JAVS Fall 2007

This experience has caused me to think about the goals and philoso phy of my own teaching. I am very thankful to Barbara Westphal for her time and for making this proj ect possible. Discography Bach: ix Cello Suites, BWV l 007- 1012. Bridge 9094 NB Reger: Sonatas for Viola and Piano, with Jeffrey Swann, piano. Bridge 9075 Viola Sonatas by Clarke, Vieuxtemps, Enesco, with Jeffrey Swann, piano. Bridge 91 09 Brahms: Sonatas for Viola and Piano, with Ursula Oppens, piano. Bridge 9021 Beethoven and Mozart: String Trios - Da Salo Trio, with Ani Kavafian, Barbara Westphal, Gutave Rivinius. Helicon KL5l38

it is diminishing returns and it does not get any bener."

everybody just wanted to have the places fixed where they made a mistake. The recording is fine, and I am not embarrassed by it, but after that experience I never want ed ro make another recording. I felt so awful about this whole process. Later I thought that if I am going to do it agajn, the way I want to do it is to have maybe a couple of run-throughs, almost like a concert, and then just get the pares that went badly, a couple of notes here and there. There has to be a sense of performance about it, otherwise it can sound sterile very quickly. I think that the more sophisticated that this process has become the more tempting it is to patch together a recording. I think it has spoiled our ears very much. Spoiled not in the good sense, but it has actually ruined our ears and our expectations roo. In a concert performers are human beings, they are not computers, and they do make mistakes. I think that people have expectations that cannot be lived up to anymore. r also believe that they lose their sensitivity for what happens in a concert only magic you will never find on a disc. So I think that a little editing goes a long way. I do not believe in making tons of recordings. However, if I find music that I think would otherwise nor be heard so much, or that I feel I have something very personal to say with a well known work, then it does interest me-but only under the condition that the process be very finite. I would give myself maybe two days, with six hours each day, because you cannot con centrate longer anyway. After that

When I asked her how she record ed the Bach uites, she responded, "I did the entire recording in two sessions and I had time in between, bur that had partially to do with difficult personal circum stances. You might not normally do that unless you have played them before extensively." Response In addition to being one of the greatest contemporary violists and pedagogues, Barbara Westphal is an extremely kind and generous person. She was especially welcom ing to me, a person previously unknown to her, who spent nearly one month observing her teaching. I also witnessed her benevolence towards her students, both in her teaching and her interactions with them outside of lessons. After observing Barbara Westphal teach a number of students, it became evident that she really does live and reach by her own philoso phy. I witnessed her teach several students who were playing the same repertoire, employing diverse bowings and fingerings for differ ing yet valid musical and technical results. I also observed her uncan ny ability to communicate with students ar a variety of levels. Her work with each violjsr was com pelling, and each student seemed to leave the lesson with clearly defined objectives. Her honest and direct approach bears no him of pretentiousness, and her students respect her greatly for it.

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