Cellist Alban Gerhardt shares his advice on the topic.

(Photo credit: Kaupo Kikkas)

Alban Gerhardt shares how he creates his own interpretation of a work

Whenever I have or had to learn a standard work I ignore any recordings or previous performances of it.

This way I can be quite sure that the outcome will be my ''own'' and possibly ''unique'' interpretation, as the intentions of the composer are all more or less obvious in the score, but everybody could or should understand these abstract black dots and dashes on a white piece of paper differently to the next person.

I don’t treat the learning of a completely new piece at all different to standard repertoire.

I pretend to be the first person ever who played it. It does help to know other works of the composers you want to perform.

When learning the Schumann Concerto for the first time I did not know any recordings of that work but had accompanied my mother on the piano with most of his songs as he is my favourite Lied composer, and I had played most of his chamber music and some of his piano music.

But even the not-yet standard repertoire concerto of M. Weinberg which Rostropovich had premiered I learned and memorized without knowing any other performance of it, only to be surprised by how differently Rostropovich’s interpretation was to mine after I had performed it for the first time.

Why don’t I take the version of the world’s greatest cellist who on top of it worked the piece with the composer, more seriously?

Possibly Weinberg told Rostropovich things that weren’t in the score... wouldn’t that be interesting?

Maybe, but maybe the incredibly charismatic Rostropovich was so convincing with his interpretation that Weinberg didn’t push for what he might have felt and wanted differently when he wrote it down – or maybe Weinberg didn’t even remember the exact feeling.

I am far from being a performer like Rostropovich, but when I premiered Brett Dean’s Huntington Eulogy for piano and cello together with Steven Osborne, we tried our best to do justice to the instructions of the composer, only to find out later that the composer who was unable to attend the world premiere, did enjoy the recording of it very much but had something quite different in mind.

Would it make any sense for the next cellist to listen to my version of it?

Absolutely not, because even if Brett Dean would have worked on the piece with me, he most possibly would not have changed the way I felt the piece.

The beauty of music is that there are so many ways to understand and interpret any given phrase or work – why limit oneself to the ''one'' reference recording or performance?

–Alban

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“One of the finest cellists around – expressive, unshowy and infinitely classy“ (The Guardian). Alban Gerhardt has, for twenty-five years, made a unique impact on audiences worldwide with his intense musicality, compelling stage presence and insatiable artistic curiosity. His gift for shedding fresh light on familiar scores, along with his appetite for investigating new repertoire from centuries past and present, truly set him apart from his peers.

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Serbian-born violin virtuoso Stefan Milenkovich shares his expert advice on the topic.

Violinist Stefan Milenkovich on building our own interpretation of a standard work

Starting to work on a new piece is always exciting – and even more so if the piece is one of the popular warhorses of the repertoire!

I personally try to leave no stone unturned when it comes to developing my interpretation, with the ultimate goal being quite simple: freedom. After I look at the historical context – and take as many musical and technical things in consideration – I am ultimately looking to feel completely spontaneous in my interpretation. In other words, it’s all about being true to yourself on stage, where there are no boundaries between my intentions and my interpretation, which ultimately arrives to the audience in the same way I intend it to be felt and understood. Obviously, this is easier said than done… but it is an ideal.

One of the obvious things I do is to get a nice, clean copy of the score (ideally Urtext). Seems like a given, but I see too many students and some of my colleagues (I was one of them more then once!) that have their music all over the place, bad page turns, old copies that are just waiting to be ripped off next time you try to turn that page, or some heavily and arbitrarily edited edition that basically implies a certain interpretation (and often, quite personal interpretation at that).

So, I start with a clean slate, which helps me feel more organized already – although I haven’t played a single note yet! Anyway, after that, I usually start with the hardest part of the piece, whatever part scares me the most. It could be the end of the piece, cadenza, some tricky spot etc. For me, this is psychological as I believe a work should be learned as evenly as possible, which obviously means varied amounts of work for different parts of that piece.

Within this approach, I start memorizing immediately. I know, I know…. This is essentially not REALLY possible! But it is another way to make myself feel good while learning the piece. Even if I memorize three notes at the end of the work, two bars of the second movement, and a passage from the cadenza, it still feels like I am hitting the ground running right off the bat. It’s all about cultivating the feeling of successful preparation, no matter what the piece is or how difficult.

