Classical Music

VENGEROV’S VIEWS Violinist Maxim Vengerov on Storytelling in Music

To help celebrate the launch of our new site, and the re-launch of Maxim Vengerov‘s new website, maximvengerov.com, over the coming weeks the superstar violinist, teacher, and conductor, will be guest presenting a series of exclusive teaching advice classes for our readers, teachers and students everywhere.

Accompanied by helpful teaching videos explaining and demonstrating key concepts, Maxim will cover a wide range of topics including sound, left and right hand technique, bowing, breathing, harmony and structure, and interpretation.

In today’s first lesson, Maxim talks us through the importance of ‘Storytelling in Music’.

Join us over the coming weeks, and be sure to share the classes with your own students and friends, and let us know how Maxim’s advice has helped you on your journey to learn more.

INTRODUCTION

Storytelling is as old as humankind. It is how we share our experiences with one another and understand the world around us. Through stories, we can transcend time and physical limitations, and extend our imagination beyond the scope of our own individual experience. A story lets us see the world through the eyes of another.

Alongside other art forms, music is a language for communication and storytelling. Through music, we can express things for which there may be no words. The greatest music and performances are not only aesthetic creations to be experienced from afar. We can sense the immediacy of another human spirit reaching out to tell us something. Art can foster a deep human connection that has the power to change us.

In this post, I will share some thoughts about how I approach storytelling as a performer, as well as some recommendations for how to discover your own stories in music and communicate these effectively to an audience.

STORYTELLING IN MUSIC

“When you play, use your imagination to tell a story and bring the music to life.”

Instrumental music is without words, and usually, there is not a specific image or association suggested by the composer. However, this does not mean the music is abstract or remote; it is up to us as performers to discover and communicate the story behind it.

The beauty is that there can be different stories, different interpretations. This is what keeps the music alive. As performers, we try to faithfully follow the composer’s wishes, but we also bring our own heart and soul to every performance. We can think of ourselves as a window illuminating the painting of an old master – every window will refract light slightly differently, bringing into relief different subtleties in the work.

When I teach, I try to help students form an interpretation that they created themselves. We explore the music together and imagine what the story could be. Images can be a powerful way to bring the music to life and visualize the story behind it. I find images can also be a helpful tool to inspire my students and spark their imagination. Often, an image can prompt them to think beyond the technical considerations and reconnect with the essence of the music, making their playing much more vivid and alive.

Sometimes, a particular painting or image can also fit well with a work. For example, in Ysaÿe’s Sonata no. 3 for solo violin, there is a specific moment where I can imagine the powerful expressionist painting “The Scream” by Edvard Munch. However, there is not only one possible image or association; this depends on the performer and what resonates with them, and can also change. Indeed, I often find myself using different images for the same works when I teach.

Of course, not all music lends itself well to a story or visual association. Some music is more absolute, more structural, and architectural in nature — for example, German or Viennese classics. Here, you must think more about the structure, musical form, harmonies, character, and so on, to discover the message in the music.

What we think about, and what we feel when we play, is what comes across to the audience. This is something my mentor, Mstislav Rostropovich, once told me, which has always stuck in my mind. If we think of nothing, then the music is empty and radiates nothing. If our imaginations are alive, then even the most repetitive or difficult virtuoso passages become vivid music with a story to tell.

DISCOVERING YOUR OWN INTERPRETATION

“Study the score closely, until you have absorbed the music and it becomes your own”

To find your own vision of the story behind a musical work, I suggest you let your imagination run free without any limitations and experiment! In the privacy of your own room, you can push the boundaries — nobody will hear or judge your playing. Try not to get too hung up on technical difficulties — you can take care of these later. Just try things out, let yourself be a bit crazy, and see what happens!

Exercising your imagination when you practice is just as important as exercising your hands and body. However, at the same time, always stay connected to the source, which is the score. It is easy to get too carried away and deviate from the composer’s wishes, so keep in mind the boundaries, for example, the style and epoch of a work.

When you study a new work, try to absorb it and let it become yours, as if you have written it. This comes through the process of learning the score in depth and analyzing down to the details. I generally recommend to students to start by listening to a few interpretations whilst following the score – but then, once they have some auditory experience of the work, not to listen to recordings anymore, and to work directly from the score. In this way, they can find their own vision for a piece, which is informed by, but independent from, performance tradition.

