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Marc Destrubé period violin Young Romantics |
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Ask acclaimed musician Marc Destrubé - Co-Concertmaster of the Orchestra of the 18th Century; Director of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra; Lead violin for the Smithsonian Institute's quartet-in-residence, the Axelrod Quartet - to describe his friendship with Brandenburg Artistic Director Paul Dyer and Concertmaster Lucinda Moon and this is the answer you get:
"Walks in the Botanical Gardens and to Bondi, skiing at Whistler, giggly meals in Vancouver Indian restaurants, visits to Willunga, parcels of candy, fruit cakes, pots and wool mailed from end to end of the Pacific, but above all, the pleasure of happy music-making together." For Marc and Paul and their friendship - which has spanned 20 years and counting, and has involved countless trips across the Pacific to perform with each other's orchestra, or perhaps just for a skiing holiday - it was a modest start. It was the late 1980s and a young Australian music student studying in The Hague was quietly sitting in the back of an auditorium listening to the Orchestra of the 18th Century rehearse. "I was in awe of this orchestra," say Paul. "and as I was watching the musicians perform, Marc's presence definitely stood out. It was the way he played the violin, 'chin off' style, his head didn't touch the instrument. Instead Marc's instrument was like an extension of his body." Marc in turn was curious about the appearance of the new face watching intently from the back of the room, and the two were introduced at the end of the session. "I think there's a certain bond that exists between Australians and Canadians, especially when you're travelling," says Paul. "Marc's sense of humour immediately appealed to me, as well as his clever brain, which you could see was always working behind those mischievous eyes." The two musicians only saw each other a few more times during Paul’s stay in the Netherlands, and then not again for over ten years. "I first invited Marc to perform with the Brandenburg back in 2000," says Paul. "We hadn't seen each other for a decade, but from the moment Marc arrived, he fitted in - it was as if he had always been a member of the Orchestra." From his first visit Marc also developed a wonderful friendship with Lucinda, who also plays her violin 'chin off'. Young Romantics marks the fourth time Marc has ventured to Australia to perform with his good friends in the Orchestra. "Each and every player [at the Brandenburg is] fully engaged in making fine music together," says Marc. "This is unusual and wonderful!" And for the Orchestra, Marc's return has been eagerly anticipated, like the return of a family member. "Marc is the perfect person to lead the Orchestra this series," says Paul. "Not only does the Orchestra love him dearly, but who better to direct our venture into Beethoven's First Symphony than someone who has played Beethoven's symphonies many times over with the Orchestra of the 18th Century?" "The Beethoven is a piece I've played many times, in many contexts," says Marc. "The important thing here, as with the other music on the program, is putting it into a healthy historical context." "In the context of all that came before, it was a bold step forward," he continues, "an experiment that Beethoven put off until he was 29. It's important for the Brandenburg to do it because it means approaching the music from the right direction historically; after playing primarily baroque and classical music, I think the musical and instrumental challenges that Beethoven's First Symphony represented for his time, will come to the fore." "It's even more important perhaps for the audience to have a chance to hear a young Beethoven as the radical, revolutionary composer that he was," says Marc. "How wonderful it will be to hear Beethoven's First Symphony as a daring leap into the future, rather than hearing his music as part of the standard symphonic repertoire." For Marc, the Brandenburg's venture into the early romantic period is a natural progression, and, as he points out, most of the musicians of the early romantic period were simply using their classical instruments at the time. But for today's audiences it will be a unique experience to hear the music of Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Schubert on period instruments. "There's no really clear start to the romantic period in music," says Marc. "[There was] just a sense that composers involved their own emotions more in the music, [as well as] a shift of style to something more lyrical and linear. So the Mozart concerto movement can be seen as adventurously romantic, whereas the Mendelssohn is in some ways much more classical." From Mozart to Beethoven, Mendelssohn to Schubert and Arriaga (the Spanish Mozart), in this program you can hear each of the composers - all so young at the time - trying very hard to emulate the work of the masters, says Marc. "And yet all remain irrepressibly themselves," he says. "They really were the young romantics!" |