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Guest post by Ben Goldscheider

The Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings by Benjamin Britten is one of the many works written for the great horn player of the twentieth century, Dennis Brain. It had its first performance on the 15th October 1943 at the Wigmore Hall with Brain playing and Peter Pears singing.

What, to me, is so remarkable in this piece is how Britten uses the horn as an unspoken commentator on the text sung by the Tenor. This is introduced in the Prologue which is a short movement for solo horn, setting a rather haunting atmosphere that sets up the reflective mood of the following movement, the Pastoral. Britten was seemingly trying very hard to push the limits of a seemingly invincible Dennis Brain, indicating that the Prologue be played on the natural partials of the horn; a recipe for disaster for many other horn players! He makes particular use of the 7th, 11th and 14th partials which, on the horns natural configuration, are “out of tune” to our modern tempered ears. I like to think that Britten was both pushing forward in terms of technical challenges and musical idiom but also looking back, using the natural harmonics of an instrument very much connected to nature, a theme that is central to the Serenade.

Britten’s style of “word painting”, that is, to match the music with the literal meaning of the text, is masterful throughout the Serenade. The opening verse of the Pastoral,  “The Day’s grown old; the fainting sun/ Has but a little way to run”  evokes a very reflective or even sombre feeling which is perfectly encapsulated by the descending triadic melody in D-flat Major that dominates the movement. Sharing this melody between horn and voice, Britten manages to create a musical language in which, after a period of time, merges the dialogue between horn and voice into one expressive gesture.

Again in the following movement, the Nocturne, Britten’s use of the horn to accentuate the power of the text is central to the musical message. He uses the phrase “Blow, bugle blow” from Tennyson’s The Princess which is then punctuated by the horn playing rapid fanfare figures, starting further away in a very quiet dynamic before coming to the fore at the height of the horn’s range and dynamic powers. In the third movement, the phrase, “O rose, thou art Sick” by William Blake is expressed by a mournful descending semitone figure over a pulsating string ostinato that pushes the music in a very uneasy way.

In the Hymn, a movement based on text by Ben Jonson, Britten continues in the tradition of the Mozart and Strauss Horn Concertos by writing a rondo-like figure in 6/8 time. Britten chose words from Cynthia’s Revels which is a play that depicts Queen Elizabeth I as the virgin huntress Cynthia. This allowed Britten the freedom to deploy the horn in its typical hunting style in an extremely lively movement that finishes with the horn player walking off stage to prepare for the Epilogue. Whilst the piece is by no means humorous, I can’t help but find connotations with the humour written into the horn part of the Mozart Horn Concertos by the composer himself, often making fun of, and insulting, the horn player. It cannot be a coincidence, or at least Britten himself must have had it in his conscience, that following a 6/8 movement (all of Mozart’s Horn Concertos finish with a lively 6/8 Rondo), Britten writes one of the lowest notes available on the horn (perhaps he liked the idea that one may miss this note and then have to walk off stage embarrassed) before the horn player has to leave in an almost comedic effect. I have never played this piece without hearing at least one snigger from the audience…

As a piece, Britten’s Serenade is written extremely well for the horn. It is very idiomatic, despite its challenging aspects of endurance and sheer technical capability. What is rather rare to the piece is that Britten writes the expressive phrases in sonorities that sit very well on the instrument: he writes the explosive figures at a range in which the horn player will be able to fully express the meaning of the music and he writes with a full understanding of the instrument’s capacity to be a perfect partner to the sensitivity of the voice. I personally find it hugely rewarding to play and it is an absolute joy to be able to play such a masterpiece with the human voice, an instrument which is to me, the epitome of expression.

d68502_b03c86f3f58d41b592ad96ad328dbb7dmv2_d_3477_5150_s_4_2_srz_970_903_85_22_0-50_1-20_0At the age of eighteen, Ben Goldscheider reached the Final of the 2016 BBC Young Musician Competition, where he performed at London’s Barbican Hall with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has performed at venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre and London’s Royal Albert Hall, where he made his BBC Proms Debut in 2018. He has also appeared as soloist with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra and City of London Sinfonia. In 2018, Ben released his debut album with Willowhayne Records to critical acclaim, and was selected both as BBC Music Magazine’s “Rising Star” and Gramophone Magazine’s “One to Watch”.

