Karmit Fadael writes Violin Concerto Mimesis: ‘Inevitably you put the stamp of your identity on your music’
Karmit Fadael started out as a violinist but is now a much sought-after composer. She regularly appears on radio and TV and has written an impressive number of works for renowned ensembles and festivals. On 11 April, her Violin Concerto Mimesis will be premiered at Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam. She composed it for Pieter van Loenen, on a commission from the North Netherlands Orchestra. The following two days it will be performed in De Oosterpoort Groningen and TivoliVredenburg Utrecht.
Karmit Fadael was born in 1996 in Treuchtlingen, a town south of Nuremberg, but grew up in Sneek. On her website we read, among other things, that she began her musical career on the violin, but started composing after a ‘forced’ participation in the annual composition competition of the Netherlands Wind Ensemble. That sounds somewhat disturbing. Who forced her what exactly did this entail?
Karmit Fadael (c) Gregor Servais
Fadael laughs: ‘Forced indeed sounds rather negative, it was just a compulsory assignment for my final music exam at Bogerman College in Sneek. Our teacher Anne Oosterhaven had us compose pieces on the computer with a notation programme, to gain insight into music history. When we covered the Baroque, we all wrote a chaconne. In addition, in our exam years we had to enter the composition competition of the Nederlands Wind Ensemble.’
Composition contest gives confidence
Even though it was compulsory, it was a fun experience: ‘The first time, the theme was “They say love”. That was ten years ago now and to my surprise I was admitted to the next round. In workshops with an arranger, I got the opportunity to develop my piece further, which was great . In 2013, I won the NBE Young KC prize, which consisted of three workshops with Calliope Tsoupaki. The course with the Nederlands Wind Ensemble gave me self-confidence in composing, which was apparently something I could do and enjoyed.’
Where many violinists swap the bow for the baton, Fadael took up composing. Are there common grounds between composing and making music yourself? ‘In both professions you can express your own voice. When I was still playing the violin, I strived to interpret the score as faithfully and personally as possible. The notes are leading, of course, but there is always something that makes your sound “personal”, not only in the sound itself but also in your way of phrasing. This happens partly unconsciously. The same goes for composing: you almost inevitably put the stamp of your identity and your subconscious on your music.’
Going for it one hundred percent
In 2014, she went to study composition at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where she was taught by Tsoupaki, Guus Janssen and Martijn Padding. How have they shaped her? ‘All three are fantastic composers, and incredibly skilled; I learned a lot from each. With Martijn I think first of all of his attitude to the profession, incredibly down-to-earth and disciplined: you just have to do it, make the effort. Guus has a very free spirit and taught me to look at existing forms from a different angle. Calliope is a rock; she taught me that when I believe in something, I have to go for it one hundred per cent’.
In an earlier interview, she called herself a ‘chaotic person’. Again, that sounds more negative than intended: ‘I am a terribly chaotic person,’ Fadael acknowledges, ‘but I see that as a positive thing. I have no agenda, I’m a blabbermouth and I can turn a room into a mess within 30 seconds. This also means that I can impulsively change my plans to do something I think is important at that moment. This trait makes me smile at myself at times, it teaches me not to take things too seriously. – I don’t get easily upset if I break something of value. In terms of composing, my attention patterns may be a bit fragmented and chaotic, but I can work well this way. It is simply part of the process, of who I am.’
Pen and paper versus computer
In high school, Fadael learned to compose with a computer programme; nowadays she uses pen and paper. ‘With a new piece, I first think about structures and ideas and what I want in the first place. Then I fiddle a bit on my violin or sing, later I work it out on paper and only then do I switch to a notation programme. Writing by hand is more personal, it requires more effort and also takes a lot of time – especially erasing something. On the computer, those are just actions of milliseconds, and because of the conversion to a midi sound, you can immediately hear how it sounds. That instant feedback breaks something in my imagination. It makes the music sound mechanical, while in my head it sounds so natural.’
What was her reaction when Pieter van Loenen asked her to compose a Violin Concerto for him? ‘I was incredibly happy, but also anxious because of the scale of the commission. I necessarily wanted to do it incredibly well and do him justice. Pieter has an enchanting, clear sound and plays with extreme precision. This creates a very sincere form of musicality; he will never do anything that is not necessary. When the music calls for it, his interpretation is truly intimate.’
Pieter van Loenen (c) Felix Quaedvlieg
‘For my commission, I started thinking about what fascinates me about the violin and about violin playing. That is the relationship between musician and instrument. The process of all those hours you spend together in your studio became a bit my thread for the concert. In the beginning you are still a bit searching, then you start studying extremely precisely, which sometimes leads to some frustration, at the end you let go of everything and just go.’
She did not inquire about any special wishes Van Loenen might have: ‘I did look into works he likes or likes to play, though. Such as Karl Amadeus Hartmann’ s Concerto funèbre or Alban Berg’s violin concerto. When I started composing, we sat together several times and worked on my sketches. This was important to me. Moreover, I wanted to hear how they sounded on his violin, played by him.’
Embracing idiosyncrasies
It will be neither a virtuoso spectacle nor a subdued exploration of the instrument’s possibilities, she continues. ‘I think the violin engages in a beautiful dialogue with the orchestra; soloist and ensemble do not oppose each other, but engage in conversation together. On the one hand, there are virtuoso moments; on the other, the concerto also offers space for the drama of the melody. I find the concept of virtuosity a bit complicated anyway. If a soloist plays something very simple in an insanely beautiful way, I think that is also a form of virtuosity.’
In terms of structure, Fadael follows tradition in her Violin Concerto: ‘It has three movements. The first is somewhat melancholic, in which the soloist engages with the orchestra. They mimic each other and take turns playing the role of “leader”; the soloist is still somewhat searching in his material. In the second movement, a struggle for leadership develops between violinist and ensemble, with all the emotions that go with it. In the third and final movement, the soloist plays a somewhat timid, lyrical melody, and in a way chooses for himself and his own voice. The struggle and the reflections on each other are over.’
As a title, she chose Mimesis, ancient Greek for imitation. ‘Especially in the first and second movements, there is a lot of imitation between soloist and orchestra. This imitation is never identical, but always has a personal twist. For me, the study process I chose as a thread symbolises (learning) processes in life. These often go through a curve of probing, imitating, friction and finally letting go of everything. As a human being, you can imitate till the cows come home, but in the end there is always a bit of personality in your interpretation, a human element. I think there is an awful lot of beauty in such “idiosyncrasies” and that it is important to embrace them.’
Before the concerts in Muziekgebouw and Oosterpoort I will talk with Karmit Fadael.
#CalliopeTsoupaki #GuusJanssen #KarmitFadael #MartijnPadding #NoordNederlandsOrkest #PieterVanLoenen
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