Page 249 - Media Coverage Book - 75th Aldeburgh Festival 2024

As well as the concerto Alban will be teaming up with regular recital partner, pianist Steven
Osborne, in a recreation of a legendary recital given by Mstislav Rostropovich and
festival founder Benjamin Britten (both above) in July 1961, where the world premiere of
Britten’s Cello Sonata took place. Gerhardt considers the rapport both performers have in
that recital. “Britten was a fantastic pianist and a wonderful musician, besides being a great
composer. I wouldn’t say Steven and I have the same rapport because none of us is as
creative as these two guys. Rostropovich was a composer himself, not a great composer, but
he wrote some quite witty pieces, and conducted and played the piano. He was really a
complete musician, although I don’t agree with everything he did interpretation-wise –
which is perhaps bad taste on my part – but they were two giants of music! I think Steven
and I understand each other well because we are closer in age and Western, whereas the
Russian and the Brit – that’s quite a mix!”

He considers the concert further. “You have no idea how brave I actually am because two
nights before I am playing Dvořák in Chicago, and I arrive in the middle of the night at 1am
the day of the recital. I’m already very scared of that day!” We agree that Rostropovich
would probably be in favour. “Yes, he would approve of doing something stupid like that!”

Both Unsuk and Alban are intensely honoured by their roles this year. “I heard lots of things
about Aldeburgh and Benjamin Britten, who I really admire as a composer”, says Chin, “and
it’s a really great honour to be played at the festival”. Sadly she won’t be attending in
person, due to the composition of her opera Die dunkle Seite des Mondes (The Dark Side of
the Moon) getting to the stage where it can’t be left. “It should be finished by the end of this
year!” she confirms. “I’m not coming to Aldeburgh, then!” jokes Alban on hearing the news.
“For me it’s an honour, but it is also an honour for the festival to have Unsuk, because she is
one of the two or three best living composers. Anybody should be honoured to play her
music.”

He recalls his first visit to the Suffolk town. “I think I was first there 20 years ago. A few
months ago I went to the Red House for the first time, and saw the manuscript of
Britten’s Cello Suite no.1, and it was beautiful to see the handwriting. It had a lot of the
fingerings and bowings of Rostropovich on it, and I didn’t like that because I wanted to
know what Britten actually said.”

He applies the same argument to the newer commission. “That’s why when we made an
edition of Unsuk’s concerto I was very hesitant of putting too much of me in there, because I
want the next performer to come up with their own ideas. For example, some of the
metronome markings of Unsuk I cannot play, but I like that! The question is – should we
change them to what I could do? I said no, because it’s good to know that she had that in
mind, and the next player should try to get to it. Metronome markings are not the rule of
law, but it gives us an idea of what the composer had at some point in their mind. I would
hate if people came and took my interpretation as the one to do. The one to do is in the
score, and what was in Unsuk’s head. I don’t think it helps much to ask her how to play it!”

Unsuk nods in agreement. “I think you said once it’s like a child you give birth to”, says
Gerhardt, “but then it grows, maybe in a direction you’re not happy with!” The only few
things you told me”, he recalls, “were about some slides in the first movement, which
happened by accident. The great thing is that we have these scores, which are like a