This season, Ben makes concerto debuts with the English Chamber Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and the Prague Philharmonia.  In February he returns to the Berlin Philarmonie to perform the Gliere Horn Concerto with das Sinfonie Orchester Berlin conducted by Radek Baborák. A committed chamber musician, Ben has performed at London’s Wigmore Hall with tenor Julian Prégardien and pianist Christoph Schnackertz, the Pierre Boulez Saal alongside Daniel Barenboim and Michael Barenboim and the Verbier Festival with Sergei Babayan. Future highlights include the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival and Trio concerts with Callum Smart (violin) and Richard Uttley (piano) across the UK, featuring the premiere of a new work by Geoffrey Gordon in London. Sought-after as an orchestral player, he has performed as guest with the Staatskapelle Berlin, Philharmonia, English Chamber, West-Eastern Divan Orchestras and in 2018, played the solo horn call from Wagner’s Siegfried in a semi-staged production with The Hallé and Sir Mark Elder.

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Meet the Artist interview with Ben Goldscheider

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AV2398-cover-250x250-250x248Schumann: Papillons, Kinderszenen; Brahms: Opp. 117, 118

Sarah Beth Briggs, piano

Avie Records AV2398

27th February 2019 is the centenary of the birth of Denis Matthews, a great pianist from an earlier era of British pianism, who was also a respected teacher and lecturer. Matthews studied with Harold Craxton, (another pianist-teacher from an earlier era, and for those of us d’un certain age, a name forever synonymous, along with Donald Tovey, with ABRSM editions of the Beethoven piano sonatas).

Matthews most longstanding private pupil, the British pianist Sarah Beth Briggs, who commenced her studies with him at the age of eight, recalls her beloved teacher with great fondness and a profound respect for his intelligence, his insightful, fully rounded approach to teaching and music appreciation, and his own superb musicianship.

Denis Matthews was the most incredible inspiration. He was such a terrific all round musician. He made me understand that there was far more to being a good musician than playing the piano. Lessons would involve listening to Mozart operas, Beethoven string quartets, Brahms symphonies etc and then making the piano ‘become’ a singer, a string quartet, a pair of horns – always looking way beyond the dots on any given page!….So much was about the joys of being brought to great piano repertoire from a much wider musical perspective.

– Sarah Beth Briggs

Matthews was renowned for his unaffected refined pianism. A performer who was more concerned to serve the interests of the music rather than the musician’s ego, his brilliant, questioning mind brought magic and freshness to his interpretations.

DM and SBB by Clive Barda
Composite picture of Denis Matthews & Sarah Beth Briggs by Clive Barda

 

With her new disc Sarah Beth Briggs pays tribute to her beloved teacher through the music that was central to her studies with Matthews and their joint musical passions: two sets of late Brahms piano pieces (opp 117 and 118), and Schumann’s Papillons and his popular Kinderszenen, music which was “the subject of a sort of ‘party game’ whenever Denis visited my family home, when he would begin one of the miniatures on one piano and expect me to take over – from memory! – on the other”. While her debt of gratitude to Matthews is at the heart of Sarah’s new disc, Clara Schumann is the unifying thread in the selection of pieces included here. Kindeszenen was inspired by a comment by Clara about her husband’s childlike nature, while a sense of longing and unrequited love pervades Brahms’ late piano works.

Sarah brings an exquisite intimacy, fluency and warmth to the late Brahms pieces, sensitively capturing their inherent poignancy and haunting tenderness with a refined dynamic palette, a glowing touch, supple rubato and a refreshing musical honesty. The same intimacy is achieved in Schumann’s Kinderszenen: these pieces intended for children become grown up miniatures, reflective and touching, never sentimental. Traumerei, for example, too often the subject of clichéd readings, here finds a plaintive grace and elegant simplicity in Sarah’s discerning hands.

