JAVS Spring 2011

APC: You’ve mentioned in for mer interviews that Europe offers greater musical opportunities than the United States. Do you have any advice on what violists can do to create their own opportunities in the United States? KK: The viola as a solo instru ment is clearly more accepted in Europe than in the United States. So there are definitely more opportunities. In the United States, the principal violist will play with the orchestra, maybe every year or two. Getting any other violist on the program in any given season is like getting the camel through the eye of the nee dle! It is completely common in Germany to get another violist on the program. Also, until German

posers they know; they don’t care who’s performing it.

reunification, there was enormous government support for the arts; more risks could be taken because presenters had subsidy. While there’s less now, it is still more than in the United States. That being said, I believe US edu cation offers more variety and chances to do things differently. I came back because I wanted my daughter to have the rest of her education here. One has more choices here—musical and gener al. Strangely, people rush through school here because it’s so expen sive. But, the choices are there if they’re smart—it’s possible to have a nontraditional education here, which I didn’t feel was possible while I was in Europe.

KK: Here’s a funny story. Many years ago, Robert Levin and I were playing a series of duo con certs in Germany, and our pro gram included Hindemith’s 1939 Sonata. One place refused to take the risk of losing their audience in the face of Hindemith! So we changed our concert, but when our encore ended up not being enough, Robert suggested we play the Scherzo from the 1939 Sonata. So we did, and the pre senter came up afterward and asked what great piece that was! RS: It’s not the music the presen ters are afraid of. It’s the loss of the public.

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