Interview with Rachel Barton Pine
Rachel Barton Pine led the New Century Chamber Orchestra as guest concertmaster June 5-10, 2008.
How did you choose the program for the NCCO concerts?
This program is, in a way, a reflection of my musical personality – rooted firmly in the standard works of the repertoire and completed by worthy and unjustifiably neglected gems. The works span the classical, romantic, and 20th century and feature me in a variety of musical roles. I will perform as soloist, as concermaster/leader, and as a chamber musician.
The anchor of the program is the Brahms Sextet in Bb, one of my favorite chamber music pieces since I first performed it as a teenager. It is a masterpiece of the literature and we will be performing it in its original version, with just six players.
The first half consists of works that will probably be unfamiliar to most of the audience. As I chose the repertoire, I had an opportunity to review the previous few years of NCCO programming. I noticed the group's versatility and interest in sharing lesser-known repertoire with their audience. I put together a list of pieces in this category that I love and really want to share with audiences. The Saint-George Concerto in A Major, the George Walker Lyric for Strings, and the Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson Sinfonia No. 2 were all on the list.
In the end, I chose these three because a) they worked well together musically and programmatically (composers of African descent) and b) I realized that, unlike others on the list, the audience might never have the opportunity to enjoy these great works.
The Saint-George Concerto in A Major is a work by a Black composer from France at the time of Mozart (Saint-George was known as “Le Mozart Noir”). It's rare to ever hear any French violin concertos from the classical period. Unlike the German concertos (heard much more often), the first movement of French concertos from this period have no cadenzas. The virtuosity is also more highly developed – Saint-George goes at least a fifth higher on the fingerboard than Mozart, and some of his bowing techniques are reminiscent of the swordsmanship for which he was famous.
I first heard the George Walker Lyric for Strings performed by a Black and Latino orchestra in New York. I was overwhelmed and immediately bought a recording. The Lyric is gorgeous and can really be considered the “other” Barber Adagio.
I have loved the Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson Sinfonia No. 2 for many years. Like most of Perkinson's works, it is heavily influenced by jazz. The third movement, played entirely pizzicato, is particularly brilliant. Perkinson became a good friend at the end of his life when I worked with him on his “Blue/s Forms” for solo violin.
I am very excited to be collaborating with the NCCO and to be sharing this repertoire with their audiences.
Has your work with the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation’s new Student String Library of Music by Black Composers influenced your program choices for your upcoming June concerts?
Michael Morgan, currently the conductor of the Oakland East Bay Symphony, first exposed me to music of Black composers in 1992. Then Principal Conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, he led the orchestra in a special Black Composers concert in collaboration with Chicago's Center for Black Music Research. I was concertmaster of the orchestra and played a concerto on the program.
In 1997, Cedille Records approached me about recording an album of lesser-known concertos and asked for repertoire recommendations. I remembered how much I had enjoyed the concerto that I performed with Michael Morgan and began to investigate other concertos by Black composers. In the process, I got to know many of the leaders in Black music history and research and was amazed by the quantity and quality of compositions I discovered. My album, “Concertos by Black Composers from the 18th and 19th Centuries,” represents only a small sampling of these works.
I advocate music I believe in, whether it's Bach, Brahms, Joseph Joachim, Franz Clement, Augusta Read Thomas, Jose White, Pei Lu, Johann Georg Pisendel, Roque Cordero, or Saint-Georges. I am not advocating works because they are by Black composers, but because I think they are works worthy of audience exposure. Unlike musicologists and researchers, I am in a special position as a performer because I have a certain amount of control over the repertoire that audiences hear. This is an important responsibility that I take very seriously.
That said, there is an additional, compelling reason to highlight the works of Black composers. There is a huge potential constituency for classical music that are under the mistaken impression that classical music is not a part of their culture and heritage. I hope that exposure to these works will cause African -Americans to feel more connected to this amazing art form and be inspired to become part of classical music's future.
