On the afternoon of June 21, I walked into Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra music director Mario Venzago’s office in the Symphony Centre for a scheduled half-hour conversation; it ended up running 45 minutes. Like my first interview with our new maestro right after his appointment in April 2002, I found Venzago to be warm, expansive, his enthusiasm knowing no bounds and still — after this interval — remarkably deferential.

Since our first talk, I’ve found his command of English to have improved, as he gradually absorbs proper syntax, correct grammar and local idioms. But, to an extent, his Swiss/German background and lack of early English exposure continues to pervade — in an endearing way. And, as in the first interview, I’ve done nothing to “clean up” his speech patterns: I think readers should get to experience Venzago’s persona, as much as possible, the way I did.

Venzago: “I feel we are developing our own language.”

NUVO: Tell me how your first year with the orchestra has been for you, as far as connecting with the players — and also dealing with the administration.

VENZAGO: It’s a very easy question, because what I said at the beginning of the season — we have to start to get into a relationship, and I feel it went very well. First, the orchestra is still very positive, and they react wonderfully of new ideas. They are not like a lot of highly prestigious and big-name orchestras — like the London or Gewanthaus. They [latter orchestras] are wary to make stylistic changes, soundwise. So I feel we are developing our own language, for instance for Mozart and for the Romantics — for instance sometimes [the strings] without vibrato … and they are enthusiastic about doing it. They follow these ideas; that’s wonderful. That means they trust me. The administration is the best I have ever had in my life. It is very effective, very quick, very flexible.

NUVO: Are you concerned about Dick Hoffert [current ISO president and CEO] leaving us this December?

VENZAGO: Look, this is an incredible risk because we depend on the right person, and we have not enough time; we are in a hurry — to get someone. That’s my fear.

NUVO: You’ve often mentioned that your family lives in Heidelberg, but you conduct mainly here and in Sweden, with the Göteborg Symphony Orchestra. Has this caused a much bigger problem for you than when you were music director at Basel, Switzerland, which is obviously much closer to Germany?

VENZAGO: This is a high price I have to pay to be away from my family. But, first of all, when I’m conducting, I never take the family. They have not been more in Basel than they are here. Because when I’m with my family then I’m at home and am concentrated on my family. When I’m conducting, I want to be concentrated on my job. So, they never come with me.

This is far away from my home, but I’ve reduced my guest conducting very much. I spend three weeks in the States and four weeks in Europe — perhaps seven weeks of guest conducting, and I did 13 weeks of guest conducting before. So in reality I’m at home a little bit more than before.

At first I was so upset about the long flights — I think I can’t continue; the flights are so exhausting and so horrible. But now I’ve gotten used to them. Now I’m looking forward on every long flight because it gives me time to digest … It’s a very hard job; a lot of things are going on, and I need my time. In the flight, I have 10 hours for myself, and when I go out of the plane, I feel reborn.

NUVO: You had 10 appearances here this last season. Will that be the normal number for typical future seasons?

VENZAGO: It’s my dream to become much more flexible. My contract says 11 or 12 weeks. And that means 11 or 12 programs. But I’m dreaming that we can play a program one week, then next week we will record this program for CD — or DVD even — and then we play the same program in another city. And we invite the orchestra of this other city to play for us in the following week, so that for our subscribers, they will hear another program. I’m talking about major cities — like Cincinnati; I dream to also have Cleveland, of course. We will give up now the dream of big tours — maybe some smaller ones if we can get the money. But the realistic thing is to invite the [other city’s] orchestra and then to go there. And that would make our plan much more flexible. Also for our fund-raisers — it’s like ice hockey or baseball: They have to play outside [i.e. elsewhere]. They have to go in competition. And I think the organization now is ready to understand.

NUVO: How has audience reaction to this year’s programming affected the repertoire you might be thinking about for upcoming seasons?

VENZAGO: It’s very difficult now to say what they really like because they gave me a little bit the impression they like everything. That means they are very open; they are absolutely not snobby. And they are touchable. That I didn’t expect. With [Mozart’s] “Ave verum (corpus),” I saw what the reaction was … unbelievable!

NUVO: I have to tell you, the “Ave verum” [Feb. 20, with the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir] was probably my most intense experience of the whole season.

VENZAGO: I agree — for me too! Thirty-two bars … nothing! I think also the public has started to trust me. But what we haven’t found yet — what we have to find — is the niche. Where is our speciality? Then for to go out, and for to make the exchange …

NUVO: How well do you know David Zinman, who was former conductor at Baltimore, and is now at the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich — two cities where you’ve had connections?

VENZAGO: I know him very well; he’s one of the persons I can say: He’s not a good colleague. I had such a fantastic relationship with the Tonhalle; that’s the orchestra of my native town, and we had a wonderful contact. And when [Zinman] started, I could not come back to conduct there. In Baltimore, he made my artistic life very difficult. I admire him very much as an artist and as a conductor, but he’s not a good colleague. He never was really aware of what I have done for his orchestra in Baltimore. He let me come for to conduct a Mozart serenade for six players. But I don’t care. I invite him to Göteborg … he’s a very good conductor. But he’s really jealous. Achh! Somebody’s jealous; I’m not.

NUVO: Since our conductor laureate Raymond Leppard lives here in town, have you met and discussed the orchestra with him, or perhaps even just gotten together socially?

VENZAGO: We are in a very narrow contact. I admire him. I need his social support in this city because he can introduce me. He helps us a lot. He is really what I call a laureate conductor. He is fabulous — to our organization, fabulous to me personally. He is the opposite of David Zinman: never jealous, always helpful. You can phone him; you can ask him. He will give you all he knows and all he has. Sometimes we go together to a pops concert of Jack Everly [ISO Pops director]. So this is a model of a contact for me. Without him, it would be much more empty here.

NUVO: You’ve said you’re going on vacation this summer to be with your family. I’ll bet you’re looking forward to that. How long do you get to stay with them before you’re called to somewhere else?

VENZAGO: The next seven weeks I’m with my family. But the boys still goes to school. My wife is still working. The next three weeks, I’m at home. I will cook for them. And I will study. Because to stop suddenly, I will be inevitably ill. I have to make a fade-out, in a way. Then … after three weeks we go for two weeks to Majorca, then we go for three weeks to Sweden. Then … I’m fully ready to start all over again.