Sometimes students listen to recordings and try to copy them; whilst this is well-intentioned, it is a pointless exercise because you cannot successfully copy anyone, and it means absolutely nothing to try and do so. Equally, it is a misguided exercise to study other interpretations and then try to be different, just for the sake of it – this approach is again derivative of the ideas of others and does not stem from a genuine individual understanding and honest representation of the original source, i.e. the score.

By working directly from the score, you will discover the irregularities, the structure, harmonies, and special characteristics of the work for yourself, and begin to inhabit the work and make it your own. Through this, you will discover how you feel about the work and how you want to present it to the audience. Ultimately as performers, we are like ambassadors for the music, and if we do not absorb the music then we cannot present it and let it speak through us.

Sometimes, even with all this meticulous preparation, you make the biggest discoveries in the moment of performance itself. When you are in front of an audience, your whole nervous system is raised, your senses are heightened, and another part of your brain opens up. This adds another dimension and is why live performances can be so exciting. If you are inspired by the music, if you have goosebumps, then you can be sure the audience is getting some too!

BRINGING YOUR MUSICAL IDEAS ACROSS EFFECTIVELY TO AN AUDIENCE

“For a listener sitting in the last row to understand your message clearly, you may need to exaggerate a little to bridge the distance.”

Playing to an audience is very different from playing to yourself. There is a distance between the performer and the listener, both visually and acoustically, and we must compensate for this when we play. Otherwise, like a game of Telephone, we may find that our intended message is not the one that reaches the audience — something may get lost or distorted across this gap. The larger the distance, the more we need to compensate: playing in an intimate setting is very different from performing in a big hall.

In order for your message to arrive intact, listen carefully to the acoustics of the room, and play to the person in the last row — if you can reach this person, you can be sure the people in the first row will get the message.

Just like an actor performing in a theatre, we may need to exaggerate and articulate more than usual. (This is a very different craft from acting in a movie, where the camera is up close — this is more akin to making a recording.) You should clarify everything, and be very clear with the message you want to convey. Emphasize the contrasts, and be wary that finer details can get totally lost, especially with an orchestra behind you.

Drawing on an image in the moment of performance can also help you bring your message across to the audience. By bringing to your mind an image you feel is particularly evocative and suited to the music, your physical expression will be much stronger, and therefore so will the impact on the audience.

This does not mean the exact image will translate to the audience — even if I imagine “The Scream” when I play Ysaÿe’s Sonata no. 3, probably ninety-nine percent of the audience will not have this same association, but they will feel the energy. In this way, you help the audience make their own associations and connect directly with the music, and your performance becomes much more compelling.

TO CONCLUDE

When we play music, we should always remember why we play. Musicians are not acrobats performing tricks, there is more to our craft than this — there is a message behind the music and a spark of connection from one human to another. It is not enough to have a good recipe and be a good cook – we need to know how to serve a meal and create an ambiance, just like in a great restaurant.

I hope these reflections give some food for thought and some practical advice on how to discover your own images and vision of the music you play. We must be storytellers: this is our art as performers.

Watch the full teaching video below, where Maxim explains in further detail and demonstrates the concepts he introduces in this article:

This series was curated and co-written by Anna Gould.

To find out more about Maxim, including his recordings and upcoming performances, visit www.maximvengerov.com.

You can also subscribe to his YouTube channel and follow his official social media sites:

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Classical Music

Special Prizes Awarded at Indianapolis Violin Competition

The special prizes have today been awarded, at the gala ceremony of the 2022 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, in Indianapolis, United States.

Yesterday evening, the 2022 competition’s Gold Medal was awarded to 28-year-old VC Young Artist Sirena Huang from the United States.

The silver and bronze medals were awarded to 22-year-old Julian Rhee from the United States and 24-year-old Minami Yoshida from Japan.

Sirena today received a USD $75,000 cash prize, a Carnegie Hall recital debut, a professional CD recording and website plus four years of career management, guidance and international concert engagements.

Below Sirena is performing Dvorak Violin Concerto in A minor Op.53 with conductor Leonard Slatkin and the Indianapolis Symphony, in the competitions Final Concerto Round.

All rounds, and all performances, of this year’s competition are available now at: www.theviolinchannel.com/vc-live-2022-indianapolis-violin-competition

The $1000 special prize for the best performance of a “Bach Work” in the competition’s opening round was today awarded to: VC Young Artist Sirena Huang for her performance of Bach’s Solo Sonata No. 3 in C Major in the opening round.

