GOOD VIBRATIONS Featuring Dame Evelyn Glennie Larkinsurance.Co.Uk
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ISSUE 4 GOOD VIBRATIONS Featuring Dame Evelyn Glennie larkinsurance.co.uk What’s Inside Cover Story 8-10 4-7 Tears of joy Professor Colin Lawson CBE tells Lark Private Clients Director Julie Webb he is moved by what students achieve at the Royal College of Music Life on Mars Dame Evelyn Glennie talks to Lark Private Clients Managing Director David Foster about her mission to 16-18 make the world listen Cover picture: Ian West 12-15 Piano forte Fabulously Four Step forward Ulrich Gerhartz, probably the most The world-renowned Endellion String Quartet important behind-the-scenes figure in the piano world. consider what has kept them together as they He simply says his work is ‘a service to the arts’ approach their 38th season Welcome oodness, where did this year go? It has been a busy time at Lark but I am pleased to say the music team is nicely Gsettled into the London head office at Ibex House. The good vibrations continue with all-exclusive features in this issue of LARKmusic and Dame Evelyn Glennie, who I will always remember playing Caliban’s Dream during the London 2012 Olympics, shares her vision for music education with Lark Private Clients Director David Foster. Talking of education, we congratulate Royal College of Music Director, Professor Colin Lawson, on being awarded the CBE in the Queen’s Honours list and he talks to us about life at the RCM. He shares the moment when his first fell in love with music and we broaden this idea to invite readers to talk about their introduction to music. We are also proud to introduce our new Lark Scholar Renate Sokolovska, who is studying at the RCM. Steinway & Sons has been synonymous with fine pianos since 1853 and we have been learning about what goes on ‘under the bonnet’ of concert grand pianos from Director of Concert and Artists Services, Ulrich Gerhartz. Amazing! The wonderful Endellion String Quartet grace our pages and as they approach their 38th season read on to find out the secret of their longevity! Best wishes Gemma Deavall Divisional Director to Music Division [email protected] ARTICLES 11 How I fell in love with music Retired Professor Leslie Brent shares his poignant memories 19 Musical Notes News from Lark Private Clients Director Julie Webb 22 Out & About 20 Ice baby The music team’s Isabella Valentini reports on a busy Meet new Lark Scholar, flautist Renate Sokolovska, season of events who is studying a Masters at the RCM larkinsurance.co.uk Life on Mars Virtuoso percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie shares her vision to teach the world to listen with Lark Private Clients Managing Director David Foster istening is the key to general music lesson. By the time we and asked if I could have lessons, everything, according to left at the age of 11 to go to secondary which were provided by the school Dame Evelyn Glennie – school, we could all read music and system. and not just music. had an appreciation of general music L “My percussion teacher refused to and music-making. Her aim is to teach the world to listen allow his pupils to specialise. He but she has actually been doing it all “I went to a secondary school that was adamant that we would have of her life. was a really good school for music, a good grounding on hand-tuned When she first voiced her ambition to sport, drama and all sorts of subjects. timpani, on snare-drum technique, be a solo percussionist music Music was a hugely important part of xylophone and vibraphone. the whole school’s ethos. academics thought she had ‘landed “With that, you could feed into many from Mars’ but she made them come “There were many groups, orchestras, d i f fer ent t y p e s a nd s t yle s of mu sic. S o, round to her way of thinking. bands and choirs, so during one in fact, less was more. assembly, I could see the orchestra For Dame Evelyn, the lure of “The city of Aberdeen didn’t have a playing. It was where I saw percussion started at a tiny primary percussion store, just a general music percussion for the first time. school in the north-east of Scotland. store which mainly sold pianos, She said: “The entire school had only “When you see an orchestra so it meant all of our experiences two teachers and a maximum of play, that’s pretty special and I playing music came from the piano about 43 pupils. was intrigued by the variety of repertoire, violin repertoire, flute and “Every Friday we all received a instruments. I was really inspired so on. Dame Evelyn Glennie and David Foster play the Amadinda Picture: Ian West 4 LARKmusic Dame Evelyn Glennie plays the Marimba at Harrogate Picture: James Wilson “We didn’t have tutor books and days. What is the difference? Now just for there to be no work at the end exercise books – we created our own I need some more substantial of it. exercises from pieces of music. All repertoire, I need composers to write “I said ‘hang on a second, I do not of the time, we were dealing with for percussion rather than making want to be a member of an orchestra, music as opposed to exercises, so by arrangements’. so you are creating a problem there not having something meant that we that doesn’t actually exist’. created something else. “When I went to audition for the Royal Academy of Music, I obviously “I asked them, ‘Am I good enough to “The imagination really was did my best. I thought it went fine, get in. Yes or no?’ completely ripe from the beginning.” and everything was OK. “They said: ‘Yes, however, we just Dame Evelyn says all of the “However, they wrote back and said can’t accept you.” percussionists were given the they did not believe any professional opportunity to play solos during orchestra would hire a hearing “I felt that it simply was not good school and community concerts so enough. You can not start picking she ‘just assumed’ that the whole and choosing people even if they are world was full of solo percussionists. of the standard to get in. I told them I said hang on a how I felt. She said: “It was pretty normal for us to play solos – it was only when second, am I good “One man on the panel was David I became a full-time student in Robertson and he listened and London and said I wanted to be a solo enough to get in? basically said, come back and we will percussionist that they thought I’d give you a completely unprepared landed from Mars. Yes or no? audition. “The music professors were saying “The audition consisted of everything that no one has done this. Where is impaired musician and therefore on being done at the piano. There was no percussion playing whatsoever. the repertoire? Why do you think you that basis they would not be able to It was all to do with music analysis, can do it? accept me. keyboard skills, figure base, “I told them, ‘I am already doing it “They said they did not think it would transposition, looking at a score and and have been for all of my school be fair that they took me on board deciding who might have written 5 larkinsurance.co.uk A musician is someone who creates sound and makes emotion through that sound and it connects with another person. So that is all about listening, and then what does that person do with that something? that, and why do you think that. She said: “We are dealing with the hold the stick or whatever it is … it Just general musicianship. I did not oldest style of instruments, yet the is asking them to listen themselves know what was going to come at me. repertoire is the most recent, and so that they can create their own therefore you are not dependent on journey. From that stems how “Once that had finished, the going into a record store or looking listening becomes so crucial, in the Academy said, right, you can start in on YouTube and finding lots of workplace or the domestic situation. September.” performances for these pieces of “Most of the breakdowns or “David Robertson was a wonderful music. challenges that we have are to do with man and really hugely important to “You have to listen to yourself in listening. They really do. It’s the one me during my student years. order to play these pieces. You have thing that is the glue between people. “So from then on it was just a case to make a decision as regards to how “So for me, knowing that the body is of plugging away. I had two major TV you feel something might be played; not going to carry on as a performer documentaries made about me and so that’s the first thing. for evermore, there will come a time that generated quite a lot of interest. “When asked to do masterclasses – whereby I won’t be happy with what “From there I got invitations to play that is very much a form of listening. I am doing. So I have to think also, at after-dinner speeches and that Not just listening to what the players well, what is a musician? allowed me to build up a repertoire do there, but actually listening to that “A musician is someone who creates and put little programmes together, individual and why they are making sound and makes emotion through and just get the experience of the choices they are making, and that sound and it connects with performing solo.” how can you inspire them to move another person.