BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Have you ever wondered what life is really like in the orchestra? Welcome to EXPOSED!
In 2018, we continue to team up with musicians and arts administrators from the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra to take you behind the scenes, and show you what it means to pursue a career in a challenging and fulfilling industry.
This time we chat with a starring soloist who will perform a concerto with the orchestra this month.
London-based Australian pianist Jayson Gillham has performed with leading orchestras and conductors across the world. Recently this included a recital of Bach on modern piano as part of London’s Bloomsbury Festival, and a Wagner concert with Stuart Skelton and fellow pianist Richard Pierson in which he performed Liszt transcriptions.
Winner of the 2014 Montreal International Musical Competition, Jayson appeared at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music in 2017 and he will soon perform with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In May 2015, he signed a three-album recording deal with ABC Classics. The following year, he released debut recital album featuring works by Bach, Schubert and Chopin. Last year, Jayson released a pairing of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Medtner’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
A graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, where he studied with Leah Horwitz, Jayson relocated to London in 2007 to pursue a Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music with Christopher Elton. He has been supported by the Australian Music Foundation, the Tait Memorial Trust and The Keyboard Trust. In 2012, Jayson was named Commonwealth Musician of the Year and Gold Medallist of the Royal Over-Seas League 60th Annual Music Competition.
How did you make your way into a guest artist opportunity with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra?
This will be my first trip to Tasmania, so I’m very excited as I know it is a very beautiful part of the world. The invitation came via the conductor Eivand Aadland, who asked if I would like to perform the Grieg concerto with him and TSO. We previously performed it in Brisbane with the QSO in 2013, so I’m intrigued to find out how different it will be this time.
I feel I’ve grown with the piece, and I’m sure he has as well. The orchestra has a very good reputation so I’m looking forward to meeting and playing with everyone.
What did you imagine life would be like performing as a soloist with major orchestras – and what’s it really like now that you’re living it?
I suppose I didn’t envision all of the in-between everyday things, such as making sure I have somewhere to do my laundry while away; or trade-offs like deciding not to go out for drinks with friends after a concert because I also have a concert the following night.
Recurring tasks when I’m not on the road include keeping my website updated, answering emails from my managers or from the promoters directly, planning programs for future seasons, sorting out my own accounting, tax returns, retirement planning! I can find enjoyment in any of these things, but sometimes you are forced to do one task when you wish you could be doing another. Time management is 90 per cent of my job, and self-discipline is a crucial skill that I am consistently working to improve.
The part that I did imagine and that others see me do – rehearsing and performing – is amazing. And I love the fact that the scenario is always fresh – a change in repertoire, conductor, orchestra, venue, piano, and of course audience. A new city to come to grips with, and to explore…if there is time.
How would you describe your typical day backstage and in the rehearsal room – both alone and with orchestra?
A typical day would involve practising on the piano in my dressing room, which will be my office for the duration of my stay in this venue. Hopefully, by this point, I don’t really need to do any major practice on the concerto I’m about to play. So I will cover some tricky spots or anything that has come up in rehearsals, and then maybe focus on relaxation practice or the characterisation/performance aspect. I might also take a break now and again to learn a new piece, which I find very enjoyable.
When rehearsing with orchestra, the normal procedure is to begin by meeting with the conductor for about half an hour, to play through the piece, setting the main tempos and going over any corners that require solving such as at the end of cadenzas. These points often come up again once we’re with the orchestra, but this first meeting allows the conductor and me to get to know each other a little and make sure we are on the same page, so to speak.
Generally, I will have one rehearsal call of two to three hours on the day before the first performance. This may or may not be in the concert venue. Then on the morning of the concert, there is the general rehearsal, which is ideally a run-through of the concert in performance order. This is always in the concert venue and my component of it will be just a bit longer than the piece itself, so maybe 45 minutes for a 30-minute concerto, allowing for a few light touch-ups if necessary.
Was there ever a time you thought the challenge of your role as soloist with the orchestra would be too great?