Schumann’s Papillons, which opens the disc, has an expansive grandeur, but Sarah’s exceptional control of sound is always elegant and tasteful, even in the extrovert movements. The overall sound quality of the recording is excellent, the piano rich and colourful across its entire range, with an appealing sweetness in the upper register.

This generous recording is a fitting tribute Sarah’s dear teacher.

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Who or what inspired you to take up piano?

Actually I don’t recall being inspired or even asking my parents if I could take up piano. We weren’t a musical family and in the difficult post-war years I had no record player, concerts, or any musical experiences beyond a daily dose of BBC Light Programme’s ‘Listen while you work’!

However, my Mum had a small accordion – a relic of her Austrian childhood. I must have shown some aptitude teaching myself to play simple Austrian folk tunes on it, and one day my Dad just went ahead and arranged piano lessons. I was about 9 or 10 at the time.

Perhaps he could no longer stand the sound of badly played Austrian folk tunes on an accordion!

Who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life?

I was lucky to have a brilliant first teacher, Doreen Newman. She took me right through the Associated Board grades, all with Distinction by the time I was 15. For various reasons things kind of stalled after that for the next 40 years – until I just happened to attend a recital by Russian virtuoso Konstantin Scherbakov.

That still counts as my most significant musical experience ever. It was not the technical wizardry (of which there was plenty) which stunned, but the extraordinary beauty of the sounds coming from the bowels of instrument, the likes of which I had never heard before or even believed possible. That recital was all the inspiration I needed to begin playing seriously again after all those years of neglect.

What have been the greatest challenges in your musical life?

I think my early aptitude for the piano took my parents somewhat by surprise. Presumably the piano was supposed to be a hobby, no doubt to keep me out of mischief – and the very idea of making a living as a musician – well that’s not a ‘proper job’ is it?! I well remember after two or three hours of practise my Mum would ask “when are you going to get off your backside and do some real work?” – said as a question rather than an exclamation!

That rather knocked my confidence for six, and it took a great many adult years before I overcame a feeling of guilt whenever I “wasted” time at the piano. The greatest challenge for me in later life was to justify the vast amount of time I began to devote to the piano, to understand there was indeed value in my playing, and to take the huge step away from an established career and become a full-time musician.

Which particular works do you think you play best?

That’s like asking which are my favourite works and the answer to both is always the same – the ones I am immersed in right now – which happen to include the Bach/Busoni Chaconne and the Chopin’s Ballade no. 4.

A comment by the Chopin Society in Warsaw – that I “play Chopin with the true Polish spirit, especially Mazurkas” – rather pleases me since though these miniatures present few technical challenges, their characteristic idiom is extraordinarily difficult to capture.

Perhaps those Austrian folk tunes on my Mum’s accordion helped!

Who or what inspired you to take up piano teaching?

My non-musical career has always involved teaching, either in schools or in industrial/commercial settings and it’s something I do greatly enjoy. It’s hardly an original thought, but there truly is something immensely rewarding about sharing knowledge – it’s a ‘win-win’ for both student and teacher.

Becoming a full-time musician so late in life was a huge personal journey for me. With some modest success have come fabulous performing opportunities in some of the great concert halls of the world. I’m keen now to share what I’ve learned along the way with fellow amateur pianists.

What are the pleasures and challenges of working with adult amateur pianists?

Well, it’s not so long ago that I too had a career and family taking priority on my time and energy, so I have a pretty good idea of how things are for amateur pianists. I’m constantly astounded at the devotion and commitment amateurs give to their music-making, but many recognise they’ve reached a certain level and are not sure how to get beyond it.

This makes coaching adults quite different from younger students, where lessons mainly focus on whatever pieces the student is playing at the time. The challenge adults face is how to make progress in the limited practise time they have. So the challenge for me is to identify what to focus on that will make a difference to all their playing rather than just to current pieces.

How do you see your role as a teacher?

