Shirley Brill (Clarinet)
Jonathan Aner (Piano)
 MOL:
Tell us about each individual player (musical background) and the
history of Brillaner Duo.
Shirley: I was
born in Israel in 1982 and started to play the clarinet at the age of
10. Listening to this instrument was a “love from first sound”!
As a student of Mr.
Kazap in Israel, I was a recipient of the America-Israel Cultural
Foundation grants, which were exclusively given to a limited number of
talented young musicians. Winning some other national competitions, I
was invited to perform as a soloist with Israel’s major orchestras
including a successful performance with the Israel Philharmonic under
the Baton of Zubin Mehta. After finishing my studies in Israel, I moved
to Germany where I studied with Sabine Meyer at the
Musikhochschule Lübeck. Sabine is the most influential musician I
have had the pleasure working with and probably the friendliest one too!
Having spent a few years with her I had the feeling of nearly mastering
the instrument. During this time I developed a career in Europe,
performing as a soloist with different orchestras (such as the Mannheim
Chamber Orchestra and many more), winning prizes at prestigious
international competitions (such as ARD in Munich) and playing
chamber-music concerts with leading artists (such as the Jerusalem
Quartet, the Amar Quartet and the Tel-Aviv Trio). I’m thankful for my
manager, Andreas Braun, who keeps my schedule very busy! Last year I
moved to Boston, in order to complete my studies at the New-England
Conservatory as the only student of Richard Stoltzman. I consider myself
lucky for having the opportunity to work with such wonderful teachers,
the greatest clarinetist of our time!
Jonathan: I was
also born in Israel and started playing the piano when I was 8. Although
my wonderful teachers (Arie Vardi and Konrad Elser) always encouraged me
to focus on the piano solo literature, I always tended toward chamber
music. In 1998, after completing three years of military service, I
founded the Tel-Aviv Trio. We have won many prizes, including The
Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in Australia, the
Vittorio Gui Competition in Italy and the Joseph Joachim Competition in
Germany. The trio has performed in such prestigious venues as the Louvre
Auditorium in Paris, the Wallace Collection in London, Jordan Hall in
Boston to name but a few. We participated in the Bergen International
Festival, Deutsche Grammophon’s Yellow Lounge, and successfully toured
Europe, Southeast-Asia, Australia and the USA. I have also performed
concerts with the world-renowned violists Tabea Zimmermann and Michael
Tree. I’m currently studying in Boston as a part of the New-England
Conservatory’s Professional Piano-Trio Program, under the tutelage of
Vivian and Donald Weilerstein.
We founded the
Brillaner Duo, a couple both onstage and off, in Israel in 1999. Winning
the Possehl-Prize as well as the America-Israel Cultural Foundation and
the Ronen Foundation grants, we were invited to perform in Germany
(Berliner Philharmonie), Denmark (Louisiana Museum), England, Russia,
Switzerland, Turkey and Israel. We have taken part in the
Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Lübeck International Music
Festival and the Eklisia Festival. Our debut CD has met with widespread
acclaim since its release last May. Our repertoire ranges from standard
works for clarinet and piano to pieces we have arranged for this
ensemble. In addition, we are committed to Jewish and Israeli music and
try to include such pieces in most of our programs. One other great
thing about our ensemble is the possibility to collaborate with
different instrumentalists (violinists, violists, cellists and
bassoonists)! Together with Soprano Chen Reiss we have recently founded
the Esprit Trio.
MOL: Tell us about Musikhochschule Lubeck
for the readers. Its location, website, population of students etc.
The time we spent at the
Musikhochschule Lübeck (2001-2005) has been the most beautiful time of
our lives so far. The school is absolutely amazing! The general level is
high, the teachers are great, the environment is inspiring (you should
certainly visit there- this is one of the most wonderful complexes in
one of Germany’s most beautiful cities!), and the people- students,
staff and teachers, are extremely supportive. With its limited number of
students (only around 500) the atmosphere is very familiar. This is one
of those schools where one wishes to stay a student forever (or return
as a teacher!). You can find more information in:
MUSIKHOCHSCHULE
LÜBECK
Große Petersgrube 17-29 · 23552 Lübeck · Deutschland
Tel/Fax +49 (451) 1505 - 0/300 · E-Mail
info@mh-luebeck.de
MOL: What are some of
upcoming concerts scheduled?