I have always been fortunate that I feel quite at home on stage, and usually the orchestra’s presence is an added comfort. There is of course the possibility that I will not see eye-to-eye with the conductor and this could negatively affect the performance, but so far I have always had good conductor relationships.
It can happen with an amateur orchestra, through nobody’s fault really, that the soloist ends up in the position of being led from behind by the orchestra, and this can of course become quite frustrating. I may try to show a new tempo, but if the orchestra does not respond, it sounds as if I cannot keep time. Usually in these circumstances, you have to suck it up and go along with the group, whilst doing your utmost to convince everyone this was your idea all along.
What do you feel are the strongest expectations placed on you in this role?
Most piano concertos that are played regularly are famous and well-loved, and so quite a number of people in the audience will come because they want to hear their favourite piece. Because it’s a favourite piece of theirs, they have certain expectations of the way it should be played or the way they have come to know it from their favourite recording. People love to confirm their own bias – they love to hear something they know, played in the way they like. This is human nature – I am very much the same! The more I know a piece, the less satisfied I am because I cannot find any performance that fulfils my expectations of how the piece ‘should go’.
On the other hand, it is also human nature to delight in being surprised and taken off in a new direction; to be inspired by discovering something new and fresh or something our attention had not been drawn to previously. The wonderful thing is that great music always provides in this respect! I don’t go for novelty for novelty’s sake, but I do delight in these little discoveries myself and they inform my interpretation. Ultimately, however, I try to find an interpretation that is true both to the composer’s intention and my own vision, so that I can present it with the conviction and energy that will truly resonate.
How do you cope with live performance pressure?
If I’m well-prepared for my performance and know the piece inside out, then the live performance pressure is usually constructive for me and helps me to play better. There is nothing worse than feeling under-prepared!
What’s the chemistry like across the orchestra and how do you work closely with all the artists involved?
I suppose there is an individual character to each orchestra; some are more relaxed and others are more intense. Every so often, I need to have a close relationship with a particular orchestral soloist such as a wind, horn, or principal string player, and this depends on what the composer has called on us to create in that moment.
There are so many ‘chamber music’ moments in piano concertos where I am playing with just one or two others, and usually during these moments I take on an accompanimental role. Sometimes, we will have a chat in the rehearsal breaks, but mostly these interactions are facilitated and mediated by the conductor.
Occasionally, I will mention something to the concertmaster, but usually it is better to go through the conductor. It is a sad reality that I will not normally have time to develop a connection with every player in the orchestra, either on or off stage.
What do you wish audiences could understand about what it means to play as a soloist with the orchestra?
I think the audience get the idea pretty well, really. At the end of the day, a concerto is a show piece for the soloist, so it is an exhilarating and intense experience for me. It’s a completely different mindset and way of playing compared to solo piano or chamber music. The pianos are prepared in such a way that they produce as much sound as possible with a brightness that can cut through the orchestra and fill a huge hall, but without losing the beauty of tone. Concert halls buy a new concert grand piano roughly every five years and will have at least two (normally three) different pianos for the soloist to choose from. Often, people think there must be many rehearsals, but sometimes there is only time to meet on the day of the concert.
What is the thing you love most about life as a soloist?
As you can probably guess, I like being my own boss and I like that my life is a little different every day – a new hall, new piano, new city. If I am stuck practising the same piece for too long, I can get frustrated. So I always take new repertoire with me so I can learn new music on the road.
I also love that I can visit Australia so frequently, because I can spend more time with my family.
What is one piece of advice you can offer young musicians looking to commence their performance career?
Be true to yourself and don’t pretend to be anyone or anything else; apply this to your time on stage as you would to the rest of your life. Find something to say in the music and shout it from the rooftops (even if it’s shouting pianissimo!). As far as possible, play only the music that you love – music that compels you to play it. Especially if you are a pianist – the repertoire is endless.
Jayson Gillham will play the Grieg Piano Concerto with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra on April 12 in Hobart, and April 13 in Launceston.
We partner with the orchestra to take you behind the scenes in EXPOSED! Be sure to check back in again in for our next interview!
