Page 488 - Guildhall Coverage Book 2020-21

difficult music. I can still never listen to it without my heart rate increasing! After that, though, I
settled down and enjoyed it, and the adjudicator James Loughran remarked afterwards that anyone
who could play the Brahms and smile at the same time had to have something going for them! Not
only did I win the Gold Medal, but James invited me to make my professional debut with him
conducting the Hallé in Manchester. So the Brahms became my introduction to life as a
professional soloist as well.

I’ve performed the concerto 55 more times since then. Another memorable occasion was in 1994
when I was driving to Birmingham for a concert and my agent phoned me in a panic, saying, ‘The
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic are in Hamburg and their soloist’s fallen ill; can you play the Brahms
with them tomorrow?’ I agreed to do it, although it was the first time such a thing had happened to
me – I felt like a member of the international jet set! We just had time for a rehearsal in Hamburg
and then went straight out to play it. It was one of my most exciting performances.

I also performed the Brahms for my debut in America in 1997. Leonard Slatkin invited me to play
with the Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Music Festival. It was in a stunning concert hall, with
the audience partly indoors and partly outside, and Leonard was a fantastic partner, with so much
technical expertise but also musical flexibility. I felt I was in the best possible company, especially
as the orchestra members were so friendly towards me as well. Lots of them came up and said how
thrilled they were to have me there.

But if I had to choose one performance that really stood out for me, it would be an open-air
concert at the 2000 Aix-en-Provence Festival with Simon Rattle conducting the CBSO. I got the
call in May for the performance in July and my schedule was already booked up – I only had time
for a piano rehearsal with Simon, who always wants to rehearse to get the details right. Then for
the concert, the French mistral wind had got up and the orchestral players had to peg their music to
the stand; Simon’s score was blowing all over the place and he asked if I’d mind if he conducted it
from memory. I said it was fine – I was more concerned about my bow being blown around – and it
was one of the most incredible performances of my life. I felt free, like Simon was dancing on the
end of my bow stick, and I was reacting to what he was doing. Even though these weren’t the most
ideal circumstances, it was a performance that’s stayed with me always, and the one I’ll take to my
grave.

Interview by Christian Lloyd