We hear your violin is pretty special. Can you tell us a little about it?
The violin I use for most of my concerts is known as the “ex-Soldat.” It was made in 1742 by Joseph Guarneri "del Gesu.”
Guarneri and Stradivari are considered to be the two greatest violin makers of all time. “Del Gesu” violins have been the preferred instruments of many famous violinists including Paganini, Ysaye, Kreisler, Heifetz, Stern, and Zukerman. Many of these violins have special histories; here is the story of mine:
In 1875, an extremely talented young musician named Marie Soldat (1863-1955) decided to give up the violin to develop her talents in piano and voice. Hearing Joseph Joachim perform in Graz three years later, however, inspired her to return to the violin, and to study with him.
Marie Soldat was introduced to Brahms at Pörtschach during a summer tour of Austrian spas in 1879. After hearing her play, he arranged a benefit performance to help pay for her studies. Brahms also gave her money for a train ticket to join him and Joachim in Salzburg. When she began to play the Mendelssohn Concerto with Brahms at the piano, the strings on her violin snapped. Joachim handed her his Stradivari, and her performance was so impressive that Joachim accepted her into his class at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin.
Soldat (later Soldat-Röger) became a member of Brahms's inner circle and a regular chamber music partner. Their friendship continued throughout his life. The famed pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow once introduced her as "Brahms's understudy."
Soldat was widely considered one of the greatest violinists of her day. She studied the Brahms Concerto with both Joachim and Brahms, and it became her signature piece. She introduced it to many European cities, including Vienna in 1885, with Hans Richter conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. She gave it its second performance in Berlin, with Joachim conducting.
Brahms selected this violin for Soldat in 1897 and arranged for a wealthy Viennese businessman to purchase it and loan it to her for her lifetime. The Strad magazine, in 1910, remarked that "…[it] bears most of the characteristics we have learnt to associate with this maker in a remarkable degree. The tone is of extraordinary beauty, and suits the violinist's virile style admirably.… The tone is full and rich, and noticeably deep on the G string. All the outlines of the fiddle seem to breathe life and strength."
I like to think that Brahms chose this violin, in part, because its voice represents most closely what he envisioned for his music.
After Marie Soldat passed away, her violin was bought by a collector and not heard in the world for many years. I have been using it since 2002 when I recorded the Brahms and Joachim Concertos with the Chicago Symphony. It is a great privilege to have such a magnificent instrument as my musical partner and it is a great joy to share its voice with audiences.
Who are some of your favorite musicians?
I’m frequently asked to name my favorite violinist. It’s virtually impossible — each of us has strengths and weaknesses. I admire certain performances and certain aspects of many players, and I draw inspiration from many violinists past and present. However, the violinist I most admire is definitely Maud Powell. Despite being an avid researcher of violin music and history, I had never heard of Maud Powell until Karen Shaffer sent me a copy of Maud’s biography in 1995. I was fascinated to read about her remarkable and inspirational life. Reading on planes and in hotel rooms, I learned how she became the greatest American violinist in the late 1800s and early 1900s while also breaking so many social stereotypes: choosing to dedicate her life to her career; leading a string quartet of men; championing music by contemporary composers, American composers, women composers, and Black composers; and introducing classical music to numerous new listeners. She is often in the back of my mind today as I perform works by contemporary, women, and Black composers; as I perform rock and classical music in non-traditional venues; and as I give benefit concerts, support young string players, and strive for improvement and greater understanding in all of my interpretations.
Maud and I have a lot of cool parallels: We were both born in Illinois and had our earliest lessons in Chicago. We both received our finishing training in Berlin (Maud studied with Joachim, I studied with a student of a student of Joachim). We both were/are dedicated to outreach, talking to our audiences about the music before each piece on our recitals and using transcriptions of popular music to appeal to new listeners. We both championed/champion the works of minority composers. Both of our husbands traveled/travel with us full-time. (In fact, the ladies of the Maud Powell Festival in her hometown of Peru, IL, often call Greg by Maud’s husband’s nickname!)
