2023-08-29 02:00:00
The American violinist Hilary Hahn (Virginia, 1979) arrives today at the Kursaal for the first of two concerts offered by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie in Bremen. Under the direction of Omer Meir Wellber, Hahn will join a classical program in which she will perform Mozart’s ‘Violin Concerto No. 5, KV219, Turkish’ as a soloist.
– He performs today with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. What would you highlight about this orchestra and its director Omer Meir Wellber?
– I love working with this orchestra because each musician assumes a lot of individual responsibility and also has great musicality. Everyone contributes ideas. It is complete, alive and beautiful. As for Omer Meir Wellber, even when he doesn’t play an instrument, he still makes music. I feel that the orchestra and he dialogue and understand each other, and a fascinating dance is created that I am delighted to be a part of. We all contribute to it.
– How do you achieve understanding with a director?
– Collaboration is very individual and so is how differences are resolved. In any case, there is not much time to work with the orchestra. Much of the rehearsal consists of playing the music, saying a few words, playing again, and figuring out how to move in a general community direction. Therefore, everyone should be friendly and approach collaboration with an open and flexible mind. But the soloist and the conductor have different musical personalities and the orchestra has its own personality. Sometimes the clash is what makes a performance great.
– He will perform Mozart’s ‘Concerto No. 5’, a demanding and virtuous composition. Are you comfortable touching it?
– I learned Mozart’s ‘Concerto No. 5’ when I was 10 years old. I used to think Mozart needed a specific approach, but I find his music benefits from not holding back, on the broad side and on the quiet. I love playing with articulation, tonal presence, long versus short lines, slightly varying tempi within the same section, contrast, subtle versus obvious, and fluidity. The piece appears to be of a fairly standard format. However, there is a lot to play with within the structures and it is important to enjoy exploring.
– You are an artist who has always been very attentive to new forms of communication and is very active on social networks.
– I have always liked having a connection with the public. The work I do on social media is actually an extension of my interests and the community I’m always building with my fans and colleagues. In the networks you can talk about things that interest you, projects that you are exploring and things that are on your mind and in doing so you can see how it resonates with your community. You can also plant the seeds for future projects.
– On Instagram he opened an account in the name of his violin case. Because?
– I love that there are many active artists on Instagram. When I joined, it was not okay to use your name as an identifier, because it really wasn’t a professional platform. So I liked posting from the perspective of my violin case. Over time, people started to get confused, because the violin case has a sarcastic attitude and I had to explain to them that those were the violin case’s opinions, not mine. I also wanted to run some projects in first person, like #100daysofpractice. So I ended up taking care of my violin case, but it’s always there, in the background, watching.
– You mentioned the project ‘#100daysofpractice’, with which you help students to improve. Can this way replace the traditional way of educating?
– I don’t think anything can replace face-to-face pedagogy. However, most of our time on the instrument as working or studying musicians is spent alone in a room. Having a sense of community can help us feel more open. When people start talking about things they have in common, community is strengthened. When I realized that this communication was a gap in the field and that I, too, had been in isolation for quite some time, I began to share some of my own thoughts and experiences. The response was gratifying. It also helped me a lot.
– How do you see the new generations of violinists?
– The new generation of musicians has a lot going on and they are doing a great job updating the industry and music traditions. They play music by composers that weren’t performed very often (or ever) when I was a student. In addition, they are coming up with social music projects and sharing their work on social media.
– What advice would you give to a young performer who wants to pursue a musical career?
– If I had to give one piece of advice, it would be to remember to rest. Your health is more important than your job, and in fact, when you’re healthy, you work better. So pay attention to your well-being, be kind to yourself, and be kind to others.
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