I see myself much more as coach than teacher. Unless they are practising with a particular purpose in mind such as an exam or concert, with adults it’s not really about giving a hint or two on how to play a particular piece better. It’s more about identifying and addressing what may be holding them back in general. It’s not always simply lack of technique, for example it might well be a weak understanding of theory which means they can’t analyse or don’t fully understand the music they play.

For me coaching like this is far more rewarding than teaching because students make real progress in much less time, and what they learn is permanent – important considerations given the reality amateur pianists face balancing practise with daily life commitments.

What are your thoughts on the link between performance and teaching?

I’m not sure I see much of a link – a first rate performer may not be a good teacher, and it doesn’t follow that to be a good teacher one has to regularly perform.

That said, a performer who also knows how to teach obviously brings a wealth of additional experience to their teaching, but I rather think they are a rare breed. My first brilliant teacher never performed but she certainly knew how to inspire her students. On the other hand I’ve been privileged to play to some pretty illustrious names – and learned precious little if anything from them.

A notable example of both superlative performer and outstanding teacher is Scherbakov, the Russian pianist I mentioned earlier – whom I know from both participating in and observing his masterclasses. But I don’t think there’s a link as such between the two activities – he just happens to be good at both!

What is your advice for coping with performance anxiety?

I would distinguish between performance anxiety and nerves – the first is a positive force while the second is not. Before a recital I do feel anxious – anxious to succeed in sharing my musical thoughts which can only happen if I play well and remain focussed on the music rather than the task.

A degree of performance-anxiety provides the adrenaline to create an inspirational moment, or to take a risk I would otherwise hold back from. I don’t subscribe to the idea that the performer should be so wrapped up in their music-universe as to be totally unaware of the audience.

On the other hand with a bit of amateur psychology nerves can be rationalised out of contention! Recall that you put yourself in front of an audience to share something that is uniquely yours, your interpretation – and that, after all, is what the audience have come to hear. Certainly not to tally up your mistakes, to revel in your lapsed memory, or to savour your embarrassed agony. They’re absolutely willing you to give a great performance.

Once you see the audience as friend rather than foe, you can tap into their positive eagerness. Slips and wrong notes if they happen pale into insignificance compared to the interpretation you’ve prepared for them, and it’s that that you will leave in their memory.

Of course, you can hardly feel that way if you are not 100% at home with the music, everything about it.. Which is just another way of saying total preparedness. In my experience even the most severe case of nerves evaporates when the student is so well prepared they have absolute confidence in what they are about to do.

Who are your favourite musicians?

Fortuitously, the first LP I owned had Wilhelm Kempff playing three Beethoven Sonatas – I say fortuitously because I can’t think of a better example even now to inspire a budding pianist. Moiseivitch on Chopin was next. I was 15 before I attended my first live concert, Peter Katin as I remember. These early experiences led me appreciate exquisite tone control over all other pianistic attributes.

The ultimate living example for me would have to be Russian virtuoso Konstantin Scherbakov, a pianist I admire immensely not only for his sound but also his musical and intellectual integrity. He’s also a jolly nice fellow!

What is your most memorable concert experience?

As audience, again I would have to say the first time I heard Scherbakov. My earlier comment was no exaggeration – the incredible soundscape he created was quite literally the inspiration I needed to begin serious playing again after 40 years of neglect.

As performer I have a fond memory of a recital I gave in Brochow (Chopin’s home town). As I took the applause I noticed a small old woman making urgently for the exit. Meanwhile the organisers presented me with ‘the standard bouquet’ to show their appreciation – and much appreciated it was too, though of course such things are of necessity pre-planned.

However a few minutes later when most of the audience had dispersed, back comes the little old woman to present me with a bunch of wild flowers and herbs she’s evidently just picked from the roadside, tied together with a handkerchief! I speak no Polish and she no English, yet with this simple gesture she communicated a depth of feeling that would in any case have been inexpressible in words. Such is the power of music!

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

For me personally, it probably has to do with performing – the ability to share, through great music, something intangible and unreachable – inspiration, excitement, solace, whatever – absolutely this is what performing is all about. I can think of no better example than the little old woman I just mentioned.

