Coming down to London from yet another long residency period in the Scottish granite city of Aberdeen, I met my parents a Friday night in New Eltham, 20 minutes west of Kings Cross, where the Simms family were hosting me and my parents.(Even if my mothers annual christmas card is the only contact with them these days, I consider them old friends of mine since a few turns for William Pleeth in the early 90’s.) Using cricket as a completely non-understandable subject, the John Cleese look-a-like, Don, took good care about my of course totally denyingly nervous father. My mother kept her mood flat while ironing my shirt for next day.
Wigmore. Finally we got our Wigmore debut. And a real one, a Saturday night concert, wow!!
This is now 17 years ago and things were different then, were they not? Come on, cellphones were something totally out of reach expensive, computers at home? well, no…..flying was still expensive…..anyhow, no shadow on present day, but I think things were just a little bit more….hmm, not so much ’totally within reach’ as it is in todays instant communication society. Agree?
Of course it is deeply personal, but I think all performing artists recognise the sometimes killing anxiety you can have before a performance, it can be weeks before or the few hours just before. Luckily for me it always, well almost always, goes away just before I go on stage. Of course in my quartet, with 4 commited but yet totally different individuals, the whole range of classical behaviour was at display; Walking on and off jawning, hiding in the toilet doing stuff, taking symbolic cover in a corner of a room, smoking non-filter Gauloises outside…So, after capturing the tremendous atmosphere of the legendary green-room, and after yet another disastrous dress-rehearsal…we went on stage – and played like Gods together.
This is a wonder, one of the strongest experiences; how we almost always came together in the music, in the love for each other.For 2 x 45 minutes letting all personal issues aside, finding back to the root, why we got together at first, why we sacrificed so many other things to travel 8-9 months around the world together, of which living 5-6 months a year in Aberdeen, Scotland at the University of Aberdeen.
We had a full house this Saturday night, fantastic atmosphere, we felt like kings – sorry, ancient nordic Gods….))) The concert was a success, standing ovations before interval, several encores, and usual and to the loud amusement from the crowd – our wonderful Mr Magic 1st violin threw himself off the chair on to the floor playing a crazy swedish little piece…
After the concert the Swedish ambassadeur held a reception for us and 200 invited people. All our parents, girlfriends, some Swedish fans, the Aberdeen delegation. The widow of Peter Schidlof Margaret and Norbert Brainins wife Katinka came together telling me it was as in the old days of the Amadeus quartet…chills down the spine….I remember the incredible happiness that evening, the following super-review we got in The Times is nothing compared to the surreal feeling of having a smoke with my father outside the embassy slightly round under the feet, and letting the guard go down while silently embracing one of my colleagues from the quartet, all is forgiven.
Proud? Yes, we were proud because we had so many dreams that we were working for very hard. We share so many beautiful moments together, and noone can ever take that away from us even if we in the end unevitably could not keep the group together. Not one day passes without me thinking of these days with the quartet. Thank you guys.
A famous 1st violinist from an older generation, who played quartet for 39 years once told us that ”- playing quartet is the most important thing you can do with your life, you are devoting your life and time to the peak of the humanity.” This is of course a deeply personal view, but nevertheless this devotion and effort deserves respect, and you guys who have touched this repertoire can maybe get the direction.
I am blessed that these experiences and dreams, the love for the repertoire, the phenomenal kick of playing together now continues and have a life through Aurora Chamber Music./Per.
