“Dream Bigger”: How Gianandrea Noseda builds trust with an orchestra

You’ve played at the world’s most prestigious venues and events: what makes the Tsinandali Festival unique?

The Tsinandali Festival takes place in a truly special setting. There is a beautiful park, an amphitheatre, and everything is very connected. People who come to attend can move easily from their hotel to the venues. What makes it particularly attractive is the presence of the Pan-Caucasian Youth Orchestra.

The fact that so many musicians come from different countries across the Caucasus makes this festival wonderfully open—a living example that people can coexist peacefully.

How do you build a relationship of trust with an orchestra?

Gaining an orchestra’s trust comes from serious rehearsal time, hard work, and mutual respect. It also means constantly encouraging the musicians to dream bigger and reach higher—especially when working with young players, giving them the feeling that they can truly soar.

What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?

I read many books, but the one that really impressed me was written in the early 1960s by the Italian writer Beppe Fenoglio. The title is Una questione privata—A Private Affair.
It’s not a long book, but it is remarkable and deeply meaningful.

If you could invite one composer from the past to dinner, who would it be and what would you cook?

I would probably invite Giuseppe Verdi.

I wouldn’t dare cook for him—he loved good food and came from Parma, where he grew up enjoying Parmesan and tortellini, some of the best food imaginable. I would probably just invite him for a glass of wine.

In your opinion, what is one piece everyone should hear at least once in their lifetime?

Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.

Do you have any pre-concert rituals?

Not really. I don’t like to arrive too early at the hall—not out of ritual or superstition, but because I prefer not to sit in the dressing room doing nothing.

Just before going on stage, I might say a very short prayer to ask for a bit of help.