Stepping back in time

Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra concertmaster Andrew Beer is looking forward to touring the...
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra concertmaster Andrew Beer is looking forward to touring the country. PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Six artists from the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra have the rare and exciting opportunity to tour New Zealand in the wake of Covid-19. 
Rebecca Fox talks to concertmaster Andrew Beer.

 

Performing in a group of six instead of 70 is a change violinist Andrew Beer is looking forward to.

The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO) concertmaster, four of his colleagues - Jonathan Cohen on clarinet, Josh Rogan on trumpet, Ingrid Hagan on bassoon and Chen Cao on cello - and Sarah Watkins, their "go to" pianist, are touring New Zealand for Chamber Music New Zealand performing a programme of music from the 1920s.

"It’ll be fun for us, the APO musicians, as we don’t really get a chance to tour usually; we’re Auckland’s orchestra."

The group are filling in a hole created by the inability of international artists to tour New Zealand since Covid-19.

For Beer, who performs on an 1845 J.B. Vuillaume violin with an 1880 J.J. Martin bow, it is also a chance to play to a more intimate audience.

"It’s a really good way for us to bond as people, especially as musicians, heightening our awareness of each other so we’ll play better together when we go back to the full orchestra."

The tour will also give him the opportunity to concentrate on his playing, describing it as being like a "soloist all the way through".

"Chamber music is like a democracy. There is no conductor, no concertmaster. It’s a bunch of equals getting together to decide the tempo, the meaning of the music. Each musician has their chance to have a say. That’s the enjoyable thing about it, especially for orchestral musicians, as we usually just follow the conductor’s directions all the time. Now it’s each musician’s chance to have a say."

While the APO has performed a livestreamed concert, Beer was looking forward to performing to a live audience.

"It’s not the same without an audience. You feed off the energy of a live audience."

The theme for the concerts - "Tales of the ’20s" - will see the musicians play as soloists, duos, trios and build up to six players for the final work in each half.

"It’s really great music."

Beer will play three miniatures by Florence Price, the first African-American to be recognised as a symphonic composer, with Watkins.

He was also looking forward to playing a new piece by composer and bassoonist Ben Hoadley, commissioned for the tour.

Cave Dances was inspired by stories of the decadent dance parties that used to be held in caves on Auckland's west coast during the 1920s.

"His idea isn’t to re-create the music that was played there but to evoke what people might have been feeling there."

Beer, who is from Vancouver, loves living in New Zealand and hopes to get his citizenship next year.

He moved to Auckland in 2014 to become concertmaster of the APO. It was a role he had been looking for as he felt he was ready for the extra challenge after a few years as assistant concertmaster at the Montreal Symphony.

"I really wanted to take the leap into the full leadership role."

Beer visited New Zealand for a two-week trial and totally fell in love with the orchestra and the country.

"The food and fresh air - I tried extra hard to get the job and I won it. "

A concertmaster is the head of an orchestra. While a conductor sets the big beat, the concertmaster fills in the gaps, he says.

"It gives more clarity to the rest of the musicians."

The role also calls for them to do the bowings for all the strings, lead the orchestra in tuning before performances, look after public relations, motivate the orchestra and find the inspiration.

"It’s a motivator for the musicians. It’s not always easy as a section player to find the inspiration, so it’s the job of a leader to rally the troops."

Coming back from Covid-19 lockdowns, players found a lot of joy in performing again, he says.

"I hope the audience sense that in this tour."

Beer has been described as a "virtuoso soloist" by the San Francisco Classical Voice, as possessing a "glorious string tone" by Strad magazine, and as a "musical gift" by the New York Times. His NZ-premiere performance of the Ligeti Concerto was described by Peter Hoar, of RNZ, as "a consummate performance" and "one of the most exciting things I’ve heard for a while".

As a soloist, he has performed with leading orchestras around the world and with many different conductors, including New Zealand’s Hamish McKeich and Tecwyn Evans and Holly Mathieson, of Dunedin.

His "great passion" is contemporary music and he has worked closely with composers such as Pierre Boulez, Mario Davidovsky, Gyorgy Kurtag and Steve Reich.

Beer admits contemporary music can put some audiences out of their comfort zones, but his way of looking at it is that Bach and Beethoven were once considered contemporary composers.

"Their work would have been uncomfortable for people at the time. That’s the excitement of any contemporary piece is that it could turn into a master work and you’re the first one who gets to interpret it - that is exciting."

The father of a 10-month-old, Beer says one of the advantages of Covid has been the ability to spend more time with his family and on his favourite hobby - vegetable gardening.

This tour will take him away from his daughter.

"I’ll be able to catch up on some sleep, but I’m sure there will be multiple video/skype sessions."

TO SEE

Tales of the ’20s,
Glenroy Auditorium, Dunedin, Wednesday, 7.30pm; 
Civic Theatre, Invercargill, October 15, 7.30pm.
 
 
 

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