conductor Alexander Shelley on recording the music of Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann

The conductor Alexander Shelley has been the music director of the Nationwide Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra in Ottawa since 2015, and he’s additionally principal affiliate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. With the NAC Orchestra, Shelley is a part of the way in which via a cycle of 4 double-CD units on Analekta dedicated to the music of Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms, with the third disc within the set to be launched on 3 March 2023. This new launch options the third symphonies of Schumann and Brahms with songs, piano music and the Piano Trio by Clara Schumann, carried out by Alexander Shelley and the NAC Orchestra with soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, pianists Liz Upchurch, Gabriela Montero, and Stewart Goodyear, violinist Yosuke Kawasaki (concertmaster of the NAC Orchestra) and cellist Rachel Mercier (principal cello of the NAC Orchestra).

Every of the double CD units options one of many 4 symphonies each by Robert Schumann (with the later model of Schumann’s Symphony No. 4) and Brahms together with chamber music, songs and instrumental music by Clara Schumann.

There’s little orchestral music by Clara Schumann besides her Piano Concerto featured on the primary launch with pianist Gabriela Montero, so the collection engages together with her different music and this knits collectively every programme. Alexander factors out that within the nineteenth century, it was quite common for live performance programmes to combine symphonic music with chamber music, instrumental music and music, this was a standard means of listening, and he feels that this can be a good expertise for the fashionable viewers. Additionally, improvisation was necessary in the course of the nineteenth century, and each the solo pianists on the disc, Gabriela Montero and Stewart Goodyear, are composers and improvisers.  Alexander sees the collection as making an attempt to create one thing that’s an exploration of the music of the three composers, Clara, Robert, and Johannes, impressed by the way in which music was consumed throughout their lifetimes.

The discs pair the identical numbered symphonies of Robert and Johannes collectively, however you will need to notice that there’s a important hole between Robert’s remaining symphony and Johannes’ first; Alexander factors out that Wagner wrote the Ring Cycle between the 2! That stated, he feels that the symphonies of the 2 composers do converse to one another. Of the 2 on the brand new album, each have sonata type first actions that are in triple time (Brahms’ first motion is the truth is in six), every motion performs with hemiolas, and has a component of the dance to it in addition to a way of instability. In each symphonies, the opening bars present challenges and questions for the listeners. 

Alexander Shelley and NAC Orchestra (Photograph Freestyle Images)

There’s additionally a hyperlink between the symphonies by the very nature of who the composers have been, each have been improvisers, but each inherently conformed to classical buildings and strictures. And while each pulled on the strings of classical construction, neither did so in a means that broke the construction down, and it’s this side of their music, significantly that of Brahms, that Alexander finds most tasty. His music speaks to human expertise and is related to and fashioned by what Brahms has been. But, it strikes ahead as properly, albeit in a means that may be very tautly constructed and mental. Alexander feels these qualities make Brahms’ music most expressive and type a giant lesson for us within the interplay of the humanities and sciences, the interplay of freedom and construction. In order that we discover magnificence and fulfilment within the mental interplay with music, a rating, in the identical means {that a} scientist will get aesthetic fulfilment from a mathematical downside. Equally, one thing connects rigour, construction, type and wonder within the pure world too. 

Alexander feedback that for him the interpretative aspect of Schumann and Brahms’ music is linked to his notion of what’s necessary and significant within the music. He goals to do issues like avoiding pulling tempi about an excessive amount of, declaring {that a} ten per cent drop in tempo is a major change, however there are lovely variations of Brahms’ symphonies which have 30 to 40 per cent drops in tempo in locations. Alexander sees the music via a lens of classicism, he’s respectful that the composers selected to stay to classical buildings. He does manipulate and transfer tempo, in spite of everything, there’s sufficient anecdotal proof to counsel that that is what the composers implied, however he respects that the music stays within the canvas. He additionally factors out that every thing that’s performed is his alternative. So the opening for the primary motion of Brahms’ first symphony which is ‘Un poco sostenuto’, he takes sooner than some as he interprets this tempo within the context of the sonata type motion. Thus for Alexander, the introduction is considerably slower than the coda, however not half or one-third the pace, as occurs with some variations,  He finds it thrilling to advocate for this sense of classicism within the music.