Although it seems quite
hard to manage both an individual schedule and an agenda for the duo, we
seem to be quite successful at it. We play around 20 Duo-Recitals a
season. Upcoming performances are scheduled mainly in Germany, but also
in Boston, Tel-Aviv and other cities. We also feel committed to bringing
music to the community and engaging ourselves in outreach performances
every season (in senior homes, hospitals and libraries).
MOL: Tell us about
the music festivals you have attended in the past.
We have especially
strong memory of the performance at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in
Summer 2005. We performed a “fairy-tale concert” collaborating with the
wonderful storyteller Henning Westphal. The atmosphere created by his
legends and by our corresponding music was magical. The audience was
charmed!
MOL:
Performers tend to focus on developing their own tone color all their
lives. How do you describe the type of tone color you possess as an
individual? If possible, can you describe the uniqueness of your tone
color and the uniqueness as a duo?
Shirley: As a
clarinetist, my search for a beautiful, round and warm tone is an
endless task. My clarinetist colleagues and I spend so much time trying
reeds, experimenting with different mouthpieces, and above all- focusing
our entire concentration on the sound we desire. I have been fortunate
to study both in Germany where people play the German-system Clarinet
and in the US where the French-system is being played. Sabine Meyer,
whose sound I admire, taught me to seek for a dark, warm, fine and round
tone. Richard Stoltzman pushes to a fuller and richer sound, yet
colorful and appealing. Studying with both, I gained from both worlds
and now have a wide palette of colors and expressions to choose from!
Jonathan: One of
the many things I like about the piano is that its sound leaves a wide
room for imagination and experimentation. That gives me as a pianist the
freedom to be very creative about the sound I have in mind. Playing
chamber music with many different instrumentalists has greatly enriched
my sound concept. While playing the piano, I try to imitate an
orchestral sound at times, vocal sound at others, or simply enjoy the
beautiful, pure piano sound.
We believe that the
clarinet-piano ensemble is one of the most homogeneous and balanced duo
ensembles. Both instruments produce a clean sound, consisting of only
few vibrations. That gives us a perfect starting point to harmonize our
sound, blend it and be able to match it in the spectrum between the
softest pianissimo to the loudest fortissimo. When Shirley adds a touch
of vibrato, enveloped by the piano’s pedals- that creates a magical
moment! What is the uniqueness of our duo? Let’s start with being one of
the only clarinet and piano duos that works on a permanent basis!
MOL: Jonathan,
serving the military for 3 years, how did you maintain your practicing
hours? How did you prepare yourself back to where you were as a musician
after serving the military?
Serving 3 obligatory
years in the Israeli army hasn’t been easy at all! The years between the
age of 18 and 21 are crucial for a musician’s development. I was lucky
to serve as a qualified musician, which made the whole process a little
easier. I was given a couple of daily hours for practicing, I was
released for piano lessons and was permitted to travel abroad for
important competitions and workshops every once in a while. In return,
alongside with my normal duties as a soldier, I had to perform concerts
in different military camps. This has been an experience from which I
learnt a lot, mainly about communicating with different audiences. After
that, standing on a concert podium seems very easy!
MOL: Any more plans
for CD release in the future?
We decided to dedicate
our first CD to a diverse, recital-like program, rather than to a
certain composer or era. We considered it important to demonstrate our
abilities in different styles rather than specialized in a specific one.
Right now, we are in no rush to record a second CD but when the time
comes, we would certainly like to record some more pieces of the
Clarinet-Piano repertoire. At a certain point we also plan recording and
publishing our own arrangements for this ensemble- prepare for some
surprises!
MOL: What motivates
both of you to perform?
This is simple! Our
love for music, our love for the concert-stage, and last but not least-
the love we share for each other!
Thank you for the interview and all
the best wishes for your career.
Interviewed by
MusicalOnline on January 2006
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