Conducting Debut
In April 2015 Wissam Boustany gave his third residency at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne, Australia, one of the finest musical institutions worldwide. An intense week of chamber music and masterclasses focusing on the works of Francis Poulenc culminated in a prestigious concert and Wissam was invited to conduct a performance of Poulenc's masterpiece "Aubade", his concerto for piano and 18 instruments which originally conceived as a choreographed work.
Apart from the perceptive, sensitive and energetic playing of soloist Laurence Matheson, this also proved to be a profound experience for Wissam and inadvertently turned out to be his 'unofficial debut' as a conductor, after which he resolved to develop this fascinating side of music-making, adding a new dimension to his activities as flute soloist and teacher.
Laurence Matheson - piano
Wissam Boustany - conductor
Australian National Academy of Music
Review
"...Yet more players arrived for the Aubade for piano and 18 instruments, including strings, with Wissam Boustany conducting. The pianist was Laurence Matheson and indeed this felt like a piano concerto, with the sound of a small chamber orchestra. This was so brilliantly executed that it would have been a worthy finish for the evening..."
Classic Melbourne 23 April 2015
http://www.classicmelbourne.com.au/reviews/anam-poulenc/