elschenbroich in 30 seconds XX What are your favourite concertos?
kabalevsky no 2, Shostakovich no 2 and Schumann XX What are your favourite chamber works?
it changes all the time, but at the moment the Shostakovich quintet, the second Brahms quintet and the Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time XX What do you like to do in your spare time?
leonard elschenbroich with pianist Alexei grynyuk, and violinist nicola Benedetti during a radio 3 In Tune session, March 2012
pieces that are played over and over are not the most authentic as they were written under the most constraints and censorship. The works that were written under the least censorship aren’t played nearly as much and it’s almost as if the Shostakovich who wrote what he wanted isn’t as appreciated as much. It’s almost an insult to his real identity. ‘When you record something, what’s the point of recording pieces that have been done so amazingly so many times? This is such a great chance. It’s an absolute masterwork.’ This partnership with Grynyuk isn’t just confined to duo works – they also work as a trio with Elschenbroich’s long-term partner, British violinist Nicola Benedetti. On the day that I speak to him, he has just emerged from a two-day recording session with them for Decca. Many musicians speak darkly of the horrors of working with one’s other half. Is he still on speaking terms with his girlfriend? ‘Fortunately we almost always agree musically. You can have a very good relationship but very different musical tastes, but we see eye to eye. There is an ego thing though – it’s difficult to be told what to do by your partner as opposed to just a colleague. When we were recording yesterday, for example, I wanted to tell Nicky something about her playing in general, but I knew that it would annoy her if I said it in front of the producers, so I actually went over and whispered in her ear – and then when she had something
to say to me, she did the same thing!’ It’s a good thing that they work well together as Elschenbroich’s diary is just as busy with chamber music as it is with solo engagements. ‘It’s about half-and-half between recitals and concertos and chamber music, and I probably want to keep it that way,’ he says. ‘The chamber music repertoire is far greater in breadth and probably even in quality in comparison with the solo repertoire. To go around only playing concertos wouldn’t be satisfying, but half-and-half works nicely. I wouldn’t mind doing a bit more solo work but I wouldn’t want to do so with any intention of dazzling the audience. It’s all about musical thought.’ Hailing from Germany but having studied and worked both there and in the UK, Elschenbroich is in a strong position to comment on the differences between the two countries. Germany is often spoken of by UK musicians as that magical, mythical place where orchestras get more than one rehearsal per concert. But is it too good to be true? As Elschenbroich explains, the streets of Germany really are paved with gold, at least when it comes to arts funding. ‘Classical music is such a strong part of the cultural heritage of Germany and it has a high place politically. Subsidy of the arts is one of the highest in the world. For every opera ticket you buy, for instance, the government pays €200 (£171) on top. The culture budget has been increased by something like 8% during
Anything that gets me outside – running, walking or cycling. i also love to watch films – my father was a film maker so I grew up with films. There’s an enormous list of great films from the last 70 years, so whenever i have enough time i try to watch one of those XX What would you be doing now if you
weren’t a musician? I’d work in film XX When you were younger, what did you
want to be when you grew up? Something that was to do with muscle strength but also with music, so i wanted to be a piano mover!
the economic downturn. Culture is not a luxury; it’s not a bonus that you invest in when things are going well. It’s like hospitals, roads, law and police. It’s one of the pillars of society and has been for centuries.’ Crumbs. Why on earth is he living in London, then? ‘London has very adventurous programming. There are so many alternative ways of promoting concerts and programming, all these diverse ensembles. Places like Munich and Cologne are more conservative; London is much more cutting edge. ‘It’s crazy that orchestras are being closed because of the current government. There has to be an overarching body that advises that those things have to stay as much as possible, because once something is cut, that’s it – after two years of no funding it’ll never come back again, that whole tradition is lost CM and it’s very sad.’ www.leonard-elschenbroich.com strings 2013 rhinegold.co.uk 21
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