The $1000 special prize for the best performance of a “Work by Paganini, Ernst or Milstein” during the competition was awarded to: 5th prize winner, VC Young Artist SooBeen Lee for her performance of Milstein’s ‘Paganiniana Variations’ in the preliminary round.

The special prize of $1000 each for the best performance of a “Mozart Sonata” was awarded to: VC Young Artist Sirena Huang and pianist Melivia Raharjo for their performance of Mozart’s Violin Sonata in G in the opening round.

The special prize of $1000 for the best performance of an “Encore Work” was awarded to: VC Young Artist Sirena Huang for her performance of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Melodie‘ from ‘Souvenir d’un lieu cher‘ in the preliminary round.

The special prize of $1000 each for the best performance of a “Beethoven Sonata” in the Semi-Final stage was awarded to: VC Young Artist Sirena Huang and pianist Melivia Raharjo for their performance of the the 7th Sonata in the Semi-Final stage.

The special prize of $1000 for the best performance of the competition’s newly “Commissioned Work, ‘Incontra’ by John Harbison” was awarded to: VC Young Artist Sirena Huang.

The special $1000 prize for the best performance of a “Ysaye Sonata” was awarded to: 4th prize winner Claire Wells for her performance of Ysaye’s 4th Sonata.

The special prize of $1000 for the best performance of a “Violin and Piano Sonata other than Beethoven in the Semi-Final Round” was awarded to: VC Young Artist Sirena Huang for her performance with pianist Melivia Raharjo of Brahms’ 2nd Violin Sonata.

The $1000 special prize for the best performance of a “Kreisler Encore” was awarded to: VC Young Artist Sirena Huang for her performance of ‘La Gitana‘ in the Classical Final Round.

The $2500 special prize for the best performance of a “Mozart Concerto” was awarded to: bronze medallist, VC Young Minami Yoshida for her performance of Mozart’s A major Concerto in the Classical Final Round.

The $5000 special prize for the best performance of a “Major Violin Concerto in the Final Round” was awarded to: VC Young Artist Sirena Huang for her performance of Dvorak Violin Concerto in the competitions Final Concerto Round.

This year’s jury comprised: Jaime Laredo, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Ivan Chan, Jinjoo Cho, Yuzuko Horigome, Dong-Suk Kang, Cho-Liang Lin, Mihaela Martin, and Liviu Prunaru.

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Classical Music

Kronberg Academy’s Founder Raimund Trenkler on the New Casals Forum

The Kronberg Academy, in Kronberg, Germany, has this week opened its new venue, the Casals Forum. Complete with two concert halls with state-of-the-art acoustics, plus an adjoining study and administration center, the new building marks the start of a new era at the institution.

VC recently had the chance to catch up with Raimund Trenkler, Founder and Chairman of the Board of the Kronberg Academy Foundation, to discuss what the new addition means to the academy.

When the Kronberg Academy was founded in 1993, what was the original mission of the institution?

On one hand, the mission was to bring together the most talented young artists at Kronberg and support them on their way to professional careers.

On the other, Kronberg was founded on the idea that we can make an impact in our society. We see music as something more than a wonderous and joyful art form. I think as musicians, it’s our duty to see what we can do for our society to make this world a little better.

At Kronberg’s founding, Pablo Casals was our role model. Everything started in 1993 on October 22nd, which was the 20th anniversary of Pablo Casal’s death.

How do you think the Kronberg Academy has grown and expanded over the decades?

We started with the cello. I’m originally a cellist, and so Kronberg started as a cello family. Cellist and conductor Mr. Mstislav Rostropovich called Kronberg “the world capital of the cello.” The group of musicians eventually expanded to a family of all string players from the string field as a whole.

This month, you’re celebrating the opening of the Casals Forum, which includes a beautiful concert hall that fits 600 people. Can you tell us what it means to you personally?

It means that the Kronberg Academy has a home. We were originally divided into several buildings, but now we are united in one place. It is exciting to have a central location that is both professional and beautiful.

It is a dream come true. With the completion of the Casals Forum and its exciting opening, it went from an idea to a realization. I feel grateful that Kronberg can give the music and its wonderful musicians a home.

What do you think the Casals Forum means to the Kronberg Academy’s students?

I think for the students, it gives additional opportunities to make tapes or recordings, to always have the possibility to work and practice, and to develop professional standards. It is also inspiring for the students to see the whole Kronberg family come together in this one building.

