I love playing chamber music. Some of the most intimate and profound expressions of humanity are expressed through it (I know that sounds a bit pretentious, but I don’t know how else to put it).
With the right players it is a remarkable experience. Inexplicably so, in fact - and in a way that I’d love to understand. How, for example, is it possible to know exactly how another player is going to play a phrase and be there with them almost before it happens? Yes, sure, there are various technical ways to interact and give indications to each other, but when the music really happens it goes way beyond that. As students, my wife, Catherine, and I learnt that we could sit in separate rooms and - out of nowhere - play a single note; starting exactly together. We could neither see each other nor hear each other’s breathing for a cue. How does that work?
So, that’s what I am aiming for - chamber music with my favourite players. I just hope that the chamber music scene in this country survives the present rather chilly economic climate.
With the right players it is a remarkable experience. Inexplicably so, in fact - and in a way that I’d love to understand. How, for example, is it possible to know exactly how another player is going to play a phrase and be there with them almost before it happens? Yes, sure, there are various technical ways to interact and give indications to each other, but when the music really happens it goes way beyond that. As students, my wife, Catherine, and I learnt that we could sit in separate rooms and - out of nowhere - play a single note; starting exactly together. We could neither see each other nor hear each other’s breathing for a cue. How does that work?
So, that’s what I am aiming for - chamber music with my favourite players. I just hope that the chamber music scene in this country survives the present rather chilly economic climate.