In conversation with Nicola Benedetti

The violinist responds to Gramophone readers' questions following the release of her new disc, 'The Silver Violin' on Decca. Hear excerpts on the Gramophone Player!

'I believe in and love all the music I've covered here' – Benedetti on 'The Silver Violin' (photo: Simon Fowler)

Last week Gramophone gave its readers the opportunity to submit their own questions via Facebook and Twitter for acclaimed violinist Nicola Benedetti, who has recently released ‘The Silver Violin’ with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, a disc of works immortalised on the big screen. Hear excerpts from the album below courtesy of Decca Classics. Rachel Coombes put the questions to Benedetti:

How long do you practise for each day? (Sophie Graham, aged 8) 
I started off when I was four doing five minutes, which turned into half an hour when I was seven or eight. Now, the least I would do is an hour and a half every day, but it’s usually about four, often turning into more like five. 

Is practice ever a drudge and how do you vary it to keep it interesting? (Barry Kester)
Practice of course can be repetitive, but it’s interesting because it’s determined by the music. If I think of some of the great music I’m playing at the moment, you very quickly realise how easy it can be.

Do contemporary composers write for you?  How do you feel about performing new music? (David Ianni)
Well, I’ve worked with John Tavener and James MacMillan, and both experiences were absolutely brilliant and taught me a lot. They were a real eye-opener in teaching me about the power of mutual respect between composer and interpreter: regardless of the fact that the instrumentalist is subservient to the composer in being an interpreter of his work, the composer always has an intrinsic understanding that without the presence of an interpreter that they can trust and be inspired by, their work would not exist.

Hear the opening of Korngold's Violin Concerto performed by Nicola Benedetti on 'The Silver Violin':

How do you approach a new composition for the first time as you begin to learn it? (Steve Down)
I look at the score with the violin part to get a feel for the overall structure of the piece. Following that I would pick out the trickiest parts to get a head start. It’s very important to start with these because if you don’t, and you try and play the whole movement, you just stall. If you conquer the hard bits first, you can quickly get a sense of the overall work, and that’s something that’s very important.

What would you say have been your favourite orchestras to perform with? (Kelly MacInnes)
I couldn’t possibly say! What I would say is that my experience with Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra (at the Edinburgh Festival earlier this year) was fairly amazing. 

What do you do for relaxation? (Maria Athanassiou)
I have very, very, very little spare time. Catching up with people mostly – I cherish spending time with my boyfriend and family.

Hear Benedetti perform the opening of My Edward and I, composed by Dario Marianelli for the Jane Eyre soundtrack:

What's your take on audience applause between movements? For example, after the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. (@theweatherman3)
Applause is definitely preferable to loud, rude coughing! At least it is done out of appreciation for the music. It also means that there are people there who are not necessarily used to the rigmarole of the concert hall, and to me that’s a great sign. I don’t mind it at all, especially not after the Tchaikovsky first movement – that’s one place where you’ve got to applaud! It’s a concerto on its own.

Which composers in your opinion have not been heard in concert halls as often as they deserve? (@chemicalrubber)
I think Korngold is definitely one, although he’s making up for it now!  I’m playing his Violin Concerto at the beginning of November with the RPO in London. Szymanowski is another one, although again, Gergiev is championing a lot of his music now.

What was your most recent ‘breakthrough’ moment? (Maria Athanassiou)
Breakthroughs to me are all to do with aspects of the music itself, and are therefore very difficult to describe in a way that means anything to anyone.  But obviously the Last Night of the Proms and the Gergiev concert were very special. However, the actual breakthrough moments are in practice rooms.  They’re very unglamorous - just me getting excited about musical discoveries I have made.

As you are so involved with El Sistema and with encouraging new players, how do you recommend choosing a starter violin? (Steve @teatotally)
I would say go for a simple model - it doesn’t have to be expensive. If you can get someone to play the violin for you, then make your decision based entirely on its sound – that should be the primary criterion.

Hear Benedetti perform the Prelude from Shostakovich's The Gadfly with pianist Alexei Grynyuk and violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky:

Have you ever tried using a period instrument? (St Anne’s Music Society, London)
I have, although my experience is unfortunately pretty limited. It is something I definitely hope to do much more of in the near future…

When will you record the Beethoven Violin Concerto? It was great in Glasgow two years ago. (Alan Battison)
I really, really want to record this – it is actually my favourite violin concerto. The main consideration would be the most suitable work to pair it with on disc.

Do you have plans to record any of Mozart's sonatas for piano and violin? (Ken Marotte)
I would love to, but Beethoven is definitely my priority!

Why did you decide to focus on movie scores in your latest disc, and why didn’t you include any Herrmann? (Siobhan Miller)
The stipulations provided for me were to record only music written for or used in films which was originally composed for violin. Of course, there are a lot of great Herrmann works, and he would have been one of my number one choices, but I didn’t want any arrangements. In fact, my focus was entirely on film music surrounding and inspired by Korngold’s Violin Concerto. He is such a great composer, and his music encompasses such a wide variety of genres, styles and countries – it lends itself so well to this sort of treatment. Also, not only do I believe in and love all the music I’ve covered here, but more than anything else it gives a chance for me to connect to people who might not necessarily know the violin works. They can hear Mahler, Korngold and Shostakovich, three great composers, all united under the guise of film music.

If you were to collaborate with any non-classical music artist, who would you love to work with? (@peonyandtea)
Wynton Marsalis – he’s the best!

Hear Benedetti perform John Williams's main theme from Schindler's List with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra: