© ATOM 2016 A STUDY GUIDE BY MARGUERITE O’HARA
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74295-944-3 http://theeducationshop.com.au CONTENT HYPERLINKS (click on arrow) Introduction Highly Strung is a documentary film Synopsis 3 about string instruments and the Curriculum Guidelines 3 people who play them, the people who make them and the history People taking part in the film 4 of string instruments. Focusing on Glossary 4 members from the Australian String Quartet and the unique world of Filmmakers 5 Guadagnini instruments, Highly Structure of the Documentary 6 Strung travels from Adelaide to New York, Milan, Venice, Cremona, Paris Student Activities 6 and London. On this journey we meet many interesting and colourful After Watching Highly Strung 11 characters that bring these valuable
References and Resources 13 instruments to life, from the workshop © ATOM 2016 to the concert platform.
2 The film runs for 100 minutes
Synopsis Curriculum Guidelines
The film explores the world of instrument dealers, musi- Highly Strung is suitable for secondary students in the cians, luthiers, collectors and philanthropists through learning areas of the prism of the acquisition of four Guadagnini instru- ments which philanthropist and music lover Ulrike Klein - Music- History and Performance, arranged to loan to the Australian String Quartet. - English - Design and Technologies Director Scott Hicks and Producer Kerry Heysen en- - Art and Craft countered fascinating characters at every turn, including - Film and Media Studies the members of the Australian String Quartet, which found itself in flux when filming commenced, with Highly Strung would also be an excellent resource for changes to the quartet’s line-up under dramatic and sur- tertiary students studying music history and performance. prising circumstances. Hicks follows them to Venice to The film raises universal questions about the place of clas- film them performing at the 2015 Biennale Arts Festival. sical music in the contemporary world and how it can be kept alive through continuing renewal and passion as well ‘There are all sorts of human drama, intriguing situa- as with public and private financial support. The film opens tions, unexpected twists and turns,’ Director Scott Hicks up this world in a dramatic and entertaining way. said of the part the quartet plays in Highly Strung. The activities and sets of questions in this guide are de- We watch Roberto Cavagnoli, a luthier based in Cremona signed to provide opportunities for students to: in Italy, create an exact copy of a Guadagnini cello for the Ngeringa Arts Foundation. We meet musicians with - Understand the complex nature of group dynamics very different approaches to their work and enter into the within this ASQ quartet or any other group of musi- rarefied world of buying and selling historic string instru- cians, classical, jazz, rock or pop ments. It’s about much more than just the money. These - Develop an appreciation of the history and making of stories are all interwoven into the dramatic intrigues of stringed instruments to understand why they are both the Australian Quartet and their generous philanthropist desirable and valuable pieces of essential equipment patron Ulrike Klein. for musicians - Learn something of what drives philanthropists such as Ulrike Klein to provide opportunities for young musi- cians to play on very special instruments - Develop an understanding of the filmmakers’ role in constructing a complex narrative structure that weaves together different elements of the story - Appreciate the aesthetic, style and structure of a film text - Develop appropriate vocabulary to express responses to the material © ATOM 2016 - Learn about the life of professional classical musicians and their opportunities for performing a range of classi- cal music for an audience 3 People taking part in the film Glossary AUSTRALIAN STRING QUARTET STRING QUARTET — a string quartet is a musical ensem- Kristian Winther Stephen King ble of four string players – two violinists, a viola player and a — First Violin — Viola cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group. Ioana Tache Sharon Draper — Second Violin — Cello AUSTRALIAN STRING QUARTET — an Adelaide based string quartet who play in concert halls and at music festi- THE CARPENTERS vals all over Australia and internationally. One of Australia’s finest music exports, the ASQ has appeared at interna- Sean Carpenter David Carpenter tional music festivals and toured extensively throughout the Lauren Carpenter Grace Carpenter United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand and Asia in recent years. The Quartet frequently performs with leading guest NGERINGA ARTS artists and in recent years has appeared with internation- ally acclaimed artists including pianists Angela Hewitt and Ulrike Klein —Ngeringa — Roberto Cavagnoli, Piers Lane, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, clarinet- Arts Director and Founder luthier working in tist Michael Collins, violist Brett Dean and cellist Pieter Alison Beare Cremona Wispelwey. — General Manager Ngeringa is built on the Cello Luthier lands of the Peramangk. LUTHIER —Stringed instrument maker
