James Strecker: You’ll be in Toronto and Rochester in April to perform the Bach Piano Concerto in F Minor BWV 1056 and the Bach Piano Concerto in D Minor BWV 1052. To begin, I’d love to know what each concerto means to you, both as a pianist and as a lover of Bach. Any chance you might squeeze in the 1058 which so long ago was the first Bach LP I ever bought?
Angela Hewitt: The TSO asked me, I suppose about two years ago when we first discussed this date, to specifically play some Bach Concertos, conducting myself. They also gave me a specific time limit within which to stay! The D minor is not just the greatest of the Bach Keyboard Concertos, it is one of the best concertos of all time. So of course I chose it. That meant that I had to choose one of the shortest ones as its companion. I went for the F minor rather than the A major -the only two that were short enough- because I adore its beautiful slow movement. It’s one of Bach’s most magnificent creations. They have both been in my repertoire for a long time and I have conducted them from the keyboard for well over 20 years now. So I think they were the best ones to choose.
JS: When you are the soloist with an orchestra, what do you expect of a conductor in this collaboration? What can the conductor expect of you?
AH: At its best, one adds to the other. A great conductor will inspire you, make you play your very best, add excitement, wit, tenderness….whatever the piece requires. And in turn he can expect the maximum commitment, sensitivity and knowledge of the entire score from me. But that really only happens very rarely on the highest level. Usually one just hopes to get through it more or less together, sometimes given the very short rehearsal time they have allowed you!
JS: Could you describe several such situations in your concert history when the collaboration was especially rewarding and –no names needed- when the experience was much the opposite.
AH: For sure, no names will be mentioned! Well, once I was given 15 minutes to rehearse the Schumann Concerto which takes 32 minutes to play through. That was interesting -not wanting to use stronger language! Once, because a conductor had taken too long over his Mahler Symphony, we had to stop before playing the final pages of a Mozart concerto because time ran out. He asked the orchestra if they would continue to the end, since it was really only a matter of a minute and a half, and most of them said OK, but a few walked off stage.
Some of them in the past have purposely ignored my requests, which I always try to say very diplomatically. It’s not an easy situation, I admit, because one is thrown together with somebody you’ve often never seen before in your life, and have to produce something very intimate. But when it works well, usually you feel that immediately, and it’s a great joy. A lot also depends on the orchestral musicians themselves, and their attitude. If they want to make it work, they will.
JS: I’ve heard from a number of long-established opera singers that young singers too often do repertoire beyond their physical conditioning, beyond their technical abilities, or beyond their personal maturity, and can sometimes thus do damage to themselves. Is there any way that this kind of situation is similar in any way to that of pianists and, if so, how is it so?
AH: I think it’s a bit crazy now how pianists want to play Rachmaninoff at age 12 or 13. I don’t think the body, let alone the emotions, are ready for it. What was exceptional at 17 years old in my day is now done age 12. Kids are forced too early into playing the big romantic pieces.
I was glad that I had teachers, beginning with my parents, who realised the necessity of studying first Baroque and Classical periods—and the ‘moderns.’ In my day ‘moderns’ meant Bartok, Kabalevsky, Canadian music. And then when they are in their early teens they would get into the big romantic stuff. I really didn’t do that until I was 15 years old which was quite soon enough. That said, I think it’s important to learn as much repertoire as you can when you’re young—especially in the years from say 15 to 21 years old—because that is what you will remember your entire life. Those pieces will always be a part of you.
JS: Two weeks before you arrive in Toronto, you’ll be in Beijing and Shanghai and on your day off between performances in Toronto you’ll be in Rochester doing another concert. And then a week later you will be doing a masterclass and recital at that wonderful Wigmore Hall in your own city of London. What I’d like to know is -with all your recitals, concerts, lectures, and masterclasses in a very busy schedule- what survival skills did you have to learn to keep your music at a desirable level and what kinds of personal adjustments have you made in order to keep going?
AH: I’m answering these questions sitting in Hong Kong Airport, having left Macau on the ferry this morning. Since I am on a long stopover, I found a wellness place here in the airport and had 45 minutes of massage. That’s how I keep going. Not much sleep last night or the night before, so I hope to make it up tonight. I’ve had a 13-hour time change this week. Plus I think I’ve picked up some parasites as I usually do when in Asia. But don’t worry—I travel with my anti-parasite pills, mostly garlic powder. We all have the special things that keep us going.
It’s amazing how you can still stay focussed and perform well even when you’re tired, though I try of course to avoid that. The music carries you through, and all the careful preparation you have done. I work very consciously on the memory now—I know exactly what I’m doing, though that’s not saying it’s foolproof. I’m only human! “Personal adjustments”? One starts to become a concert pianist at the age of 3, and then you never stop. It’s not a life for everybody. And you can’t have a normal home life. If you want that, don’t become a concert pianist or a travelling musician at all.
