<<  -- 6 --  Tess Crebbin    DIVING INTO THE MUSIC

TC: This really is teamwork, isn't it? An accompanist does not merely follow the singer. You are a team and within that team you are equals, both having your own say.

WR: That goes on all the way through, including on stage during the performance. I don't know how much of this the audience notices but imagine two people connected by a string. It's not a one-way street. Each of us pulls this way or that way. The string is elastic like a rubber band. Sometimes he gives and I take, and then it goes vice versa. It can happen, though rarely, that someone doesn't give at all. Then, eventually, the string will tear. But if it is good teamwork then everyone can pull and it is nice to feel that they are following me also. Everyone shows the direction he wants to go in and the other follows, or not. If I notice that he doesn't follow I can increase my energy, should I insist on going a particular direction. But he could also increase his resistance and make me realize: this is not something we are going to do today. It is all a matter of being spontaneous but on the base that everyone has to know basically what they want. That is what rehearsals are for. It's not just a random process.

TC: What does your rehearsal schedule look like before a concert?

WR: We have this standard plan where we meet with the singer on the previous evening. I rehearse, there and then, for about two hours. The day of the concert, in the morning, I try to be there about two hours before the singer. Once the singer arrives, we play through the entire program and, in the evening, I am usually there about ninety minutes before the start of the concert to warm up. Sometimes, I will also play a little during the break.

TC: When there are no concerts, how much time do you spend practicing a day? Do you sometimes leave it out altogether?

WR: Heavens, no. You always pay for that. No way. The very least is half an hour of technical exercises a day. If I do that, I feel fit but it is the absolute minimum I can get away with. Usually, it is more like two to four hours, depending on what is coming up. Right now, for instance, there are several big concerts in August, as part of the Salzburg festival and so a bit more practice is in order.

TC: So there's not a lot of spare time right now. When there is, what kind of music do you listen to when not working?

WR: Very little, I must say. I am dealing with music all the time in my professional life and so, when it is time to relax, I tend to leave it aside a bit at home. But my hobbies are all connected with the arts. I may do the occasional hiking trip into the lovely Bavarian Alps, and even go sailing with friends at times, but my big love is theatre and that is something I really try to fit in when there is spare time. Other than that, I enjoy going to museums and, of course, I do love fine eating. I am married to a Chinese violinist and so I have a taste for Asian cuisine: not just Chinese but also Vietnamese, Thai, and Japanese. Being from Bavaria, however, I also like the local cuisine. Another one of the musical gourmets is Zubin Mehta, who also spends a lot of his time in Munich. We went out together one evening to eat, and we had a blast.

TC: Back to things work-related: you also do concerts with your wife, Yamei Yu, a master violinist who plays as first concertmaster at the Bavarian State Opera here in Munich.

WR: Since we are both music professionals we try to fit in some ten concerts a year together, for violin and piano. It is always nice when we can work with each other and it is great being on tour together because we can explore the new cities where we are. It is a lot of fun working out our concert program together, which we do along the same lines I use when working with the singers: it needs a theme, make a circle. Next year, for instance, we will have a pure Schubert program. This year our focus was on French composers. Sometimes my parents also come to our concerts. They are very happy for me that it worked out for me to make a living at music. My Dad was also very interested in my work with the singers, since he was my first piano teacher and, I suppose, saw it all coming long before I did.

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