Parity – the quest for true art

How can musical talent be defined? How can a good teacher contribute to developing the potential of a gifted student?

Musical talent is a multi-layered and complex issue. A good musical ear, sense of rhythm, musical memory, extraordinary interest in music and technical skills in actually sounding the instrument are all indispensable, but being able to make sacrifices is also essential. Good teachers take note of the individual ideas of their students while trying to give them direction so that they may find their way through the jungle of various musical styles and performance trends. Genuinely talented young people, however, should be left to develop their potential in their own individual way; educators should only intervene if their student is clearly on the wrong path. Talent also means not following the instructions of the tutor to the letter but connecting these with one’s own ideas. Sounding the instrument has its basic rules, but even these can be individually adjusted to some extent: what really matters is the outcome. As we say in Hungarian, if the meeting of master and pupil stands under a good star, classes can turn into a real partnership.

János Rolla.

How did you personally feel about the highs and lows of your talent?

I wasn’t pushed by my musical family to study music, but my teachers encouraged me to become a professional musician. I began learning with a teacher who worked with me systematically, creating order and teaching me to use my instrument consciously. Sometimes my father would announce: “Son, you will now practise the violin and won’t go out to play soccer!” Before the entrance exam for the conservatory, my violin teacher shut me in, forbidding me to leave the room until I’d learned the compulsory etude for the exam. I couldn’t forgive my father then, but later I agreed with him. Refraining from some fun activities in childhood and putting music first is also part of talent. My generation often had to go through very tough years, they had to give up many things, and these sacrifices contributed to our inner worth, making us artists that are more than merely craftsmen playing with very good or even perfect technique. We made enormous efforts to turn the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra into one of the leading ensembles of the world.

Did you have role models?

Of course, I did! David Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin, Jasha Heifetz, Bronisław Huberman, to mention just a few. We had the good fortune to listen to musicians who, beyond their fantastic control over the instrument, could be distinguished from one another thanks to their power of self-expression. As soon as I turned on the radio I knew who was playing as their performance styles were so distinctive. I was also lucky to have been the collaborating partner of extraordinary artists who had a great impact on my own musical development. I personally knew Anne Fischer, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Isaac Stern and Maurice André.

According to one of your statements, today you hear musicians with flawless technique but with less individual character.

I believe that affluence makes us forget struggles, while the world moving ever so faster hinders the maturing process that is needed to transform one into an artist. At his diploma recital, Zoltán Székely, one of the violinist giants of the 20th century, was not allowed to perform Beethoven’s Violin Concerto because it was claimed that at the age of 24 he was too immature to do so. Such a restriction might have serious ramifications and lead to lowered self-confidence, but it may also bring a greater sense of responsibility for music. Today, the expectation is no less than perfection, not a single sour note is allowed at a concert, while humility is getting lost.

Is it possible to pass on humility?

No, it isn’t. Although the environment can have some influence on it, humility is also part of talent, a human gift, which one either has or doesn’t have. Knowing the background of a piece – how the piece is embedded in the era in which it was written and in the human network the composer was living – is all part of the environment. But humility also entails being familiar with the fact that the tonality of D minor oozes darkness and heavy emotions, bringing forth furrows on one’s forehead; or that the C major key suggests glamour; or that it is no accident that the tonality of Schubert’s String Quartet ‘Death and The Maiden’ or of the Requiems in D minor was the conscious choice of the composer. In order that young people are not bored with Baroque concertos, or that a string quartet of young musicians don’t only simply play a piece but establish a connection with it, allow it to come close to them and want to pass it on, it is important for them to understand and accept that sometimes it is during the rehearsals that the actual magic happens rather than at the concert itself.

Is it necessary to teach in a different way now, in this online world, from 20 or 30 years ago?

Today’s young musicians can indeed see and hear more, play with virtually a perfect technique, and completely control their instrument, which is enviable. These days, a concert can be at the level of a studio recording as far as accuracy and perfect tone are concerned. All these are the basic requirements today’s musicians have to meet. At the same time, a certain sense of uniformity can also be observed in the performances of young musicians. The audience, however, also go to a concert to experience the personal interaction generated by the musician’s personality. The aura of genuine artists captivates the spectators; you immerse yourself in it. A real musician knows what power dynamics has: they play pianissimo in a way that even the buzzing of a fly can be heard in the concert hall, as the audience is so spellbound that they sit in complete silence. How to endow people with a profound experience cannot be learnt.

