Friday, April 21, at At 19.00 the concert “LNSO, Poska and Brahms” will be played live in the Great Guild and “Klasikas”. The soloist will be the cellist Kristaps Bergs, while the LNSO chief guest conductor Kristina Poska, with whom we are currently meeting in a wider conversation, will be at the conductor’s desk.
The energetic and powerful symphonic opus of contemporary Estonian composer Ilo Krigula will be played at the concert Chords, but the great cellist Kristaps Bergs will be the soloist in the intense Cello Concerto by the Polish composer Witold Lutoslavski. Brahms, on the other hand, was already 43 years old when his First Symphony was premiered. He was undeniably a harsh self-critic and claimed that from the beginning of composing to the final revisions, work on the First took place over a period of 21 years. He once told his friend that he would never compose a symphony, because “how can we do it when a giant like Beethoven composed before us?” And yet – today we have both nine outstanding examples of Beethoven’s symphony genre and four of the self-critical Brahms.
Ieva Zeidmane: Brahms valued Beethoven’s symphonies very highly, thought that he would not compose symphonies himself, because such masterpieces had been created before him! Composed though! It is true that 21 years passed from the first sketches and ideas of the first symphony to the finished work. Do you hear the composer’s tremendous self-criticism in Brahms’s First Symphony?
Christina Poska: No, I don’t hear. We know that Brahms had a high level of self-criticism, but you can’t hear it in this music. You can hear only great talent and the best of Brahms. It is incredible that it took him more than 20 years to create this work. He started to write a symphony, but in the end the first piano concerto was created, and later only fragments of earlier works were woven into the symphony.
Yes, it is often said that Brahms always felt Beethoven’s shadow over him, sometimes this work is also called Beethoven’s Tenth Symphony. I used to not see that much of Beethoven in this music, but I have to admit that as the years go by, I see more and more of it. It is very interesting, because Brahms, of course, is a composer of a completely different style, he has a different musical language. But in his soul he is very conservative, in a sense a real classicist.
Undoubtedly, the way he creates the form, for example, in the last movement of the symphony, this is something completely new in Brahms’ time. Even if we analyze with today’s view, we can see that what Brahms created is very special. However, there are also elements from Beethoven, especially from the fifth symphony, such themes of the symphony of fate, such as the repeated, emphasized rhythmic motifs that run throughout the symphony. At the beginning – C minor – the same tonality as Beethoven’s fifth symphony. But then it goes to C major, there is a very masterful dramaturgy – per aspera ad astra – through thorns to the stars, from difficulties to immeasurable light. There are many other parallels, very interesting. The symphony is so rich, everything is on many levels. Even today in the rehearsal, I thought: we know that Brahms had an analytical mind and a perfect compositional technique, how he develops motifs and themes, how he creates a structure – this is highly intellectual. But at the same time this music is so very emotional! This combination is amazing. The more I work with this symphony, the more colors and depth of emotions I see. So it’s very interesting to revisit this symphony, especially here with this wonderful orchestra, which is able to realize so much.
This emotional depth is important to you…
Yes, because I think it’s in music. As a conductor, it is very important for me to bring out what I feel IS in the score. Because my job is to try to understand what the composer had in mind. And that’s what I’m reading in this score, so it’s important.
But you probably see different things in the same score at different times of your life.
Yes, certainly. It’s funny because
it seems, however, that everything is always written in black and white in the score. But the most interesting thing is what you see between the lines. And in the case of Brahms, there are many. The more masterful the composer and the better the piece, the more you read between the lines.
And of course we humans change and so does our vision. I have not conducted many first symphonies, but the last time was a little more than a year ago. As if it seems – it’s only recently. However, now I perceive this music in a completely different way, I keep discovering new things, and it’s a wonderful experience. It is the same with all great composers, with Mozart, for example. Although his structures and scores are much simpler, Brahms is more complex, yet every time you open the score again, you see something new in it. It is the same with Brahms and there is still so much to discover here!
Or is there an influence of Clara Schumann in this symphony?
I think that Clara Schumann influenced everything that Brahms did. But this symphony even has a Gruss an Klara – a greeting to Klara: in the last movement, in the introduction before the allegro, there is a beautiful horn solo, which Brahms wrote several years ago as a gift for Klara on her birthday. (SINGS). Clara is here quite literally, everything else is speculation. However, I think that Brahms was impressed by her.
The program also includes the work “Chordae” by Estonian composer Ilo Krigula.
I have played this piece before, I like it and I would love to include it in the program if I get the chance. The work was written for the Pärnu Music Festival in 2013. I have been a fan of Ilo’s music for years, we studied together, he is from my generation and I know him well.
