BY CUTCOMMON
In 2022, Reuben Johnson heard his Australian National Academy of Music colleagues perform Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. So engrossing was this music that it forged a special memory in his mind — one the pianist now intends to share with other concertgoers when he plays it for them himself.
Joining forces with fellow ANAM musicians clarinettist Dario Scalabrini, violinist Louise Turnbull, and cellist Ariel Volovelsky, Reuben will present Messiaen’s 1940s chamber work in the Abbotsford Convent. Ahead of the event, we wanted to know more about the award-winning Queensland pianist, including what this work means to him — and what it means to play these types of works when you also have passions for bass guitar, church organ, singing backing vocals in a rock band; you name it.
Hi Reuben! How are you enjoying your third year at ANAM so far?
I’m enjoying my third year a lot. This second semester particularly has gotten very busy with ANAM concerts and some of my own projects all happening in quick succession — but that’s always the way. I’ve been enjoying really focusing — it’s a real privilege to be able to dedicate so much time to a single thing like music, so I just try to make the most of it.
Take us back to what first landed you at ANAM. Your experience in music is eclectic, from bass guitar in a rock band to choral music and organ. At what point did you decide that piano at ANAM was a stream that you really wanted to start taking seriously?
Classical piano always felt like my main pursuit — I liked the structured and formal nature of it. But the other interests are also a part of me. They express different parts of who I am.
My journey to ANAM was almost an accident. A lot of my colleagues from the Queensland Conservatorium were talking about applying, so I decided to look into it and submit an application. But the more I read about it, the more it seemed like it would be a good fit for me.
It’s far from the conventional conservatorium. Apart from the huge amount of concerts we do, the range and quantity of repertoire is pretty unparalleled. While there are pros and cons to this, overall it’s been a rewarding experience — and I’ve learnt a lot, and played so much repertoire I never would have come across otherwise.
How have you found that experience of focusing so intensely on piano? Is this where your future lies — in very, very good piano performance? Or have you simultaneously been embracing your other instruments, and singing, to ensure you keep the fire burning for your various musical passions?
That’s a good question. I’ll give two parts to the answer. I think all musicians deal with the challenge of finding meaning in their life and work. One thing I find hard about music performance is the lack of permanence and tangibility. One can easily spend an entire day in a practice room, and feel like they haven’t achieved anything. Nothing was created, the world hasn’t changed. This can be difficult to cope with sometimes.
In a way, it takes a lot of courage to pursue something very intensely like music. To excel in anything requires giving up on a lot of other things; giving up other futures you may have thought about. There is no right answer to ‘how should I spend my time?’. We spend our whole lives trying to answer it.
That all being said, music is this wonderful creation that allows us to explain things and deal with emotions like nothing else can. So at least personally, I feel it’s very important in that way, and I feel very lucky getting to spend every day surrounded by it.
Also, the ability to immerse yourself in a task that challenges the limits of the human mind and body is one of life’s great pleasures, and has a merit in and of itself. And the pride of self-accomplishment always brings great satisfaction.
Overall, I don’t think it’s something I can ever regret doing. I plan for my future to involve as much piano playing and performing as I can.
You pride yourself on having such a broad range of interests in music. How do you feel it’s been a benefit for you to learn so many different instruments and styles?
Mainly, it allows me to keep an open mind. It’s a personal vexation that people think some music is ‘high’ or ‘low’, or ‘good’ or ‘bad’. When people have a prejudice against a certain genre of music, it’s never about the abstract noise — all music is fundamentally abstract. It’s about a prejudice against the people who are associated with it. Sure, within the often strict confines of a particular musical style, something can be executed well or poorly. You can get close to quantifying a good or bad performance of a Beethoven sonata. But when speaking about genres or styles, what is good, bad, sophisticated, or not, is a complete cultural perception.
Obviously, I have my own tastes in what gives me pleasure to listen to and play. But I do my best to approach unfamiliar music as openly as I can, and attempt to understand what it is about it that other people enjoy so much. It can provide a window into how others think.
Humans are designed to be afraid of the unfamiliar, but challenging ourselves to push past this is important not only for each of us to have a more enriching individual experience, but also to create a more understanding and accepting society at large.
You’re gearing up for a performance of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. Tell us a bit about your connection to this piece.
If memory serves, I first came across the piece in high school. I remember learning about the unique way he organises pitches and rhythms, and being fascinated by it. Hearing the cello movement always stuck with me as one of the most unique and beautiful things I’d ever heard.
Then in 2022, some of my ANAM colleagues did a great performance of it, which always stuck with me. It’s one of those rare pieces that can really hold your attention from start to end, which is all the more remarkable in some of the tempi Messiaen demands — ‘infiniment lent’ [infinitely slow] in the fifth movement, for example — every cellist’s nightmare!
Getting to know it more thoroughly leading up to the performance has been a real pleasure. I regard Messiaen as one of the great geniuses in music. His language is perhaps not as instantly beautiful or approachable as Mozart or Chopin’s, but the way his music is constructed, and his ability to maintain tension, is certainly on par.
The performance is part of the Soundbites series in which ANAM musicians curate concerts that express their own unique experience in music. How does this piece show us who you are?
This piece touches on some of the most disturbing and profound parts of humanity. I enjoy the opportunity as a performer to challenge people, and this is a great chance to make people think.
What’s it been like to rehearse with your fellow ANAM musicians?
One of the great parts of being at ANAM is that all my colleagues play at such a high level, so it’s always a positive experience to rehearse and make music together. We’re all used to being able to put together a piece pretty quickly when we need to, but this Messiaen is another story. There’s so many moments with complex rhythms and tempo changes — with no chance to prepare or get an upbeat — that as an ensemble, you just have to ‘feel’ things together. And there’s no way to fake that, it just takes quite a lot of rehearsal time to all be on the same page. So it can be frustrating! But also a lot of fun.
How do you do your best to support each other during that rehearsal time?
There are no secrets, really — it’s about being understanding of one another, making an effort to read the room; knowing the right time to critique or demand perfection from the group, and the right time to take a break.
What are you most looking forward to when it comes to Soundbite 2?
Mostly the performance! This piece can create such an incredible atmosphere that you really just have to be there for. So I’m looking forward to being a part of creating that.
Parting words?
I find that it’s so hard to take in much of a piece on the first hearing, so I hope this leads people down some rabbit holes exploring this piece and others by this great composer. It’s a truly rewarding experience!
Hear Reuben perform with ANAM musicians in Soundbite 2: Quartet for the End of Time, 11am August 15 in Abbotsford Convent.
Image supplied.