Now I start layering the piece just like you would build a house (I assume that’s how you would build it, as I’ve never actually done it…. But you know what I mean…). Laying down the foundation, keeping the progress even, not neglecting any part of it etc. But since we are talking about a standard work, here is where you already develop your interpretation. So, what to do? The piece has been played countless times, recorded… everyone knows it. Well, what I ask myself is: what is this piece about, and how does it relate to what I am about as an artist on stage? Everyone will look for something different in their performances – just like various audiences do. Whether you try to be incredibly original and different, or you just go for a standard and “safe” interpretation, it’s always going to be YOUR interpretation, because YOU are playing it.

In a sense, learning a standard work is perhaps easier than learning something “off the grid” because, no matter what you do, you’ll find someone that likes how you play it! If you sound “just like Oistrakh’s recording”, then… well, that’s pretty amazing! (laugh). And if you sound like you’re actually not playing the piece that is printed in the program booklet… Well, even then, someone will say: “Such a fresh approach! I am tired of everyone playing this piece in the same way.” In conclusion, how one prepares a standard piece is not as important as actually believing in everything you are doing. But when you do believe in every note you’re playing, this is when you identify with the work, and the audience identifies with you as an artist.

–Stefan

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Serbia’s Artist of the Century, Most Humane Person, and Brand Personality of the Year, violinist Stefan Milenkovich enjoys a prolific career as an internationally sought-after soloist and recitalist. He performed for U.S. President Ronald Reagan at a Christmas concert in Washington, DC, at age 10. The following year, he played for Mikhail Gorbachev in Belgrade, Serbia. At age 14, he played for Pope John Paul II and at age 16, Milenkovich gave his 1000th concert in Monterrey, Mexico. By age 17, he was the winner of The Young Concert Artists International Competition (USA), as well as a prizewinner in the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis (USA), the Queen Elisabeth Competition (Belgium), Hannover Violin Competition (Germany), Tibor Varga Competition (Switzerland), Rodolfo Lipizer Competition (Italy), Paganini Competition (Italy), Ludwig Spohr Competition (Germany), and the Yehudi Menuhin Competition (England).

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Violinist Ann Setzer on why it is important to understand the historical context of pieces we're learning

Developing an interpretation in music involves a never-ending search for expression at the most personal level. An effective interpretation is a kind of magic influenced by the knowledge of harmonic analysis, historical context of the composer and, in some cases, performance practice. Knowing the historical context of a composer’s work almost always heightens your sensitivity and empathy for the composer. If you combine this knowledge with a thorough harmonic and structural analysis, you can create an interpretation full of passion and imagination.

We musicians are sensitive creatures. As a teacher, I always encourage young musicians to be affected by phrase endings, phrase direction, structural events, and harmonic and color changes.

While contextual knowledge is no substitute for harmonic analysis, it allows a musician to create a stronger mental image from which to weave a convincing performance. The stronger your connection is to what the music is saying, who created it and the circumstances surrounding its creation, the more intimate your association with the work will be.

There are many works where historical circumstances were a strong influence on the composer. Mozart’s compositions embodied the ideals of the Age of Enlightenment. Shostakovich’s works are often reactions to his complicated relationship with Soviet culture. I encourage my students to read biographies of composers and to research the historical events that occurred during the period a composer was creating the work. I hear a big difference in those students who, in addition to their practice, do their musical homework.

Another thing that matters is the musical context of the composer. What do those dance titles really mean in works from the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras? Knowing how a French Courante is different than an Italian Corrente can certainly change our interpretation. Articulation, bowing style and even phrase emphasis vary drastically in works from different eras and nationalities. In addition to learning about the historical and personal background of the composer, learning about historical performance practices of performers of the period gives us another layer of knowledge to differentiate and deepen our interpretation.

Here’s an example of what I mean. When I was a student studying Poéme by Ernest Chausson, I learned that Chausson enjoyed reading Ivan Turgenev. Eugéne Ysaye asked Chausson to write a work for violin and orchestra which Chausson originally titled "The Song of Love Triumphant" after a short story of the same name by Turgenev. Even though Chausson didn’t intend a direct association with the story, after reading the rather melodramatic tale, I felt a more intimate connection with the music. I was inspired to explore more color and character in the sound and alter the pacing of phrases. The harmonic language of Poéme is beautifully complex but understanding the literary influence deepened my desire to create a performance that would reflect Chausson’s inspiration.

Studying the score and learning as much as possible about the works you are performing are just as important as the hours you spend practicing. We musicians never really know what bit of information will spark our creativity and lead us to a deeper, more personal interpretation of a work.

