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Regardless of how well one knows the sources: To what extent can Beethoven\u2019s actual intentions can be discerned? There is, of course, that continuous teacher-to-student tradition that extends into the present, particularly in Vienna. But things have also developed over the generations. So how close to him can one actually get in an interpretational sense?<\/p>\n
JJA: <\/b>I like comparing that to mountain-climbing. You don\u2019t actually conquer a mountain; when you reach the summit, it\u2019s only ever as a visitor. And when I engage with Beethoven\u2019s music as a performer, it\u2019s much the same: I can attempt to get close, to shine a spotlight on it and feel it. But I always tell my students that they also need to look at facsimiles of the composer\u2019s own notation. At the mdw, one huge advantage we have is how very close we are to the primary sources\u2014and one job of ours as teachers is to make clear how we have to return to those over and over again.<\/p>\n
Doesn\u2019t that also entail paying some attention to the question of just what instruments were available to Beethoven?<\/p>\n
JJA:<\/b> Absolutely! It\u2019s unbelievably instructive to do your own research on how the instruments to which he had access sounded. At the Museum f\u00fcr Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, there\u2019s a Brodmann fortepiano from 1815. If you use it to play the so-called Moonlight Sonata<\/i>, you\u2019ll notice when you jump to its lowest key in the fast third movement how there\u2019s this sharp metal ornament positioned directly next to that key. You\u2019d feel a bit scared going truly all-out on that note\u2014and that\u2019s the kind of thing you\u2019ll only learn by playing on such an instrument. Another aspect is the clacking sounds produced by the hammers, which become something almost like a stylistic device in this movement. You don\u2019t get those on a modern piano, of course, and the true effect of Beethoven\u2019s pedalling is also something that can only be realised on an old instrument.<\/p>\n
You initially mentioned tempo. Czerny reports that tempo was the first aspect that Beethoven would want to know about following a performance. Does a performer hit upon the \u201cright\u201d solutions here more through intuition or more through historical sources?<\/p>\n
JJA: <\/b>My mother was an organist and also directed church choirs, so my original musical home is in sacred music\u2014for which reason I find pulse and breath very central. You can\u2019t lead a singing congregation without taking that into account. So whenever I ask myself what tempo is the right one, I\u2019ll typically start from the idea of a singer\u2019s breath or a violinist\u2019s bow.<\/p>\n
What aspect, apart from that, is most important to you in interpreting Beethoven\u2019s music?<\/p>\n
JJA:<\/b> Clear lines! I notice quite a lot, particularly when teaching abroad, how some pick-up notes or ornaments will often get turned into these big expressive effects and outbursts of subjective emotionality that are rather inappropriate. Chopin said: \u201cLa derni\u00e8re chose, c\u2019est la simplicit\u00e9.\u201d<\/i> [Simplicity is the highest goal.] And in Beethoven\u2019s music, as well, it\u2019s necessary to deal closely with every figure\u2014but you then have to let go and allow things to flow. That\u2019s ultimately the name of the game.<\/p>\n
What do you tell students to do in order to achieve this simplicity based on exacting work?<\/p>\n
JJA:<\/b> I\u2019ll often suggest they go to a Viennese dancing school. If you learn how a waltz has to swing, that knowledge can do a huge amount for your playing. I also advise them to do lots of singing, perhaps as part of a choir, as well as to study songs\u2014including folk songs, which were of great importance up to the Second Viennese School.<\/p>\n
What gets paid special attention at the Beethoven Competition? And what do contestants need to bring to the table?<\/p>\n
JJA:<\/b> Showy effects and virtuosic excesses won\u2019t get you very far with us. It\u2019s not about faster, higher, farther. And I\u2019d add, here: I\u2019m familiar with lots of competitions, I\u2019ve won a few myself, and I\u2019m on lots of juries. Every competition is just a snapshot. Nobody can tell me that a person who won a first prize somewhere in 1973 is automatically the best forever. I\u2019ve always been critical of what goes on in this respect, but you do have to look closely and be discerning. There are some competitions\u2014and their existence probably is justified\u2014that are marketing-oriented from the get-go and make that clear to their juries. In such cases, the point is to find somebody who can serve as a mascot for the event and will go on to have a big career in terms of CDs, media, and so on.<\/p>\n
And then you have events that are after something else, which is a category in which I\u2019d include the Beethoven Competition. We view our event as more of a festival and define ourselves as a podium where the competitors can introduce themselves and possibly end up playing in the Musikverein\u2019s Golden Hall\u2014which is something many musicians dream of. We also concentrate exclusively on Beethoven\u2019s works for piano, which is something no other competition does. It is, of course, a unique tradition and a special obligation that we have here in Vienna, and we\u2019re very happy about how the mdw has always held true to us.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your present-day take on your own experiences playing in competitions? And how have your wins\u2014like at the Cliburn Competition in 1997\u2014ended up affecting your career?<\/p>\n
JJA:<\/b> I\u2019m still grateful for those experiences, despite how the headline of first interview I gave following the Cliburn Competition read: \u201cI hate competitions.\u201d I view it as a mixed bag. Rankings in music are questionable to begin with\u2014but in that kind of context, at least, there\u2019s no better way. Still, I view the major benefit of a competition\u2014and this is also what I tell my students\u2014as lying in the necessary preparation and in thinking about who you are as an artist and how to best present yourself. Cliburn was a great experience for me, and I still maintain friendly contact with around ten of the talents from back then. That win\u2014along with others, like at the Busoni Competition\u2014did help a great deal, of course, seeing as it opened certain doors. I was able to give my Viennese debut at the Konzerthaus, and Vienna just is a special place. After those competition wins, I did a whole lot of concertising\u2014which was great, but it ultimately moved me to think about whether I really wanted to end up spending my life living in hotels. And that wasn\u2019t what I wanted to do long term, so I\u2019m now very happy teaching at the mdw and internationally while being able to deliberately select what concerts I play. In this respect, I\u2019ve managed to strike a balance that works well for me.<\/p>\n