We Estonians have many good composers, just like you Latvians! But Ilo is really special, the language and quality of his music appeals to me.
The work is quite compact, clear, very expressive music that can directly address the listeners. The name “Chordae” includes several meanings – it is a search for harmony. In Italian – Chorda – is a string, but “chord”, for example, in English – is a chord, so a set of several sounds. And again – in French “d’acor” – I agree. So this is a search for harmony, harmony, which is important for a composer. For a long time, a harmony sounds here and the composer discovers it in all its depth, only then the harmony changes to search for a new depth again. Development is beautiful and powerful. I am fascinated by Krigula’s music, this is a very good piece, I am happy that we will be able to play it here.
The premiere was conducted by Paavo Jervi – have you heard it?
Yes, because it is also fixed in the record.
Will your vision be much different?
Interesting because this is a very good post.
But my point of reference is usually the score. Even if I’ve heard something, the score is the foundation of the foundation.
We also performed this work by Krigula last week in Estonia, and Ilo came to the first rehearsal. Of course, I had my own ideas that I wanted to realize, I wanted the kind of interpretation that can be read in the score. But Ilo said – here we will change it a little, there we will do it like that, and that direction changed! That’s good too! And it was probably similar in Pärnu at that time!
But I joke that the score is the foundation of everything, just like the Bible, and then a composer comes along and changes everything! Real violence! I said: “How can you do that! The composer wrote everything in the score!” Of course, I’m joking. It is beautiful that everything is developing.
And it was about details, small nuances. A very exciting process that the composer and I went through together, the composition developed. The composer will also be present at the concert this week, so I try to interpret it the way he would like it.
Trying to meet a composer can be a challenge!
Depends on the composer. There are composers who don’t say anything, everything is fine with them, but there are also those who don’t like anything. But cooperation with Ilo is beautiful, we have known each other for a long time and I enjoy our cooperation.
Lutoslavsky’s cello concerto will be played with a solo by Kristaps Berg. Have you met in rehearsal yet?
Yes, there was already an attempt today. Since this is such a complex piece, it was planned that today we will work only with the orchestra and I will meet with Kristaps only AFTER the rehearsal, but we met already yesterday and quite spontaneously say to work – me and Kristaps. So we decided that he will join the orchestra in rehearsal today, then we’ll see how it goes.
And it was a great rehearsal, everything went well, he plays wonderfully, clearly, passionately, with a strong character, highlighting in this work exactly what I think should be highlighted. This work is technically difficult for everyone, but Kristaps was able to immediately focus on details and colors, it’s great to work like that!
This work is also a challenge for the orchestra and for me. Conducting it requires completely different skills and technique, different coordination. Today, in the rehearsal, I worked sitting down, without much movement, I was physically very calm. But concentration here is so strong that I was sweating anyway. Conducting at the highest level!
Then you have to switch from Brahms to something completely different…
Must switch quickly. Maybe we need a longer break. (laughs)
Last week you said – nowhere is as good as at home, because you conducted in the Estonian concert hall and the program included Pēter Vaska’s Violin Concerto “The Distant Light”. The composer seemed satisfied. What were your impressions?
It was a very, very special concert. Trina Rubel was the soloist – just like last year in Cēsis, at the Vaska Music Festival. Already then we met Vaska, he suggested some directions. And also last week he was in a dress rehearsal in Estonia. This piece and the way Trina plays it is very special. Although I only conduct the orchestra, both Trina and I, being Estonians, feel such a strong connection with this piece, and thus also with Latvia. Here in Latvia, of course, orchestras have played this piece and know it, but in Estonia it is not a standard repertoire. But already at the first rehearsal together with Trina, the sound was so natural that it seemed that this composition is in the blood of the musicians, although many of them had not played it at all, or had played it a long time ago.
I realized that this is also our music. Then I talked about it with the concertmaster. He said that there are studies that prove that we, Estonians, are genetically even closer to Latvians than to Finns. It should be looked into in more detail!
Of course, we are Baltic countries and Estonians are ethnically closer to Finns, and Latvians to Lithuanians. At the same time, there are very close ties. And being in Riga quite often, I feel it more and more strongly. Of course, we are also connected by a similar past. But also the mentality, the way we look at things, is similar.
And Vaska’s music, despite the completely different musical language, has been influenced by Arvo Pert. I think anyone who heard Trina Rubel play Waska’s Violin Concerto last week would say that it was really her music. Of course, music is a universal language, you can be from South America and still feel a connection with Vaska’s music. But it was a special experience for me, I hope to be able to play Vaska’s music more and more often.
Latvijas Radio invites you to express your opinion about what you heard in the program and supports discussions among listeners, however, reserves the right to delete comments that violate the boundaries of respectful attitude and ethical behavior.