–Ann

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Ann Setzer has served as a violin professor for many years at the Mannes College of Music and the Juilliard School Pre-College Division. She also is an Associate Faculty member in Juilliard College and is a violin faculty member at New York University, Steinhardt School of Music and Performing Arts Professions.

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How do you change your approach to playing when practicing and performing different styles of music? Please let us know in the comments below. We’re all keen to learn more from you.

Attacca Quartet: Amy Schroeder and Domenic Salerni, violin, Andrew Yee, cello, Nathan Schram, viola (Photo credit: David Goddard)

ANDREW YEE GIVES INSIGHT INTO ADAPTING YOUR PLAYING TO DIFFERENT STYLES OF MUSIC

I think learning music is one of the most intriguing and mystical things any of us do as musicians. What are we actually doing when we learn music?

You are not “telling” your fingers what to do, it is not like endurance training for a marathon. You are somehow standing on one side of a piece of paper, and you need to at some point in the future to be on the other side.

Musicians go onstage and can be treated either like scholars, athletes or magicians, but either way we are all mediums for a human idea to be translated into an experience. 

The thing to remember is that we are all people, and much like how we all have different sized hands (who here thinks nothing of an octave with 1 and 4 in first position, and who here can barely reach it with the thumb?) we all have different ways that we learn, and how we express ourselves. 

When I was 10 I was diagnosed with ADHD, which could have been true, or I was just a hyper kid, or there was a time after a concussion that I had lost the ability to read for a short time and was extremely efficient at learning music (true story…ask me about it next time you see me.) Whatever the case, what I am trying to say is that everyone has a different brain. We can argue about practice hours, and about methods and scales and books, but what we are all trying to accomplish is problem solving.

Do not wait for your teacher to tell you something is wrong. You know you don’t sound like Yo-Yo, and it’s not because he farts magic, the guy worked hard. 

My best piece of advice is to try and identify problems as they happen, and at that very moment take it apart and fix it. In my everyday life I have a hard time keeping track of what I need to do, so I make lists. Writing this article was on top of my list today, so I am sitting here eating sour cherry cobbler and when I am done I can check it off the list. I treat music the same way. I am learning Don Quixote at the moment, and I have starred and listed all of the moments I am unable to play. When I have put a fingering over every note and can play it several times in a row, I will leave it and move on. I will then go on with my life and forget some of the things I have learned, but will be able to come back to the music fresh and a little more able to play. Maybe I will look at the fingering and see it is clunky or utilitarian, or maybe I came up with the fingering on one of my really, really good cello days, and it will be impossible to find onstage. Either way, I love the "learn and leave” method. Sometimes we become too attached to how it happens in the practice room and when we are on stage our ideas seem alien and cemented. 

These are all big ideas and I will leave you with four practice tips I have learned along the way. 

1. If you can’t figure out how to play something, sing it. That is the most honest version of how you feel about the music. I don’t know anyone who can phrase more beautifully on their instrument than they sing in the shower. 

2. Practice before the first rehearsal, but don’t make up your mind before hearing what everyone else sounds like. There are always ideas that are better than yours, but they only work if you are being open to them. 

3. If you don’t love it, neither will we. Find what makes this music special to YOU, and share your point of view. We come to the concert hall to fall in love. If you don’t fall in love with the piece in the practice room, you are counting on a last minute epiphany to hit you on stage, and that is not going to happen most of the time. 

4.  A piece doesn’t exist until you play it for people. So if you have a big performance coming up, find a place to play your program in front of people. This will show you what you need to work on more than anything.

—Andrew

Do you have a burning question for one of the Pros? Simply email: hello@theviolinchannel.com

A graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied with Fred Sherry, Darrett Adkins, and Joel Krosnick, Andrew Yee is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed Attacca String Quartet.

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Period performance requires specific knowledge and skills. Many questions arise such as what strings to use, how to articulate the bow, the different traditions of the time. It can be difficult to really understand and connect with a period that is so far from us in an authentic way. The Violin Channel reader Joseph was keen to learn more about this topic.

What are your main considerations about period performance? Please let us know in the comments below. We’re all keen to learn more from you.

 

Stephanie Chase and her mother, Fannie Paschell Chase

STEPHANIE CHASE ON AUTHENTIC PERIOD PERFORMANCE

Dear Joseph,

In addition to playing the modernized violin, for about half my life I have also played the violin in its Classical and, to a lesser extent, Baroque configurations. My first experience with a Baroque violin was performing concerts at the Metropolitan Museum on its “restored” Stradivarius, and my recording of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto on period – or historically authentic – instruments was the first ever. Because he did not provide us with cadenzas I wound up creating my own.