OTHER PEOPLE APPEARING STRADIVARIUS —a Stradivarius is one of the violins, vio- IN THIS DOCUMENTARY INCLUDE: las, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari (Stradivarius), particularly Antonio Dr Lewis Yerloburka dealers in instruments Stradivari, during the 17th and 18th centuries They are O’Brien — elder of the Joshua Bell — one of regarded as amongst the finest string instruments and like Kaurna people. the world’s great violinists the Guadagninis and Guarneri Del Gesù sell for prices in the Charles Beare — who owns and plays a millions of dollars the world’s foremost Stradivarius authenticator, expert at Gregg Alf — prominent GUADAGNINI — Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (23 June identifying and confirming American luthier based in 1711 – 18 September 1786) was an Italian luthier, regarded the provenance of rare Venice as one of the finest craftsmen of string instruments in history instruments with Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri ‘Del Gesù’. Simon Morris — director of Beare’s of GUARNERI ‘DEL GESÙ’ — Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio London, prominent Guarneri, Del Gesù was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri family of Cremona who produced stringed instruments in the 18th century. KEY CREW CREMONA — city in Lombardy in Northern Italy that is Director, Writer, Scott Hicks the most famous centre in the world for the production Cameraman of stringed instruments. There are more than 100 luthiers working in Cremona. The city claims to be the birthplace Producer Kerry Heysen of the violin and has been its champion since 1566 when Executive Producers Timothy White, Andrea Amati invented the prototype modern violin from the Anna Vincent viol - the medieval fiddle. Demand across Europe initiated a golden age of violin making when Andrea’s grandson Nicolo Editors Sean Lahiff, Scott Gray Amati and his pupils (including Antonio Stradivari), along with Giovanni Guadagnini and Giuseppe Guarneri made the Sound Recordist James Currie & Supervisor best violins in history. See http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/violin- Camera Assistant Mark Crowley makers-cremona for further information about Cremona and its violin makers. Highly Strung is a Kino Films production in © ATOM 2016 association with Southern Light Alliance CODA — the concluding passage of a piece of music
4 Filmmakers Director and Photographer Scott Hicks talks about making this documentary
One of the intriguing aspects of a documentary is that Back (2009), The Lucky One (2012) and Glass: A Portrait you don’t really have a script because you have no idea of Philip in Twelve Parts, a documentary about composer what’s actually going to happen. You start out with an Philip Glass. He has completed post-production on a idea, an approach. feature film Fallen, based on Lauren Kate’s paranormal romance, which has become an international best seller. You certainly have a sense of what it is you’re exploring, but every situation and every scene that you encounter is Hicks has also directed American television commercials fascinating, because it might hold the secret of the story, for Mercedes, Audi, Subaru, Hyatt, AT&T, Bank of America one that is only really revealed when you edit the film. and Google as well as early videos for INXS, which intro- duced the group to an American audience. It’s like a process of unpeeling, and each layer of the onion reveals more intricate details. In 1999 Hicks was named South Australian of the Year and Australian of the Year for South Australia in 2008. For me, the great power of documentary is the license to explore a world unknown to me, to identify great stories He lives with his wife and collaborator Kerry Heysen in and connect with people who can animate the minu- Adelaide where they maintain a vineyard on the Fleurieu tiae and the grand themes of life through their personal Peninsula. experience.