Although Alexander is from the UK, he has recognized the orchestra for a very long time, and it’s a great ensemble with a terrific dwell presence. The earlier music director was Pinchas Zukerman and former to him it was Trevor Pinnock, so there’s an fascinating mixture of backgrounds. For Alexander, the ensemble has a profoundly lovely, versatile sound. It started over 50 years in the past as a big chamber orchestra enjoying the Baroque and classical repertoire, One of many strengths of the orchestra is that it is rather a lot a clean canvas. In addition to the Clara, Robert, and Johannes venture, they file new music in addition to different tasks. Having cycles of core repertoire, like the present venture, appeals to Alexander in the way in which one could make comparisons between the sound, articulation and method to type within the completely different works, and this performs to lots of the strengths of the orchestra. On the core of the ensemble is a Meiningen-sized orchestra which works properly for Schumann and Brahms’ symphonies. 

Alexander Shelley and NAC Orchestra (Photograph: Dwayne Brown)

Alexander lived in Germany for almost 20 years, having studied there from the age of 18, and he fashioned an orchestra, the Robert Schumann Camerata. The music of Schumann and Brahms has been a giant a part of his life, the connection between construction and expression of their music is necessary to him and he sees this relationship as a singular promoting level of classical music.

Provided that we’re conversant in the biographical complexities of Clara, Robert, and Johannes’ relationships, it’s difficult to say whether or not the connection of the music speaks of this. However Alexander feels you’ll be able to hear that all of them come at music via the identical lens, and have the identical musical language of their DNA. And Alexander additionally sees the connection between the bigger scale works and music and lyricism; even within the tautest musical arguments, you’ll be able to hear quotations of his songs in Brahms’ music. That is among the the reason why Clara’s songs are featured on the disc, so we are able to hear that these are three intertwined voices. And the venture additionally speaks to our modern-day considerations, and the way in which society is extra actively exploring the female voice in music.

Clara Schumann’s is just not actually a hidden story. When Alexander dived into the venture, he discovered that opposite to the fashionable prevailing notion of her, Clara had maybe the most important solo profession of the three. She was probably the most well-known of them as a pianist, famend and revered. Alexander factors out that along with his musical profession, he’s married with two kids, and that appears loads in a busy life. Clara had eight kids and a extremely demanding husband. All three, Clara, Robert, and Johannes, should have been extraordinary in their very own means however her achievements stay excellent, although she had way more to offer as a composer than she felt capable of.

One of many different emphases of Alexander’s work with the orchestra is the creation of latest work, together with genre-crossing works similar to installations and ballet. He factors out that among the most fun new works created prior to now have been for the stage, and that the bringing collectively of media of all types is a boon to artistic artists. The present age emphasises this assembly of various media and he desires to capitalise on this. Earlier cross-genre tasks have included UnDisrupted, linking tradition to the social justice motion, Encount3rs, creating new ballets, Life Mirrored, exploring the lives of 4 exceptional Canadian girls.

Trying forward, in February they’re giving the dwell premiere of the orchestral model Jake Heggie’s Songs for Murdered Sisters, setting poems by Margaret Atwood [see NAC website for details] This options the baritone Joshua Hopkins. Hopkins’ sister was one in every of three girls murdered by the identical man, one of many worst crimes of home violence in Canadian historical past. Hopkins wished to create a memorial for his sister, and Heggie’s new work (a co-commission with NAC and Houston Grand Opera) is the consequence. Initially, Hopkins wrote to the Canadian writer Margaret Atwood; it turned out that she knew two different girls, murdered in comparable circumstances. She wrote poems for Joshua Hopkins, who then contacted Jake Heggie about setting them. This work leans into the concept that work with the orchestra can intersect with conversations that persons are having in society.

This additionally helps to create factors of entry for the viewers into summary sound. While pure abstraction actually has a task in music, Alexander feels that there’s an necessary place for works that are impressed by concrete concepts and occasions. And he factors out that as people, we focus extra if there’s a narrative. A narrative makes issues memorable after which can lead audiences to works that aren’t contextualised.

Forthcoming this 12 months are large-scale works together with Holst’s The Planets and Strauss’ Alpine Symphony. And these performances of two works impressed by the nationwide world additionally refer again to the opening of the season, the place Sphere was every week of occasions, music and talks impressed by the Earth. Richard Strauss is a composer that Alexander plans to hone in on with the orchestra in future seasons. It helps that the orchestra has a central core of musicians who play collectively on a regular basis. Then there’s a second group who’re used to enhance the ensemble for bigger works. So performances of larger-scale works like Strauss’ Alpine Symphony convey with them a way of the music radiating out from the core group to the extras. Alexander finds the outcomes of this are sturdy. He’s additionally within the interior strains and interior workings of the music, the method helps to convey these out.  

Alexander Shelley (Photograph Rémi Thériault)

Arising he’s in North America and Europe, however shall be again within the UK in April when he conducts live shows with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, having final carried out them in November 2022 in Mendelssohn’s full incidental music to A Midsummer Night time’s Dream with linking narrations from the actor Tama Matheson.