What's up with composer, maestro, musician, and funnyman Magnus Mårtensson these days? Well, if you live in the New York area, perhaps you saw him in concert not too long ago at Scandinavia House, or perhaps you have attended one of his “Comedy & Music” concerts, which usually draw quite a crowd. Knowing that Mårtensson always has something interesting up his sleeve, Nordstjernan met with the Maestro over coffee.
What are you doing these days, Magnus?
“Well, I’m actually making a film. It’s an idea I’ve had for a couple of years, which is finally taking shape. I first thought about making a feature film, but decided to do a short film, about 30 minutes long.”
What is it about?
“It’s a mockumentary about The Maestro, which incidentally, also is the name of the film. We get to know him through interviews, with him and with his mother and others. It’s his biography in short.”
Mårtensson has in the last few years garnered much acclaim for his Maestro persona. Although he began writing at an early age, music always came first. In the 1990’s he did present a series of private Comedy & Music concerts in Cleveland, but his job as a conductor left him with little time to be funny. After receiving encouraging words from the daughter of late comedian/pianist Victor Borge, however, he decided to pick it up again and has since taken his comedy routine on the road, combining it with conducting and multi instrumental musical performances. For those of us who already know and love the Maestro, and Mårtensson himself, the news of a film comes as a very pleasant surprise indeed. For those of you who have yet to see Mårtensson as the Maestro, the film might be a perfect way of introduction.
“I will take it with me on the road as I perform my Comedy & Music act,” Mårtensson explains.
Tell us more about the Maestro - who is he?
“Well, his real name is Herbert Buck, and he was born in the small town of Arthur in North Dakota. He was simply born with the maestro gene, he’s a bit conceited, a bit gullible, and a klutz, but he’s also the David Beckham of classical music.”
“The Maestro” will be Mårtensson’s first film, and he will shoot it in New York City and in Buffalo, NY. He hopes to have it done next spring, and the premiere will take place at New York’s Scandinavia House. He is currently looking for investors.
“The goal is to make something that’s a lot of fun,” Mårtensson adds. “But there will of course be classical music in it as well.”
For more info about Magnus Mårtensson and his projects visit:
www.maestromartensson.com