Can you tell us about the features and innovations of the new venue, and the extensive work done to optimize the acoustics?

It was a larger undertaking. We tried to finalize the acoustics so that not only could a solo cellist playing a Bach suite sound perfect, but also the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, which is roughly 65 musicians. While this is not an easy feat, we have the ability to change the acoustics depending on who is playing and the makeup of the ensemble. We are thrilled that it worked out, and you could definitely hear it at our opening concert.

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What do you hope this new venue will bring to the Kronberg Academy?

I think this new venue will be an attraction for other artists. It will also be a great resource for our wonderful musicians working here.

The Casals Forum will create new ideas and give us new opportunities. For example, artists can now work with orchestras directly at the Kronberg Academy. This was not possible before, as we would often rent other halls, which was quite the difficult task.

What are your long goals for the Kronberg Academy?

Our next milestone will be a student dormitory being built on the site. It will complete our music campus so that the students can live, learn, practice, and perform on stage with renowned artists.

The plan is that, hopefully, the student dormitory can open its doors in 2025. This will be another exciting moment for all of us and a further step ahead for Kronberg Academy.

How important is a musician’s environment to their performance, career success, etc?

When we think about an environment, it is not only the building. We have to consider the surroundings as a whole. Kronberg, for one thing, is easy to reach — the train station is 200 meters. It is more or less in the middle of a beautiful park.

It is so important, as artists and musicians, to have the opportunity and environment to contemplate. So many things in our life are automated and sped up, but one needs ample time and peace to contemplate a Beethoven sonata.

It’s important to understand that artists need more than just a perfect building and rooms. They need a setting that supports communication and makes its visitors feel safe. In general, an environment should inspire creation and productiveness, and we hope that is what the new Kronberg Academy accomplishes.

The city of Kronberg seems to fully embrace the Kronberg Academy and its musical culture. Can you tell us about the role in which the community plays?

The community is fully involved. For example, close to 200 young cellists are here right now and are mostly put up in private houses around the city. It’s wonderful that, over the 29 years, society is enjoying the festival and institution. I think that the musicians who come here have the feeling of being at home.

How did the Kronberg Academy adapt to COVID-19 and its negative impacts on the music industry? What are you looking forward to now that things are getting closer to normal?

We tried to go forward in these difficult times. Like many others, we used online techniques for teaching.

What we are focused most on now is welcoming the live audience back. I see that in several places, this task seems to be difficult, but luckily we don’t have to worry too much at the moment. I’m happy to report that most of the concerts are sold out, so we are positive for what’s to come.

From the pandemic, I think we were given an understanding of why music is so important for our society.

Lastly, can you name a favorite memory of yours at the Kronberg Academy?

That’s tough. Of course, there are so many special moments. I never will forget, in the beginning, my first conversation in Washington with Marta Casals Istomin — and how happy I was to receive her confidence in the institution’s mission. It was a strong push for me to go forward and start the Kronberg Academy.

Additionally, all of the wonderful moments with Mstislav Leopoldovich, who become really a friend, have proved to be a great inspiration.

All the wonderful artists who come here time and time again are an inspiration for me as well. There are very private moments, that I hold dear in my heart and will never forget.

To view the concert schedule for the 2022 Kronberg Festival, click here.

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Classical Music

BREAKING Sirena Huang Awarded 1st Prize at Indianapolis Violin Competition

28-year-old VC Young Artist Sirena Huang from the United States has just minutes ago been awarded the Gold Medal at the 2022 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (IVCI).

A graduate of The Juilliard School and Yale University, where she studied with Stephen Clapp, Sylvia Rosenberg, Itzhak Perlman and Hyo Kang, Sirena is a former major prize winner at the Elmar Oliveira, Singapore and Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competitions

As the 2022 first prize winner, Sirena will receive USD $75,000 cash prize, a Carnegie Hall recital debut, a professional CD recording and website development plus four years career management and guidance and international concert engagements.

Second and Third prizes were awarded to 22-year-old Julian Rhee from the United States and 24-year-old VC Young Artist Minami Yoshida from Japan.

Fourth, fifth and six prizes were presented to 21-year-old Claire Wells from the United States, 21-year-old VC Young Artist SooBeen Lee from South Korea and 22-year-old Joshua Brown from the United States.

