Violin Masterclasses ¦ A sort of “big violin party”
“Are you going to Kronberg?” has become a standard question amongst the cellists I know, so I was intrigued when my girlfriend Hwa-Won Pyun asked whether I could accompany her during violin masterclasses there. For the first time this picturesque village near Frankfurt is hosting almost 200 violinists – from 42 countries we were told proudly by the project’s director Raimund Trenkler. From the start it is clear that the whole operation is fantastically – well organised, a friendly welcome, caring host families, and a great series of concerts in the evenings.
Hwa-Won and I had prepared the Brahms D minor Sonata to play to Christian Tetzlaff, though very early (9.30!) our lesson was very productive, a teacher who really listens to what you do, and has a calm, reassuring manner. One senses how much the music means to him, how deeply he thinks about what playing music entails and how many hours he must spent with this music himself …
Inviting several professors simultaneously gives one the chance to listen to other teachers too: Ana Chumachenko teaching the Mendelssohn concerto, or Mauricio Fuks examining the intricacies of posture and bowing technique. I was impressed by the honesty and respect shown by both teachers and students for each other.
Even as a non-string player, it was difficult not to be captivated by the mixture of musical hard work, the astounding level of the students of all ages and the sense that the whole thing was also just an excuse for a social occasion, a sort of “big violin party”.
Nicholas Rimmer
Schlagworte: Hwa-Won Pyun, Nicholas Rimmer, Violin Masterclasses
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