BY LAURA BARTON
At 26 years old, Jiyoon Lee is the youngest and first female concertmaster of Staatskapelle Berlin.
Her success with the orchestra has come after a rapid succession of prizes for her musicianship – from the 2013 David Oistrakh International Violin Competition, to the 2014 Indianapolis Violin Competition, 2015 Queen Elisabeth Competition, and 2016 Carl Nielsen Violin Competition.
Having performed with some of the world’s most renowned orchestras since her studies at the Korean National University of Arts, Jiyoon is this month set to make music in the Sydney Opera House with Staatskapelle Berlin under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. We chat with her about her inspiring musical life so far.
Was there one violinist who was a particular inspiration to you when you were growing up?
Maxim Vengerov. He was, and still is, a sensation; especially around 2000-2001 in Asia. I was only around 8 years old, but I still do remember his first recital in Korea. Everyone was totally blown away. His CDs were sold out immediately after the concert from the recording shop next to the hall. I think I still have almost all recordings of his back at home in Korea.
Since 2013, you have won some of the biggest international violin competitions and performed with many major orchestras. As a seasoned soloist, do you experience performance anxiety, and how do you manage it?
Performing is like driving on a highway. You can neither stop nor look back. No matter what happens around you, you just look forward and drive straight until your goal. Sometimes, things happen, and you have to admit you just can’t help it! I always remind myself that I know I will always make it no matter what happens.
There are not so many options to choose anyways, once I am on stage, but to grab the violin and start playing. And if that is the only option, why don’t I give the best out of it?
Like many young musicians, you started your career as a soloist. When and why did you decide to make the move to orchestral playing?
As a soloist, the amount of repertoire you can cover is unfortunately very limited. I always had thirst for playing wider range of music. Staatskapelle Berlin, in terms of its repertoire, is extraordinary since it is not only an opera orchestra but also an excellent symphonic orchestra. Therefore, it seemed to be the only orchestra I could possibly imagine joining where I could get to play both operas and symphonic works simultaneously, and on top of that with maestro Barenboim.
I signed up for the audition immediately after finding out Staatskapelle Berlin had an opening; also because I knew that once the position is filled up, it won’t be free again for many years. I did not want to miss the chance to challenge.
How many auditions did you do before the Staatskapelle, and were you always interested in concertmaster?
It was my first ever orchestra audition, which took place in May 2017. I was playing a lot as a soloist, but had almost no experience in terms of playing in an orchestra, especially leading a massive group. I always imagined I’d like to have one of the leading positions, but I would firstly need a few years of experience in order to be able to be on a such position with great responsibility.
Staatskapelle had 2 positions opening at that time: first concertmaster, and assistant concertmaster. I took the audition for the latter, which seemed more appropriate to me at that time. And frankly speaking, I didn’t really think they’d choose a 24-year-old without any orchestral experience for any of their leading positions. But nevertheless, I wanted to try and see how far I could get.
However, before the very last round of the audition, I was shortly informed that the members of the orchestra decided to switch it to first concertmaster position. I still remember I became even more nervous than playing in the audition after they said I won it!
Concertmaster is a bridge between the conductor and the orchestra; perhaps more like a diplomat between the two parties. You very often face a situation where you need to [compromise] and have to find the best solutions, whether during rehearsals or on stage. It is never easy to always carry huge responsibilities on your back, but I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to do what I want to do in my life.
As a fellow industry practitioner, I’ve had personal conversations with a number of Australian women who made their careers in Europe at the end of the last century, and they tell of a culture that was mistrustful of letting people of diverse ages, cultures, and genders into their orchestras. Obviously, we’ve come a long way since then, but did you experience any of these issues when trialling with the Staatskapelle?
I have of course heard many similar stories about mistreatment in orchestras in Europe. I was a little concerned in the beginning of my trial period since there were only two colleagues of different race in the orchestra, which is very few compared to other current orchestras in Europe. It somehow seemed like a very conservative atmosphere from outside. However, having my trial passed with approval from the members of the orchestra, I must say that during my trial period my colleagues treated me in all fairness, and they have been extremely supportive and respectful. I could most likely be considered very lucky to have such open-minded colleagues, maybe also because Berlin is an exceptionally multi-cultural city.
But I am afraid it might not be the same in other places. But even when there are people with biased opinions still existing in modern society, instead of blaming them for the unfair treatment, I would rather spend time being a better musician and keep my values higher, so that even if you are not accepted for whatever reasons, it is not your loss but theirs!
With your career encompassing so many different areas of music – solo, chamber music, orchestral – do you have a favourite, and why?
Along with my solo and orchestral activities, I have always had a big passion for chamber music. Chamber music is a very essential part of music-making: it is a way of communicating with each other. You learn how to listen and react to each other only by playing chamber music because you are just one part among many other lines. To play in an orchestra is in a way a bigger scale of chamber music too, and that is how it always should be.
In this tour to Sydney, you perform all four Brahms symphonies under maestro Daniel Barenboim. This is quite a monumental undertaking – what has it been like preparing such a massive program with one of classical music’s living legends?
As you could imagine, it is quite an unforgettable experience to explore the greatest symphonies of all time with one of the most prominent figures of classical music world of the century. What is so special with this program is Mr Barenboim’s ability to let musicians really give their everything. Not mentioning that Staatskapelle Berlin – with 450 years of history – really brings out its unique German sound and it is, in my personal opinion, the most appropriate sound for Brahms’ music. Because these symphonies are already an excellent composition by itself, what all counts is the ‘sound’. I myself get countless times of goosebumps whilst playing them!
See Jiyoon perform with Staatskapelle Berlin under the baton of Daniel Barenboim this November 25, 26, and 27 in the Sydney Opera House.
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