Irish conductor and pianist David Brophy arrived with a bang in Cologne, his new musical home, last October.
Like the RTÉ concert orchestra Brophy headed for seven years as principal conductor, his new WDR ensemble operates largely in the “light” musical tradition but can easily flip to “serious” orchestral music.
Celebrating his new job over pints in a Cologne Irish pub, orchestra members told Brophy that his confident versatility was why they chose him.
He is in demand as a conductor from Pittsburgh to Finland, yet Brophy still sees himself as a homebird.
The WDR orchestra approach is different with up to six days of morning rehearsals.

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