There are many things to consider in capturing authenticity in a historically-informed performance; principally, these include allowing the instruments to educate the player in matters of technique and interpretation, learning about the sound world of the composer (i.e., what music is likely to have sounded like in his or her era), and researching the sources of the musical score to ascertain which is closest to what the composer notated.

Knowing something about the history and evolving technology of the instruments is also beneficial. For example, the differences between the hunting horn, natural horn and valved horn are substantial. So are those between the Baroque, transitional and modern style bow – the latter of which came into favor already by the 1790’s through the stunning work of François Tourte, who otherwise was an uneducated man whose great pleasure was to go fishing in the Seine near his shop in Paris. And it was only close to 1800 that the fortepiano essentially replaced the harpsichord or clavier – a generic term that could refer to a clavichord or other keyboard – as a preferred instrument for the public, following nearly one hundred years of existence.

The Baroque bow models depend upon the region and style of music being played, such as varieties of dance music. Their design, and the manner in which the horsehair is strung, encourage the downbow to provide the stronger sound, as in putting down a foot rather than lifting it. Because they are less well suited to playing sostenuto, it is especially important to think about the weight of a phrase. I find that in using these lighter early bows I use my arm, wrist and fingers with as little tension as possible – tension also slows down one’s bowing facility - and that the bows respond with great deftness in fast articulations. I also find it desirable to use a Kreutzer No. 2 kind of definition (detaché) in faster passagework so the articulation is well projected. For both the transitional and Baroque bow I hold the bow quite high above the frog, in part because my armlength is short and it enables me to more readily play at or close to the tip. The transitional bow – or what was taking place in bow designs between Baroque and modern – usually resembles the modern bow at the head (among many types are the “swan” and “Cramer”), although usually with a straight camber and open slide. The earliest bows were made from a variety of woods that include snakewood and ironwood, but pernambuco (also the name of a region in Brazil) became favored by Tourte and those who followed him.

I mention the bow before the violin because it really defines the expression of the sound, both tonally and stylistically, whereas there is not an enormous difference in left-hand technique between these eras. The gut strings do require a slightly different approach to shifting – along with the lack of chinrest (for music before about 1820) – and their response is different from metal strings, which tolerate a more physically aggressive manner of playing. With a lower pitch standard (generally, a-415 cps for Baroque and a-432 cps for Classical music, although these are a bit arbitrary) there is less physical tension within the instrument, which also affects its response, and it is important to allow the sound to flow with less downward bow pressure. Whether I am playing Baroque, Classical or modern violin, the majority of the time I lead with bow, with the left hand following it.

Overall, the principal differences between the Baroque and Classical violin setups are in the lengths of the fingerboard and bass bar, which are shorter and lighter in the earlier violin. The Baroque violin should also have a thicker neck as it approaches the body, the neck is set more vertically, and the bridge is stockier in each of these violin types. The transitional violin that we associate with early classical music is quite like the bows of the period – there is no unique or “proper” model – and it is likely that players used Baroque violins and bows well into the Classical period.

Although many period performers consider vibrato to be verboten, we should note that in playing the clavichord – an instrument with origins in the 14th century – the player traditionally employs a finger vibration known as Bebung. In letters exchanged between Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart in 1774, they complained about the excessive vibrato used by some singers, and state that the ideal is of the human voice trembling with emotion. If we consider vibrato as an ornament that is tastefully and minimally employed, it is especially lovely for cantabile – or sung – music in period performances.

It is interesting to observe that around the time that Beethoven composed his Opus 12 Violin Sonatas (1797-1798), the technological changes in both the fortepiano and violin bow led to sound becoming more sustained and with greater dynamic capacity, paving the way fora more Romantic and personalized form of music; for me, the Opus 12, No. 3 sonata reveals a composer who is throwing away many of the preceding musical forms and philosophies, and the “Pathétique” piano sonata, which is Opus 13, features even more rebellion. If Mozart had lived longer, it is certain that he would have made brilliant strides in advancing musical styles, as we witness in the opening of his “Dissonant” string quartet.