Do you have positive examples? Do you know young musicians who have the necessary curiosity and humility?

I find it particularly interesting that my Far Eastern students have a deep interest in European culture, so they soak up everything I teach them. In the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, even if the transition period took a long time, the generational change is complete. We used to be all roughly the same age, and it occurred to us that promoting young people to the ensemble would be beneficial. We made a real effort to pick the best and, what’s more, I believe we have managed to get these young musicians to internalize what we have learned and established in the course of our five-decade long career, namely, the unique, distinguishable tone and the ethos of the orchestra, a love of music and conveying the wonders that music evokes in people. Because that’s what real art is about.

Professor János Rolla helped discover the secret of the soul hiding behind technique

Early in his life, the now 30-yearold László G. Horváth decided to pursue a career not as a soloist but instead involve himself in formations with other musicians, and that, moreover, he would choose to work with those he feels comfortable with. Although the leader of Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra, which was founded in 2010, represents a different generation from that of his teacher, Professor János Rolla, he fundamentally agrees with his mentor’s assertion that in this fast-changing world, musical professionalism is often not matched by profundity.

László G. Horváth.

When did it become apparent that you would be a musician?

I still haven’t decided to be a musician.

Would you care to expand on that?

I was a lively 5-year-old child when I started playing the violin; my parents thought that music would burn off some of my excess energy. Since then, music has filled my life, but I don’t feel that it defines it.

When did it come to you that you were not attracted to a career as a soloist?

At the age of 16 or 17, when I was at the Konzi, I found it easier to practise when I could to play with someone else. I felt that it was better to play in company, and I am far more motivated by the personalities of other musicians, meeting with the instrument, exploring precise self-expression and cooperation, and the ‘chemistry’ that binds all these together. For me, there is nothing more exciting than the exercise – and the joy – of mutual discovery, not to speak of just how fantastic it is to work in a great team representing a high standard of professionalism.

How did you meet János Rolla?

We met even before the formation of Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra, at the chamber music camp in Szarvas, and his personality played a decisive role in my realization that playing string quartets (which I had learned to love at the Konzi), and then chamber performance, was my true path. At the beginning, he took part in all our rehearsals, and later he mainly coached me. He taught us how to structure an ensemble, decide on the programme, select the pieces to play, but also how to rehearse. He has never let go of our hands once in the past seven years.

Given the social, political and historical environment, the generation of János Rolla experienced struggles when it came to music, which he said had helped in expressing his inner self. How is this different as regards the career of the young László G. Horváth?

Our generation has no idea of the value of what it is given. We do not have sufficient respect for concert opportunities and the openness of the world. Any appearance in the then closed world counted as a far greater event than it does today. Today, the tempo is much faster, there are more orchestras, competition is more intense, and as the market-oriented approach gains ground in music, the numbers determine a musician’s performance. At that time, the profession took the concert event more seriously; an appearance was preceded by the necessary amount of rehearsal, and the most important objective was that the music should be played as it had to be played. János Rolla was able to communicate this approach, and I hope we are following his example.

According to János Rolla, perfected technical skills are uniformizing artists and there are ever fewer personalities these days.

Teaching violin technique has developed to such an extent that “in today’s world, it is possible to teach a chair to play violin.” In other words, it is possible to teach someone who is not brilliant to play an instrument, while professionalism is the basic requirement on podiums. Earlier, it was possible to differentiate great violinists on the radio on the basis of their style and tone, whereas today, with one or two exceptions, this is not the case. The Internet has provided both opportunities and limitations: the ‘ideal sound’ has become virtually identical everywhere, and now there are fewer significant differences. Time constraints involved in hastily putting together concerts these days frequently result in the programme having a lack of a profound message. This tendency is undeniable. And yet, even today very many excellent musicians do have an individual tone, expression, soul. Every day we try to ensure that we remain faithful to our name: ‘anima musicae’, that is, ‘the soul of music’. Despite all the obstacles, the personality of true artists does not disappear – because it simply cannot disappear.

Krisztina Hompola