As director and cameraman, I must discover and convey a unique world to an audience unfamiliar with its nuance. My task demands an eye for the intimate and the epic. Kerry Heysen, the film’s producer, I must follow my instincts down any path they lead me, explains how she and Scott gathering the raw material to sculpt and weave and weld Hicks have always had a shared into a genuinely theatrical experience. passion for music.
Scott Hicks is probably best known for his 1996 film My father was involved with music, one of our sons is Shine, which was nominated for seven Academy a musician, and our breakthrough film Shine, is about Awards, among many other awards; Geoffrey Rush won the life of pianist David Helfgott. Music has been a the Best Actor Oscar for his role in Shine, a film about great stimulus in our work. We also enjoyed success brilliant but troubled pianist David Helfgott. with our documentary on Philip Glass. Now Highly Strung is about people who have absolute passion © ATOM 2016 He has directed numerous documentaries and feature for music, obsessed by the instruments that they films including Snow Falling on Cedars (1999), Hearts make or play or collect. in Atlantis (2001), No Reservations (2007), The Boys are 5 Structure of the Documentary
As indicated in the synopsis, this documentary film explores several inter-related areas of the world of string instruments. These include: • Outline the process undertaken in 2013 to set up the ASQ chamber music ensemble 1. The dynamic between musicians of the • What is perhaps a little unusual about the personal Australian String Quartet relationships between these four musicians? 2. The history and making of stringed instruments • What is the provenance of the instruments — two vio- 3. The world of buying and selling rare and ex- lins, a viola and a cello — that the ASQ musicians will traordinarily valuable instruments be playing? 4. The varied styles and approaches of classical • Describe the background of Ulrike Klein, founder of the musicians Ngeringa Arts Foundation, who has made this pos- 5. The role of Ulrike Klein, music lover and philan- sible? What inspired her to set up the foundation that thropist, in enabling young Australian musicians makes this extraordinary loan possible? to play the Guadagnini instruments • What role does Simon Beare, Director of J and A Beare Ltd. play in the instrument acquisition? There are four parts to this film headed • What is the approximate value of each of these 18th cen- ‘Movements 1, 2 and 3 and Coda’. Each of the tury stringed instruments on the international market? listed areas above is woven into the development • The whole room just starts to buzz. How do each of of the narrative in each ‘movement’. the quartet members — Kristian, Ioana, Stephen and Sharon — describe their instruments? • How does Stephen characterise the design of the stringed instruments? • How do Joshua Bell, who plays a Stradivarius, and Student Activities Gregg Alf, a luthier, account for the science and history of violin making in the Italian city of Cremona? • What has luthier Roberto Cavagnoli been commis- A. First Movement sioned to make for the ASQ?
The Australian String Quartet in 2013
The Quartet and their instruments
I was recommended to the players that were there at the time and we went in and played and I thought ‘you know this is really cool’. Like move to Adelaide and get away from the madness of Melbourne and really focus on doing © ATOM 2016 one thing — Kristian Winther, first violin
6 • Outline the process of creating a cello that is as exact a copy as possible of a Guadagnini cello from the 18th century? How much of the making of the cello is done by hand? Why is the quality and type of the timber so important? What does the letter R stand for on a piece of timber suited to instrument making? Explain the purpose of the soundpost in a stringed instrument as Gregg Alf describes it.