JS: Gramophone magazine named you ‘Artist of the Year’ in 2006 and you are internationally esteemed as a pianist. The Guardian in 2001 called you “the pre-eminent Bach pianist of our time” and London’s Sunday Times called your recordings of all the major keyboard works by Bach for Hyperion “one of the record glories of our age.” What I wonder is if such acclaim imposes on you a feeling of stewardship regarding how Bach should be interpreted. Do you feel responsible to be definitive and get Bach done the “right” way? Or is it a matter of each of your recordings being a step toward a better understanding of Bach’s music?
AH: There is no “right” way. I have worked hard—all my life—to develop the way I play Bach on the piano. It’s great that so many people have liked what I do, since you can never please everybody, and I don’t try to. In my masterclasses around the world, I simply try to pass on to students and music lovers what I have discovered, and to help them know what to do when faced with a page of notes but no markings, as is the case with Bach’s music and baroque music in general. Mostly it’s to do with articulation, phrasing, clarity of lines, tempi, the influence of the dance, making it sing. These are all things that help you be a better musician, and that also help you with the rest of the repertoire. I’m still “progressing”, I hope!
JS: Are there any mistakes or misjudgments that pianists sometimes make in their interpretation of Bach? Why do they do so?
AH: Well I suppose those pianists who play Bach with a lot of pedal and without a good rhythmic sense—these are two things that I find hard to accept. You need the clarity and the buoyancy in the playing. And when every beat is accented in the same way—that is terrible! Why do they do so? I don’t know—perhaps they don’t listen to themselves properly. It’s much easier to play with the pedal. Far less work!
JS: You have been asked this before, since you own a Fazioli, but what makes this increasingly popular piano so special? And in comparison with the Steinway piano, are we saying that one is better than the other or is it a case of each having its own uniqueness that brings something distinct to musical interpretation?
AH: The Fazioli piano is a remarkable creation. Not only is it beautiful in design, but it is a piano on the very highest level. Mr. Fazioli is constantly thinking of how to improve on his already marvellous design, and the quality of each instrument is extremely high. He tries each one personally -he is not only an engineer, but a pianist. The action is incredibly responsive to every variation in touch, and everything I imagine in my head I can produce with my fingers. It gives me complete freedom to play as I wish. The sound is also very coloured. Other pianos can have a beautiful sound but are much less interesting because the sound cannot be varied to such an extent as on a Fazioli. With the Fazioli you can get great power but also wonderful delicacy which, nevertheless, does not lose its brilliance. The high frequencies and reverberations are always there. This is a great feeling! It has wonderful clarity, especially in the lower register.
Of course each piano, even within the same make, is different. There are just too many variables. But I find with the Faziolis, especially the ones he is producing now, that they are all of an extremely high quality.
The other day in Manchester I played a very beautiful Steinway—a German one. But the American ones I can’t get on with at all. They require a far too heavy touch and have none of the subtlety and beauty of tone the Fazioli has. I am always totally exhausted afterwards.
JS: As well as your many Bach recordings, you have been enthusiastically appreciated for recordings of music by a number of other composers as well, none of whom there is time to discuss in detail. But let’s try it this way: for each composer named, please say briefly why you yourself appreciate this person’s music and also what you found especially interesting in recording it. Here we go: Mozart?
AH: The theatrical element, and the comedy/drama. The piano becomes a singer as well as a comedian.
JS: Beethoven?
AH: He is human. For his great range of expression—from the most tender feelings that are completely heartbreaking to the most exciting stuff—also incredibly noble.
JS: Schumann?
AH: His huge imagination into which you can completely throw yourself. And the expression of his love for Clara in his music.
JS: Ravel?
AH: Ah, Ravel! The spicy harmonies, the sensuality, the pianistic brilliance, the sense of the dance.
JS: Messiaen?
AH: The colour and the structure. Plus, like Bach, his faith gives his music great strength and moves me.
JS: Couperin?
AH: The various moods he creates. But those damn trills…!
JS: Debussy?
AH: Pianistic effects, but also the great clarity of his writing -which might surprise people. It’s not all impressionist stuff. Plus he wrote some good melodies!
JS: You’re an Ambassador for The Leading Note Foundation’s “Orkidstra” which is, I quote, “a Sistema-inspired, social development program in Ottawa’s inner city which, through the joy of learning and playing music together, teaches children life-skills such as commitment, teamwork and tolerance.” What does that mean, how successful is it, and why are you involved?
AH: It means exactly what it says. It’s a fantastic project that takes kids from the poorer areas of Ottawa, many come from abusive homes, and gives them a reason to smile, and something to look forward to every day, and something to accomplish. It’s wonderful to see them singing and playing together. There are some very gifted kids there who will go on to make music their life. These kids need a chance. One shouldn’t be prevented from learning a musical instrument just because one’s parents can’t afford it. The skills they learn in music help them with life in all its aspects. So I support them wholeheartedly.