What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?

Hmmmm – a difficult one. I coach only adults these days, which makes a difference to my answer. The key point for amateurs is how demands of career and family leave limited time for practise. Understandably they’d much rather spend what time they have playing great music than endless technical exercises building technique – but it doesn’t have to be a trade off of one against the other.

I’ve (just this moment!) coined a phrase which may well become my watchword – ‘deep learning’. What I mean is approaching a work not just from the notes but by exploring EVERYTHING there is to know about it. It’s the same approach I use during a coaching week where probably we spend as much time thinking and discussing as we do pushing keys. It might make progress seem slow, but that’s just a mental illusion. Without question it’s the quickest way by a very large factor both to build technique and learn new works – what might take a month or more of repetitive practising to get right, can be fixed in a day or two – and once learned, it’s permanent.

So for the keen amateur who has to make the most of limited practise time I would say the most valuable concept they could take on board would be ‘deep learning.’

Pianist and teacher Gil Jetley has a lifetime experience in music as a second career and is the creator of Music Holiday Italy, one-on-one piano courses for adult amateur pianists in Italy.

In 2012 he won First Prize in the second edition of the prestigious triennial International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, having previously been a finalist and Honourable Mention Winner in the first edition in 2009.

Other competition successes include finalist in the Pianist/Yamaha Competition (London 2007), Spezialpreis der Jury (Berlin 2010), Bärenreiter Urtext Prize (Berlin 2010), and First Prize Chopin Competition (London 2013).

As guest artist for the Chopin Society in Warsaw he has given recitals at the Staszica Palace and in their celebrated ‘Concert in the Park’ series where it was commented ‘he plays Chopin with the true Polish spirit.’  These recitals have led to repeated invitations from the Society, twice to perform in Brochòw, Chopin’s home town.  In 2015 he was invited to give the inaugural recital at the third edition of the Warsaw competition.  Professor Antoni Grudzíński (General Director, The Fryderyk Chopin Society of Warsaw) says of Jetley’s playing: “his rich artistic personality and great sensitivity captivates Polish audiences with masterly interpretations of Chopin’s music.”

Jetley studied piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Harold Craxton and Alan Richardson, and composition with Richard Stoker. After gaining a performance diploma he was invited to study with Louis Kentner (pupil of Kodály, prize winner in the 1932 International Chopin Competition, and brother-in-law of Yehudi Menuhin) shortly before he died.  In recent years, Jetley has participated in masterclasses with Paul Badura-Skoda, Konstantin Scherbakov, Pietro De Maria, and Peter Feuchtwanger.

Jetley has a wealth of teaching and coaching experience in schools and Universities in UK, Singapore, and New Zealand.  At the National University of Singapore he produced and directed a musical for which he composed his own score, conducting an ensemble from the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.  As General Manger of the Nelson School of Music in New Zealand he had overall responsibility for the well-being and promotion of two orchestras, three choirs, 50 music teachers and over 700 students.

Jetley has given recitals at numerous festivals around the world (France, Germany, Hungary, China, Argentina), and several times toured Poland at the invitation of the Chopin Society.  Performances in major cities include London, Paris, Nice, Berlin,  Stuttgart, Munich, Basel, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Singapore, Shanghai, Kelowna (Canada) and Wellington (New Zealand).  Concertos with orchestra include Schumann, Grieg, Mozart  K.488 (A major), K.491 (C minor) and Addinsell’s Warsaw Concerto.

musicholidayitaly.com

 

 

 

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Who or what inspired you to take up the recorder, and pursue a career in music?

As a child, I wanted to play the piano, but when my best friend started to play the recorder, I decided to join her. Best decision ever!

When I had to start playing the piano later in preparation for musical studies (in Germany, playing the piano is mandatory if you want to study music), I realised how limited the piano is and how much I was missing sound-wise.

I was regarded a great talent from early age on, so it felt natural to pursue a career as a freelance musician. Freedom and self-management are very important parts of my being a musician – I love to explore, create, experiment, and also to say “no!”, if needed.