The String Quartet
The quartet is like a bottle of wine. The first violinist is the label, second violin and viola are the actual wine and the cello is the bottle —Ioana, second violin
• What personal qualities (apart from being highly skilled players) do string instrument players need to have to be part of a string quartet? How might their role be different to that of either a solo player or a member of an orchestra? • How does Alison Beare, the General Manager of Ngeringa Arts, describe the most important qualities required by members of a string quartet? • What does Kristian suggest is just as important for a quartet as a cohesive sound? The quartet is like a bottle of B. Second Movement wine. The first They are entrepreneurs, musicians, whatever you want — Grace Carpenter describing her adult children who play in violinist is the their own group, The Carpenters label, second We’re spreading the gospel of Stradivarius — Lauren violin and viola Carpenter are the actual We have the music side of things; we have the kind of busi- wine and the ness aspect that we work with institutions, banks, hedge cello is the bottle funds — David Carpenter
IOANA • What are your initial impressions of the Carpenters? • What is special about the instruments they each play? • How do they ‘shake things up, be disruptive’ as Lauren suggests is an important aspect of being a member of this group of musicians? • How is the world The Carpenters move in quite unlike that of most other classical musicians? • It’s both beautiful as a work of art and meaningful as an object of history as well as quite interesting as an investment — Roy Niederhoffer (Hedge Fund Manger describing a Stradivarius violin). What is the evidence that Stradivarius’ instruments are an excellent long term investment? © ATOM 2016 • How do ancient instruments such as the Stradivarius, the Del Gesùs and the Guadagninis retain their life as instruments rather than simply as valuable objects? 7 • Lifelong accumulated knowledge. What does Roberto Cavagnoli’s work on the cello he is making for Sharon Draper suggest about the most important elements of creating a stringed instrument? • Outline the stages in creating a stringed instrument that we see in the film from selecting the wood to the finished instrument. • What are some of the skills and experience demon- strated by Roberto Cavagnoli as he handcrafts the cello from an original Guadagnini instrument? • Describe the scene where Sharon has her first play with the cello Roberto has been making for her to use as a member of the ASQ. The Carpenters
• What enterprise are The Carpenters from New York embarking on with Glenn Adamson, the Director of the New York Museum of Arts and Design? What do you understand by Adamson’s observation that • Who does David Carpenter claim were the original buy- ‘there’s going to be a balance between functionality and ers of these instruments? aesthetics in any well designed and made object’. • What does dealer Simon Beare believe to be the impor- How is this exemplified in the string instruments, tance of collectors owning these 17th and 18th century whether old or new? instruments? • What are some of the extraordinary figures for violin • The instrument, without the musician who brings it to prices mentioned by the Carpenters? life, it’s like a dead piece of wood — Ulrike Klein. How • What is behind the Carpenters’ venture to pair a can a balance be achieved between the preservation of Stradivarius violin with Graff diamonds? Is this an an old instrument in a glass case in a museum and the continuing use of such instruments by musicians? Players and their instruments old and new — cost and value
It’s really getting to know the sound and colour. The more you play, the more you discover — Kristine Balanas.
Music is all about nuance. It’s like if you’re a painter, you’re suddenly given a million colours to work with instead of three or four — Joshua Bell.
• What do string players such as Joshua Bell, Kristian Winther, Sharon Draper and Stephen King think is vital to the continuing life of a great instrument? What are some of the important considerations for string instrument players in how they relate to their instrument? In what sense does the instrument become ‘their voice’? What do you understand by ‘the comfort factor’ men- tioned by several players? • Do older instruments necessarily sound better to musicians and audiences than more contemporary instruments? Can this question of sound quality be settled scientifi- © ATOM 2016 cally using blind testing? What did the blind tests undertaken suggest about player preferences for new or older instruments? 8 aesthetic choice or a business venture to further raise C. Third Movement the profile of old musical instruments or another op- portunity for the Carpenters to promote their work? • Do you think there is a tension suggested between The Unexpected money and music making or is promoting ‘the clas- sical music brand’ the most important aspect of the It’s harder than you might think to get four people com- Carpenters’ approach to music making? pletely on the same page musically — Ioana • What did Joshua Bell’s Stradivarius from 1713 cost him to buy in 2001? No one person in the quartet should be thinking: I’m the • Is there an answer to Kristian’s question, ‘Why do these soloist, I’m the director. It spells death for chamber music. instruments cost a hundred times as much as some- It’s meant to be four equal people — Sharon thing that sounds half as good?’ • Strads, del Gesùs and Guadagninis • What is the unexpected bombshell that creates difficul- What are the essential qualities Kristian sees in each of ties for the ASQ when they are part way through their these old instruments? 2014 program? • How does each of the members of the ASQ respond to • What have Kristian and Ioana decided to do? their valuable instrument? In what sense are they the • How does the voice of writer and director Scott Hicks custodians and givers of life to these instruments? now become more than a recorder and observer of