Along with technique, tonal norms have changed over the years. Gut E strings were still popular until nearly one hundred years ago, when the advent of World War I led to its shortage because gut was in demand for suturing wounds. Jascha Heifetz continued to perform with mostly gut strings throughout his career, and there is a character to the sound that, for me, conveys greater warmth. (At times, I have used a plain gut A string on my “modern” concert violin for concerto performances, but they are more vulnerable to changes of humidity.) The final changes to the violin, such as slightly more angle to the neck and the advent of the chinrest, helped promote greater facility and projection, and the modern setup has considerably more tension from the strings, primarily due to the higher pitch. The reshaping of the neck may have also been to facilitate shifting. (It is interesting to note here that Paganini’s “Cannon” violin, which I played for the press opening of the 1994 Metropolitan Museum exhibition of twenty-five Guarneri del Gesu violins, had a neck that was quite Baroque in style, and the instrument’s top had a lot of embedded rosin and dirt from contact with his chin.)

Another vital concept to consider is musical pulse, or tempo. The metronome was not reliable until Beethoven was well into his career, and prior to that it was the nature of the music itself and how it flows that determined pulse. The corrente (sometimes the French courant) that we find in Bach’s music translates as “running,” so the flow of the music should reflect this. Similarly, the Andante, or walking tempo, of the third movement of his Sonata in A minor for violin solo is conveyed through the eighth-note values, although the meter is ¾. His Partitas for violin solo were inspired by the French dance suites of his era, and I find it fascinating that he combines stately court dances, such as the Minuet and Gavotte, with peasant dances like the jig and Bourée (or Borea), which is for dancers wearing clogs or sabots.

The esteemed flautist and musicologist Johann Quantz used the human pulse as a basis to determine Bach’s desired movement tempi, but this is often quite fast at his estimation of 80 beats per minute and I find it unhelpful for slower movements such as those marked Adagio and Grave. For these, I have lately thought about breathing in and out; that is, an exhalation on the strong part of the music (for example, a downbeat) and inhalation on the lighter so that the sustained notes do not feel subdivided. In hearing period performances, I am often struck by the sensation that the music is literally breathing.

Additional clues to tempo are groupings of notes in a slur – if they are unplayable as marked and the performer is not in an immense venue, one should try a tempo that largely works to keep them intact – and the harmonic, or bass, motion. For example, the Siciliano movement of the G minor Sonata is often played with a pulse in eighth notes but, because the harmonic motion in the opening is slow, we end up losing the structure as well as the Sicilienne character. Of course, composers like Beethoven often used piano-style legato markings – as found in the Trio section of the Opus 96 Violin Sonata’s Scherzo movement, which extends for multiple bars – so in this case we need to change the bow but in as legato a manner as possible.

I find it intriguing that the basic Italian movement terms for music were well established outside of Italy by the early 18th century, and fun to note that Allegro refers to music that is merry, or what we might call upbeat, and that Beethoven had a hard time with it, because - as he complained - a lot of his music was not merry, leading him to use rather contradictory terms like Allegro con fuoco.

In comparing the autographs of music by Mozart and Beethoven, we are struck by the difference in editing; sparseness in the case of Mozart and a lot of information in Beethoven’s, especially in his desired dynamics. Again, this relates to the changing technologies of the instruments but also probably to Beethoven’s encroaching deafness and his lack of respect for the musicians of Vienna. Beethoven makes a distinction between the printed words for crescendo and decrescendo and hairpin swells, and it is important to do a survey of the expressive markings used by a composer and ascertain a definition, such as between sfz and FP. Overall, it is very unfortunate that, in editions that include urtext versions, the distinction between a composer’s use of the dot and the stroke (also called a “wedge”) is largely eradicated, perhaps due to a general lack of understanding of their intended realizations. (For me, the stroke indicates a note that is melodically and rhythmically important – but this may change depending on the composer and era.) The dot may mean many things that include a lift in the sound, and I tell my students that all I know for certain right away is that the sound is not fully legato, either before or after the modified note and sometimes on both sides. I was never taught portato bowing – which is often called “bow vibrato” and produces an undulating sound - and learned it only when I started playing period instruments, but find it appropriate in a lot of music including that of Beethoven and Schubert. Ultimately, the realization of articulations should be determined in view of what is appropriate for the expression and character of the music.

I also look to a composer’s use of dynamics for defining the demeanor of the music. Although we are taught as young music students that “piano” is soft and “forte” is loud, I characterize these with more variety, such as music that is gentle, fearful, or sweet versus noble, heroic, powerful, or exuberant.

A wonderful source for a lot of these considerations is The Art of the Violin (L’Art du Violon, published in 1834) by Pierre Baillot, who was a violinist and pedagogue closely associated with the early Paris Conservatoire.

