CCOHK ENEWSLETTER Issue No.41

An interview with Michala Petri

Since the Baroque era, the recorder has suffered centuries of neglect as a solo instrument - does Richard Harvey’s Recorder Concerto help restore the instrument’s credibility in modern times?

It is true that the recorder was forgotten towards the end of the Baroque era. Nevertheless it was not as forgotten as we think it was - within the latest decades it has been discovered that in and around Vienna and in Hungary a recorder-like instrument, called a Czakan, was quite popular. It was made like a recorder, but slightly longer, and sometimes with added keys to it. And it could also have a handle on top, so that it might be used as a walking stick as well!! Quite a lot of virtuosic pieces have been written for this instrument, and it is also mentioned by Beethoven several times. In recent times, some recorder concertos have been composed for recorder and big orchestras - and everyone of those, of course, contributes to the recorder being considered an instrument of today. The instrument itself has also had improvements made, so that we today have much louder recorders for modern music.

Richard Harvey has scored his Concerto for four different sizes of recorder, presumably part of the challenge - are there any technical considerations to take into account when swapping between instruments?

No - swapping instruments is not difficult - I even have some pieces where I, for a joke, have to swap very quickly back and forth between two recorders - in less than half a second!! The challenge in this piece is to bring out the longer lines, to make the recorder sound as expressive as it can do - contrary to what people often think.

Can you describe how each recorder contributes its particular character to sections of the Concerto?

The normal thing is that the sopranino with the high sound is very virtuosic, and the tenor with the low sound is very melodic. But actually in this concerto the sopranino has to be melodic as well, in many places. And all four instruments have to be very expressive, not just playing fast notes...

Vivaldi wrote particularly demanding concertos for the recorder, although he was famous for his prowess on the violin. Do you think it’s possible that Concerto Incantato may represent the first time in history that a recorder concerto has been written by a recorder virtuoso?

Actually yes - at least in modern times. And it is a wonderful thing to play a piece by a composer who obviously knows the instrument so well! In the Baroque time there was Telemann, whose main instrument was the recorder - he also played many other instruments - some of his concertos belong to the best repertoire for the recorder. And I am convinced that Harvey’s concerto will very soon become part of the modern standard repertoire for recorder players of today.

More about Michala Petri

Danish recorder virtuoso Michala Petri began playing at the age of 3 and made her professional debut at 11. Upon completion of her studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover, Germany she has appeared as recitalist in North America, Australia, Israel, Japan and Europe, and with leading ensembles including the English Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Virtuosi, Berlin Baroque Soloists, Musica Antiqua Cologne, and Kremerata Baltica. Michala Petri has also performed with musicians such as Heinz Holliger, Christopher Hogwood, Claudio Abbado, James Galway, Gidon Kremer, Pinchas Zukerman, and jazz icon, Keith Jarrett. Recognized for her technical brilliance and musical insight, Petri’s repertoire extends from the Baroque to the Contemporary and embraces many cultures. Her fascination for the music of China has led to collaborations with Chen Yue, one of the great virtuosos on the xiao (bamboo flute), and Yang Jing, renowned pipa (chinese lute) player. Petri is the dedicatee of commissioned works from Gordon Jacob, Malcolm Arnold, Vagn Holmboe, Per Nørgård and Daniel Börtz among other Europeans, and of pieces by Chinese composers. She has collaborated with guitarists Göran Söllscher, Kazuhito Yamashita and Manuel Barrueco, and has toured the world with long-term duo partner, guitarist and lutenist Lars Hannibal. Michala Petri has made over thirty recordings, and received numerous prizes and distinctions. These include the rank of Knight of Dannebrog (1995), the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis (1997) and the Léonie Sonning Music Prize (2000). Michala Petri’s website is: http://www.michalapetri.com

Click here to listen Michala Petri playing Vivaldi’s Recorder Concerto in C RV 443
with the Moscow Virtuosi

Michala Petri is the featured soloist in the CCOHK’s upcoming Michala Petri & CCOHK concert marking the orchestra's 10th Anniversary. Don't miss this special event!