Chaired by IVCI jury president and Artistic Director Jaime Laredo, the competition jury comprised Noah Bendix-Balgley, Ivan Chan, Pamela Frank, Yuzuko Horigome, Dong-Suk Kang, Cho-Liang Lin, Mihaela Martin, and Liviu Prunaru.

Previous major prize winners of the competition include Leonidas Kavakos, Judith Ingolfsson, Sergey Khachatryan, Simone Lamsma, Mihaela Martin, Ida Kavafian — and VC Artists Rochard Lin, Augustin Hadelich, Tessa Lark, Ji Young Lim, Yoojin Jang, and Benjamin Beilman.

All rounds of this year’s competition are available now at: www.theviolinchannel.com/vc-live-2022-indianapolis-violin-competition

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Classical Music

Canada’s Royal Conservatory Announces 2022/23 Fellows

Founded in 2013, the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program of the Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Canada, provides emerging musicians a platform for career development.

The one-year postgraduate program is offered in piano, voice, and orchestral instruments. The fellowship is fully funded and additionally provides each participant with a living stipend of $6,000.

The 2022-23 Rebanks Fellows are guitarist Tim Beattie, violinist Aaron Chan, sopranos Jonelle Sills and Hannah Crawford, violist Caleb Georges, and cellist Daniel Hamin Go.

The fellows will each have a primary teacher from among The Glenn Gould School’s esteemed faculty, who will provide focused coaching twice a month. Coaching sessions will be given by artists including pianists Emanuel Ax and András Schiff, while additional sessions will be hosted with Canada’s leading musicians including Peter Oundjian, Johannes Debus, and Julian Kuerti.

Each Rebanks Fellow will also present a recital and perform chamber music concerts throughout the year at The Royal Conservatory. Orchestral musicians will have leadership opportunities in the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, working with such conductors including Sir Roger Norrington and Tito Muñoz.

Alumni of the program include members of leading chamber ensembles such as The ARC Ensemble and VC Artist The Rolston Quartet, plus those who have performed at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Koerner Hall, and with major orchestras in Canada and abroad.

More information on the 2022/23 Rebanks Fellows can be found here.

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Classical Music

The Isidore String Quartet Signs with David Rowe Artists

Founded in 2019, the Isidore String Quartet (ISQ) has joined the roster at David Rowe Artists for general management and all bookings in USA and Canada.

The ISQ comprises violinists Adrian Steele and Phoenix Avalon, violist Devin Moore, and cellist Joshua McClendon, who are current students at New York’s Juilliard School, and took home first-prize at Canada’s 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) earlier this month.

David Rowe had attended this year’s Banff Competition “simply to decompress” after completing the first in-person booking conference in three years. Upon hearing ISQ perform, the agency was compelled to sign them, and the quartet became its first North American string quartet signing since over 20 years ago.

“The Banff win will help introduce the world to this superb ensemble, who already perform at an astonishingly high level,” Rowe stated. “We are confident they will quickly emerge as the premier chamber music ensemble of their generation, with a mission to reinvigorate the established canon while bringing forward compelling new and overlooked voices.”

The win at the Banff competition will see ISQ tour North America and Europe, experience a two-year appointment as Ensemble-in-Residance at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, perform at Haydn Hall in Eisenstadt and the Lucerne Festival, plus have a two-week residency at Banff Centre including coaching, career guidance, and a professional recording opportunity.

You can watch the Banff Competition on The Violin Channel, here.

For the upcoming season, ISQ will perform at the Kennedy Center and also give their New York City debut at the Mannes School of Music. Additionally, they will work on “PROJECT: MUSIC HEALS US,” an initiative providing education and healing to marginalized communities who may have limited access to live music performances.

“This is a quartet that has a strong personal voice and vision,” commented Banff competition director, Barry Shiffman on ISQ’s performance. “They are passionate musicians that approach their work as artists in society with a mature seriousness and purpose.”

“[We are] honored and humbled to join the incredible roster of David Rowe Artists!” said the Isidore String Quartet. “We have the utmost respect and admiration for David, Arielle, and all of the artists on their roster and we are tremendously excited for the future as we embark on this new chapter in our career.”

Based in Massachusetts, David Rowe Artists was founded in 1998 and represents internationally-acclaimed chamber music ensembles. Their roster includes groups such as the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble, Brentano Quartet, Castalian Quartet, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Elias Quartet, David Finckel and Wu Han, among others.

Highlights from ISQ’s performances at the 2022 BISQC can be viewed below.

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