For instance, violinists were encouraged to view each string as having its own tonal character, with the masculine end in the lowest register and the feminine at the higher, and the E string was called the singing string (Fr. Chanterelle; It. Cantando). This is a helpful idea when thinking about dynamics for Bach’s works for solo violin, which are also affected by his use of single through quadruple voices; often, more voices imply greater volume, as in several people singing together versus one voice. Baillot also devotes a chapter to what he calls “the natural in art” – or striving for as natural a musical expression as possible - which I think is terrific advice.

The good news is that Baillot’s publication is readily available in paperback, and it is an excellent addition to the strings player’s library. The other good news is that many autographs or first editions of this great music are now available online, such as through IMSLP or www.bach-digital.de. Through these resources, the motivated violinist can research the music and make informed decisions regarding its interpretation.

—Stephanie

Do you have a burning question for one of the Pros? Simply email: hello@theviolinchannel.com

A student of Sally Thomas and Arthur Grumiaux, Stephanie Chase is a former major prize winner at the Tchaikovsky Competition — and former recipient of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. She has performed concerts in 25 countries internationally — and has served a long term teaching position on faculty at New York University Steinhardt School of Music

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What are some playing styles that you know of? Do you have a preferred style of musical composition? Please leave a comment below, we are keen to know your thoughts.

Violist Atar Arad Discusses Why it is Important for Performers to be Versatile in Many Styles

There have been just a few times in my life that I have had to pull over on the side of the road to avoid risking an accident in order to listen to an almost dangerously captivating musical performance on the radio. On one of such occasions, Heifetz was piping through my speakers performing Bach’s E major partita. I was absolutely taken, engrossed, fascinated, mesmerized. While listening, I thought back to advice given to me by my own music teachers (a long time ago, mind you): “Heifetz is the greatest of all violinists, but don’t bother listening to his Bach”. “His Bach lacks a sense of style; it is simply wrong”, they added, and I readily accepted. And here I am, totally engaged and late to my appointment…

How important is it that a performer today be versatile in many styles? Extremely so! In addition to the fact that every composer has his or her own language and a distinctive style, we can safely say that each piece of music, indeed each movement, may require a different stylistic approach. As we prepare for our performances and attempt a dialogue with our composers, we should immerse ourselves in their style and expressive tools. We can accomplish this by listening to their music and the music of their contemporaries, by reading about their lives and learning about the art, literature, and history of their time, and, of course, by musical analysis of their works. It may be inspirational to listen to some authentic gypsy music when preparing the last movement – Rondo alla Zingarese: Presto – of Brahms’ Piano Quartet No.1, or to look at paintings by artists such as Nolde, Kokoschka, Kandinsky (all pillars of the German Expressionism movement) when working on works of Hindemith, just as it is essential to read about Beethoven’s life when plunging into his late quartets. However, let’s keep in mind that my conversation with Bach shouldn’t be the same as yours, and neither of our conversations should be the same as Heifetz.

It is a mistake to think about style as a set of rules or a tradition to be respected. Style is an experience, a guess, a fancy.

A performance is never right or wrong: It is beautiful or less beautiful, communicative or less communicative, interesting or less interesting.

We don’t perform to please the musicologist, nor should we try to satisfy those who think – and tell us – that they know “the right way”. We perform to the best of our ability trying to touch the beauty as WE understand and feel it. As we strive to connect with the style of each and every piece and every movement we play, we do need, of course, to be extremely versatile.

As for the question of whether one should be specializing in one style or genre, such as baroque or contemporary music, or work toward being more versatile, my simple answer is that the younger you are the more open you should be to everything you can possibly learn and absorb. This is for the benefit of exercising and developing your ability to learn, as much as to be richer in choices later. You may feel today that chamber music is your dream, but who knows. Down the line you may discover jazz and fall in love with playing it. Meanwhile, until you consider yourself settled, always follow your heart, always practice, and always explore.

–Atar

Do you have a burning question for one of the Pros? Simply email: hello@theviolinchannel.com

Israeli-born violist and composer Atar Arad is a faculty member at the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington. His summer activities include teaching at Keshet Eilon, Israel, Domaine Forget, Canada, Heifetz Institute, and the Steans Music Institute (where he is serving as faculty since 1991). A Cum Laude First Prize winner at the Geneva International Music Competition (1972), he has performed worldwide in recitals and as a soloist with major orchestras and, for seven years, as a member of the celebrated Cleveland Quartet. His recordings with the quartet and as a soloist for labels such as Teldec, Telarc, RCA, and RIAX are widely acclaimed.

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