It’s harder than you might think to get four people completely on
the same page © ATOM 2016 musically
IOANA 9 That glamorous world of the classical music world...we’re always trying to bring that back
DAVID CARPENTER
what is happening amongst the four members of the and commitment — Kristian ASQ? How important is it that as an observer, Hicks Is Stephen — the violist — able or prepared to tell di- does not take sides? rector Scott Hicks what he thinks has gone wrong with • How are some of Kristian’s musical choices shown to the quartet and their different approaches to playing have caused dissension as well as excitement in audi- chamber music? Why might he be quite diffident about ences and ASQ board members? making the details of the falling out between the musi- • Why do you think it is important for professional musi- cians public on film? cians to play contemporary classical compositions • Is it possible for us as viewers of this film to really un- as well as the more traditional works of Beethoven, derstand what has happened? Can ‘levels of commit- Brahms and Haydn? ment’ be measured? • How did Ioana and Kristian tell Ulrike Klein of their • Why is it dangerous to speculate about decisions other decision? In what sense is the returning of the people make when we are outside their situation? Guadagninis to the ASQ management a strong state- • How did Kristian get the violin he played before — the ment of intention? Pressenda, a fine 18th century Italian violin — before he • It’s about personalities. You can weigh up things...look joined the ASQ and began playing the Guadagnini? at the way people have behaved over their lives and • What does Ioana’s October 2014 email to Scott sug- think...look it doesn’t matter, I’ll risk it anyway because gest about the disharmony and breakdown within the they’re fantastic at what they do or they’re super tal- quartet from her perspective? ented or whatever it is — Stephen • Why is it important for Director Scott Hicks to get some It has less to do with personality and how well you get clarity from the ASQ management about the unfolding along with people as it does just having people that situation as it affects his documentary? share the same obsession or the same level of passion • How does Kristian and Ioana’s decision to leave the quartet before the end of the current season suggest the depth of the disagreements within the group? • In what ways is this breakdown felt to be absolutely fundamental to each member of the quartet? The Carpenters return
That glamorous world of the classical music world...we’re always trying to bring that back —David Carpenter
Within the context of an industry it is a business and we are entertainers — Lauren Carpenter
• Why do you think the director includes this episode with the Carpenters in New York setting up a business © ATOM 2016 deal at this point in the film? • How does the world of the violin makers of Cremona contrast with the bling and high end glamour of the 10 world of the Carpenters? After Watching • How important a part of keeping classical music alive is the style of marketing the Carpenters employ? Highly Strung
‘Closing the Circle of Life’ • Which parts of this documentary did you find most interesting — the story of the ASQ, the making of the • How does Ulrike see the cello as part of the quartet of instruments, the work of the Ngeringa Foundation, the Guadagninis? How does she express the value of the style of the Carpenters or the range of classical music instruments? we hear in rehearsal and performance? • In what ways does Ulrike’s own history explain her wish • What are some of the new worlds it introduces to an to be able to give young musicians the opportunity to audience? be able to play these fine instruments? • Why do you think Hicks chose to include the sections • What has Ulrike created and built in the Adelaide Hills about the Carpenters, the New York musicians, in this to create ‘a synergy between nature and culture’? film? • Describe the ‘Giving Back’ ceremony between the • What did the documentary reveal about the life of pro- Klein family and the O’Brien family. Why is it important fessional classical musicians? to publicly acknowledge the ongoing connection with • It comes as no surprise that Hicks would be drawn to the the land and culture of the Indigenous people in this subject of this film which he engages with spontaneity area? How is Sharon’s cello playing an important part and humor, keeping the narrative at a bright, allegro pace in this ‘Reclaiming the Spirit’ ceremony? and dismantling much of the stiff decorum associated with classical music. (Maggie Lee, Variety film critic) How well do you think Scott Hicks succeeds in D. CODA showcasing various aspects of the world of stringed instruments and in de-mystifying the world of classical Below are two onscreen texts from the concluding stages music? of the documentary about what is now happening with the members and ex-members of the ASQ.
