CULTURAL SUPPORT

Generosity and humanity

hours a day and was fearfully proud of the fact, although many musicians practice much more.

So how much should an aspiring musician practice? It’s a mistake to force young people to spend all their time working; otherwise it’s easy to develop a love-hate relationship with an instru- ment. Schumann, Brahms, Bach – they’re all about life lived to the full, pleasure and passion, and to express that, a musician must have expe- Geneva’s Victoria Hall rience of life! of a!airs, to say the least! At the rehearsal, each monic, Philharmonia) – so I’m kept on my toes. The great Sibelius Violin Concerto arouses of us said what we wanted. By listening very This year I will also be making a CD recording of profound emotion – did you choose this piece carefully to one another, we found a new way the two Shostakovich Violin Concertos with the for the program yourself? of working together, without having to compro- Symphony Orchestra, and in 2015 I will be Yes. The Sibelius Violin Concerto is an enor- mise. I was very pleased with the result. Artist in Residence with the . mous pleasure in every sense. It has the longest, I have no immediate plans to perform in Geneva most magnificent melodic lines and is a great Judging by the frenetic applause, so was the in the near future, though I do hope to have the ©Giorgia Bertazzi challenge, both physically and emotionally. By audience. What do you think characterizes a opportunity to get to know the city soon. the time the last movement arrives, you have Violinist Christian Tetzla! good soloist? already given the piece your all – yet you have to A good soloist, in my opinion, is someone who 1 APRAM is the Association pour la Promotion go on. It’s a wonderful combination of physical is able to cast a spell over an audience while et le Rayonnement de la Musique of Geneva, which supports local musicians. In line with its commitment to making a exertion and emotional depth. never forgetting that he is transporting a mes- meaningful contribution to the local com- sage. The measure of a good soloist is if a lis- 2 CAECILIA is an artist management agency munity, JTI supported a concert given by What was it like to perform at the tener says, “That’s the most beautiful piece I’ve active in Geneva and Zurich. the at the Victoria Victoria Hall? ever heard” – and not, “That’s the most beautiful Hall on January 14, conducted by Riccardo It was my second time there – the first was with performance I’ve ever heard.” It’s also reflected CHRISTIAN TETZLAFF Chailly. Organized in partnership with Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra in 2005, when I per- in the soloist’s relationship with the orchestra APRAM1and CAECILIA2, the program fea- formed Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. I play about and conductor; those small but ever-important Born in Hamburg in 1966, he began play- tured works by Bruckner and Sibelius, 100 concerts in all the world’s major cities every details; dynamics; being free in one’s interpreta- ing the violin and piano at the age of six, including the latter’s great violin concerto season, so you can imagine I have to deal with tion – but sticking to the rules. It’s not only about and made his concert début at 14 years performed by Christian Tetzla!. The world- all kinds of venues. In rehearsal there was a lot of beauty, but also about generosity and humanity. old. He studied at the Musikhochschule renowned soloist talked to INSIDE Geneva echo in the Victoria Hall, but during the concert Lübeck and with Walter Levin at the Uni- about musicianship, emotion and humanity. with the audience, it was just right. It’s an exciting, What are your favorite works and composers? versity of Cincinnati. architecturally attractive hall with lively acoustics. I have so many! To play, my favorite is the You started playing the violin at the age of Brahms Violin Concerto. It’s like a symphony Tetzla! is much in demand as a solo- six. Did you always know you wanted to Have you worked with the Vienna with a soloist. I’ve performed Beethoven’s Violin ist with the world’s major orchestras become a professional musician? Philharmonic and Riccardo Chailly before? Concerto 270 times, so evidently it’s one of my and is highly praised for his recordings, At 11, I knew that was what I wanted, though it It was the fourth time with the Vienna Philhar- favorites, but I also love Bartók and Berg. which include the major concerto rep- may not have appeared so. I played in four youth monic, but I had never performed with Ric- ertoire, Bartók Sonatas, and the three orchestras – it was a wonderful experience to cardo Chailly. The orchestra had given four What are your projects for the near future? Brahms Violin Sonatas. Christian Tetzla! perform with 100 people of my own age, and I performances of the Sibelius Violin Concerto Every year I perform with a variety of ensembles, has received several awards, including loved touring. The social aspect of music making with Leonidas Kavakos before I joined the tour. my own string quartet, other chamber musicians, two Diapasons d’Or, the Midem Classi- remains important to me to this day. It’s about Obviously, he plays di!erently to me, and there and I teach. I also work with the six major Ameri- cal Award, the ECHO Klassik prize, and communicating emotion to your audience. By was only limited time for Riccardo and I to get can orchestras, and the three London ensembles several Grammy nominations. the time I was 14 or 15, I was practicing three to know each other, which is an unusual state (London Symphony Orchestra, London Philhar-

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