Who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?

Mostly non-musical people first, like my grandmother, who told me to listen to my heart rather than to other people; later fellow musicians, teachers, etc..

I was puzzled when I looked around and mostly found men in charge and visible everywhere in the music business. At that point, my focus on fostering the multi-disciplinary artistic work of woman developed, and I started looking for like-minded people, like, for example, composer and fellow activist Dr. Dorone Paris. Together, we founded the organisation ArtEquality, and are on our way to turn the world into a better place through #ArtAsActivism.

What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?

To end the belittlement regarding my instrument and the difficulties of being a woman in the music business. Since I am active in the acoustic as well as the electronic sector, there is always a bunch of guys supporting their fellow guys to deal with. It is such a pity that so much creative energy by women has to be wasted on fighting repression and harassment…

Which performance/recordings are you most proud of?

My solo recording “Windserie” with my own works from basically the last 20 years, and my solo recitals from the series “the sadly unknown”, also the inter-disciplinary work with artist Carola Czempik, …

Which particular works do you think you play best?

The “fun fact” about the recorder is everybody thinks they know the instrument, but when they start to compose for it, it turns out to be a quite interesting and difficult challenge.

The works I play best are the works written for me, by composers who do the necessary research on the instrument, interact with and involve me, etc., like Nicoleta Chatzopoulou, Marc Yeats, Jeanne Strieder, Catherine Robson, Mathias Spahlinger, to name a few beacons in the luckily steady growing group of risk-taking composers.

With Jeanne Strieder, I also perform in an industrial-doom-electronic project called Catenation (as well as in two death metal bands, Coma Cluster Void and Infinite Nomad).

How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?

I am in the very lucky position of having a pool of incredible and diverse works, and also being presented with stunning new works regularly. Since I also travel a lot, many aspects have to be taken into account while creating a new programme: Where is the concert, festival, concert series? How many instruments do I need? (bear in mind that I need a different instrument for every single piece of music on the programme – recorders are very sensitive, and can only be played a certain amount of time on a daily basis, due to air pressure and condensation). Is it possible to use electronics and / or visuals / projection? Is there any composer I know and / or who has written for me residing at the place, or a person I would like to collaborate with? Which part of the world is the concert going to happen, what’s the temperature / air pressure / humidity, plane or train or car, and so on. So my programmes are always exclusively built and adapted for every occasion, place, and audience.

Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?

No, not really – I like many places for different reasons, like acoustics or atmosphere.

Who are your favourite musicians?

The ones I work with on a regular basis: violin player Alexa Renger (for over 20 years now), the Reanimation Orchestra, oboe player Freddi Börnchen, tenor saxophone player Dr. Dorone Paris, and partner-in-crime Jeanne Strieder.

What is your most memorable concert experience?

Performing in Mexico in a contrasting concert programme of Bach fugues and contemporary music. The (mostly young) people greeted the performance with such a heartfelt enthusiasm, like a rock concert – an incredible experience!

The audience in general seems to be very mixed in age; you have the whole range from newborns to seniors. Unlike in germany, people want to express their feelings and gratitude, and love to talk to artists about their experiences: in the concert hall, in the parking garage, at the rest room… Everybody is so open and highly interested, it is just lovely to be and perform there.

As a musician, what is your definition of success?

To be creative, to be content with my artistic output, to be able to bring my music and my artistic creations to the global public, to be able to interact with other arts and disciplines, to be fostering a network and work towards equality.

What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?

Find your own way, and take your time! Don’t simply repeat, create!

What is your most treasured possession?

My collection of recorders from sopranino to sub-doublebass in different woods, models, and tunings.

What is your present state of mind?

Forward-looking, but impatient regarding the uprise of the right-winged. nevertheless, without art, there is no hope nor solace.

 

Praised for her equally fierce and bold dramatic performance style, Sylvia Hinz is one of the leading recorder players worldwide, specialised in contemporary music and improvisation.

sylviahinz.com