Sharon and Stephen are forming a new line-up of the Australian String Quartet
Kristian and Ioana work the night shift at a Melbourne hot dog stand...planning their next quartet © ATOM 2016 • What is Kristian Winther’s response to Scott Hicks’ question to him about whether he thinks he ‘overplayed his hand’ in relation to the breakup of the ASQ? 11 • What do you think is the average age of musicians playing in string quartets, in orchestras, for opera and other classical music groups? • Do you think it is possible to market classical music to a much younger audience? How would you do this? Do you think it is important to involve younger people in playing and listening to clas- sical music? Why? • Research the history and development of the ACO (Australian Chamber Orchestra) and its leader Richard Tognetti. Since becoming Artistic Director and lead vio- linist of the ACO in 1989 when he was only 25, Tognetti has challenged many of the conventional stereotypes about how classical music should be performed. How has he done this and who are some of the musicians from a non-traditional classical background who have performed with the ACO?
Music Education
• What role do you think schools might be able to play in maintaining the interest often developed in Primary Schools in continuing music studies? • What are some of the barriers to students developing their skills as musicians and singers in the field of clas- sical music? • What kind of dedication to practice is required of any musician to play as a professional? Photo by Steven Laxton • How can venues attract younger audiences to keep the classical music traditions alive?
The World of Classical Music
• What do you think of when the term ‘classical music’ is used to describe a performance? • Going to classical music concerts is also often seen as a stuffy activity, a bit like being in a church or an art gallery, except the audience does not get the chance to sing. At the same time, listeners to classical music on radio often belong to what could be politely referred to as ‘an older demographic’. • Does the world of classical music appear to you to be elitist and a bit dull, solemn and stuffy in its protocols with audiences made up of mostly rich older people? Is this perception a deterrent to younger people attend- ing concerts? • Attending live concerts is always expensive, whether listening to rock, folk or classical musicians. What opportunities are available for listening to live music without the high ticket prices? • While classical music has a reputation of mostly at- tracting an older audience to live performances, the musicians in classical music ensembles such as string quartets tend to be mostly under 50 and often, as we see in this documentary, much younger. © ATOM 2016 • At what age did Mozart and Schubert die? • What do you think is the average age of those attend- ing classical music concerts and festivals in Australia? 12 References and Resources
Information about the 2016 ASQ members http://www.asq.com.au/about/the-quartet Pianist Anna Goldsworthy writes about the challenges fac- Information about the ASQ 2016 season ing classical music http://www.asq.com.au/national-season-2016 https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2015/ An article about the troubles facing tertiary music schools october/1443621600/anna-goldsworthy/ and music education in Australia more generally lost-art-listening http://theconversation.com/its-time-for-tertiary-music- Review of the documentary education-to-change-its-tune-22057 http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/ Mrs Carey’s Concert, Bob Connolly, 2011 highly-strung-review-scott-hicks-1201639410/ This award winning documentary is about students at a Giovanni Battista Guadagnini Sydney school preparing for their annual concert. The https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ documentary is available on DVD and there is an ATOM Giovanni_Battista_Guadagnini study guide available Antonio Stradivari Read about students in Tasmania learning to make string https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Stradivari instruments Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-11/teaching- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Guarneri guitar-making-at-rosebery-high-school/6760846
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