Some rock musicians I will always love include AC/DC, old Aerosmith, Anthrax, Beastie Boys, Black Sabbath, Doors, original Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, KMFDM, Led Zeppelin, Love and Rockets, Megadeth, Melissa Etheridge, early Metallica, Ministry, Motorhead, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Nine Inch Nails, Nitzer Ebb, Pantera (RIP Dimebag), Peter Gabriel, Rage Against the Machine, Randy Rhoads, Scorpions, Sepultura, The Siegel-Schwall Band (and ALL Chicago blues!), Slayer, U2, Van Halen (in case you’re wondering, I fall into the Sammy Hagar camp, but it’s probably just a redhead thing…).
What is it that you love about heavy metal music?
I love the intensity of heavy metal. The music is powerful and relentless, empowering to the listener. I first heard heavy metal at age 12, during a time when there were a lot of challenges in my life. I felt an immediate connection.
As a performer, I am very inspired by many of my favorite metal groups. While the emotional palette is smaller than in classical music, they throw themselves into the emotions of their music 110%. They project these emotions to their audience so that every listener gets caught up in the same feelings.
When I first began listening to heavy metal, I felt that it was the polar extreme of the classical music I was studying. However, when I began playing it on the violin, I realized the compositional complexity of many of the metal sub-genres (e.g. speed metal - Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer) are very sophisticated. Most of these bands studied classical music and are classical listeners. Marty Friedman, formerly with Megadeth, talked with me about the Ysaye violin sonatas. At the House of Blues in Chicago a few months ago, I was hanging out with Keri Kelli, the lead guitarist of Alice Cooper's band. When he found out that I played classical violin, he immediately asked me if I knew the Locatelli caprices. He's a big fan of the pre-Paganini Italian violinist/composers. So, perhaps my love of metal isn't such a stretch after all.
Are there any books that you think are “required reading” for dedicated musicians and casual fans alike?
Here are some of my favorite musicological books:
Groundbreaking books about violin history, repertoire, and performance practice:
- The History of Violin Playing from Its Origins to 1761: and Its Relationship to the Violin and Violin Music by David D. Boyden
- Violin Technique and Performance Practice in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries by Robin Stowell
Wonderful books about the history of American music:
- The Music of Black Americans: A History by Eileen Southern
- Maud Powell: Pioneer American Violinist by Karen A. Shaffer
Books about interesting topics written by authors with a great sense of humor (rare in the stuffy world of musicology):
- Men, Women and Pianos: A Social History by Arthur Loesser
- Music and Society in Lowland Scotland in the Eighteenth Century by David Johnson
A thought-provoking and inspiring book about the importance of music education:
- Putting the Arts in the Picture: Reframing Education in the 21st Century by Nick Rabkin and Robin Redmond
What’s the next big project you’re working on?
Almost every kind of folk or popular music has been incorporated into classical compositions, but there hasn’t yet been much classical that’s drawn upon elements of heavy metal. So I’m commissioning composers who grew up loving the same bands as me – like Michael Daugherty and Michael Gandalfi – as well as rock musicians with a strong classical background – including Steve Vai and Uli Jon Roth – to write classical violin pieces based on heavy metal. My vision is that this music will be played in both concert halls and clubs and will introduce the magnificence of heavy metal to my classical fans, and vice versa.
I am also working on publishing a collection of my compositions, including all of my cadenzas and virtuoso pieces.
Rachel Barton Pine's appearances with the New Century Chamber Orchestra are proudly underwritten by Dr. Tere Darragh. The San Francisco performance at the Herbst Theatre is sponsored by NCCO Vice President Norm Katz and Lucinda Lee Katz. The Palo Alto performance at St. Mark's Episcopal Church is sponsored by NCCO Board Member Sue and Robert Larson.