BY CHRISTOPHER LEON
How can we have a well-rounded music education in Australia without exposure to the music of cultures across the world?
This is the benefit of the Lutosławski Quartet’s upcoming involvement with musicians-in-training at the Australian National Academy of Music. The group was formed in 2007 and is now one of the most successful string ensembles in Poland. This June, they’ll not only be performing works by Poland’s leading composers alongside ANAM musicians, but they’ll also be presenting a public masterclass. This means you can choose to listen and learn in a variety of ways, alongside students from the academy.
The significance of the quartet’s ANAM residency also aligns with two other major events: it’s the 30th year of this educational institution, and it’s also the final year that Paavali Jumppanen takes the role of ANAM artistic director. So who better than Paavali to shed light on these opportunities for learning and music-making? We sat down for a chat.
You’ve been the Artistic Director at ANAM since 2021. During your tenure, what impact has being part of ANAM family had on you personally and professionally?
Having had visited in Australia many times before, it was quite incredible to be able to bring my family with me to spend some years actually living in this extraordinary country.
Professionally, I should say that delving into contemporary programming for all the instruments which train at ANAM has been a fantastic learning experience and a truly inspiring adventure.
You have recorded and performed with the Lutosławski Quartet, together sharing your love of chamber music works. How would you describe the performance capabilities of the Lutosławski Quartet, and their unique approach to chamber music performance?
The Lutosławski Quartet members are wonderful representatives of the spectacular string playing tradition that thrives in Poland. When we think of the greatest and most legendary string players of all times, nearly all of them come from or around Poland, so Lithuania and Ukraine included. Today this tradition lives in musicians who are absolute masters of their instruments and who also are incredibly adaptable to different musical styles, ranging from folk-fiddling to hard-core avant-garde.
The Lutosławski Quartet (pictured below) focuses on 20th- and 21st-Century chamber music. What is it about these newer eras of chamber music that you find fascinating?
I believe this is due to those eras producing such colourful and moving music. Classical and Romantic periods gave us masterpieces for sure, but they also built a foundation for an explosion of styles and contrasting composer personalities which then occurred during the 20th Century. For musicians like the Lutosławski Quartet, delving into the wealth of all this music must simply be inspiring.
How do you see the role of chamber music changing over the centuries?
Certainly chamber music which, by definition, originated as house-music – the string quartet essentially is a genre of sit-around music making – was over time brought into the concert hall. So there probably have been changes in what composers have wanted to ‘say’ with chamber music because of this. But purely musically, chamber music still is a form of chamber-drama, which when followed from close distance, i.e. venues that aren’t too huge, allows the audience to feel that they are either very close or even at the heart of the action.
The quartet is dedicated to the celebration of Polish composers and musical works. How do you feel Polish music plays an important and influential role in the art form?
Poland has produced a very high number of great composers, many who are known internationally and even higher number who are known only in Poland. A symbiosis between the country’s virtuoso musicians and composers who were always able to compose to these musicians is something we can now all enjoy. Just think of a roster including Chopin, Szymanowski, Bacewicz, Mykietyn, Penderecki, and Lutosławski! A musical world without them would be almost unthinkable, and they all came from Poland.
The Lutosławski Quartet will host a public masterclass as part of their week-long residency at ANAM. What aspects of this open masterclass do you think will resonate most with participants?
Open masterclasses are so inspiring to watch! It’s like getting a guided entry into music’s engine room. I happen to have a couple close friends who are neurosurgeons, and they tell me that playing one of our instruments is probably the most difficulty cognitive skill that a human being can do. At a master class, the observers get glimpse into how it actually happens.
What aspect of the Lutosławski Quartet’s week-long residency at ANAM do you feel students will most enjoy?
ANAM students are just like the members of the Lutosławski Quartet, just a few years behind on their path. Reaching the kind of expertise these musicians possess is a tough journey and one which, despite all the essential advice, needs to be accomplished individually. Working with people who have done it is the best kind of support that young musicians can get, and this is exactly why at ANAM we arrange these opportunities.
What experience and technical skills would you most like to see the quartet impart on the next generation of Australia’s classical music performers?
I strongly believe that Australian musicians can reach their full potential by embracing what is Australian in their craft and musical culture. This goes into the music they play but also the manner in which they play. With the Lutosławski Quartet, we have a top ensemble who have done the same by embracing what Polish means in music, and this is what I believe will be the biggest help for our young Australian musicians as well.
Why do you think these types of cross-cultural collaborations are important in the early stages of a music career?
Music is many things. One of them is that it is a kind of international language or a sphere people can use for connecting with each other. Instrumentalists and composers through times have demonstrated that setting yourself up for these international connections, either by travelling abroad to study or inviting musicians from abroad to your own musical home, is essential in finding one’s own voice. Australia, a country so largely built on immigration, should be an expert in managing these international connections, and certainly at ANAM we try to do our best in this respect.
Experience the Lutosławski Quartet’s residency at the Australian National Academy of Music including performances on 5 and 10 June and an open masterclass on 3 June. Full details on the ANAM website.
Images supplied. Featured image credit Pia Johnson; second image and above by Maarit Kyoharju. Quartet by Łukasz Rajchert.
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