?
[He groans.] In France, there’s a sauce on everything. If you have Rice Krispies for breakfast, they’re going to come with foie gras on top.
Yet the French are pretty healthy…
Only because they drink enough wine!
Whatever you consume, you’ll have plenty of friends to be convivial with when you come home.
I still know a lot of people here and am connected to many of them, which is something I can’t quite say of other places I’ve worked. I didn’t develop friendships in quite the same way. This seems a very easy place to have a good circle of friends.
