0:00:00.000,0:00:02.000
For years Carter hesitated to[br]compose a work, a concerto,

0:00:02.000,0:00:05.000
for flute because he believed the flute

0:00:05.000,0:00:12.000
could not 'bring out the sharp attacks'[br]he favoured in his compositions.

0:00:12.000,0:00:17.000
Now, he's written a flute concerto after all.

0:00:17.000,0:00:20.000
Emmanuel Pahud gave the[br]work its world premiere

0:00:20.000,0:00:22.000
performance in September 2008

0:00:22.000,0:00:25.000
at the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival.

0:00:25.000,0:00:29.000
Emmanuel Pahud, what kind[br]of a work did Carter

0:00:29.000,0:00:30.067
compose for you?

0:00:30.067,0:00:40.000
Actually, when one is confronted[br]with a composition that in 13 minutes

0:00:40.000,0:00:44.000
summarizes 100 years

0:00:44.000,0:00:47.000
plus perspectives looking[br]back as well as forwards,

0:00:47.000,0:00:50.000
from the point of view of Elliott Carter.

0:00:50.000,0:00:55.000
It is a daunting task one is faced with

0:00:55.000,0:01:00.000
and looking at such music scores[br]opens incredible worlds.

0:01:00.000,0:01:10.000
It's unbelievable how much one can define[br]as a performer while sitting at a desk

0:01:10.000,0:01:12.000
not just by trying out the piece

0:01:12.000,0:01:14.000
on one's instrument and[br]reading the score

0:01:14.000,0:01:18.000
but far more in the[br]dialogue, the connection,

0:01:18.000,0:01:21.000
between the solo instrument[br]and the orchestra

0:01:21.000,0:01:24.000
what worlds get opened up there.

0:01:24.000,0:01:29.030
And in this concerto, you recognize[br]right at the start

0:01:29.030,0:01:32.082
that the flute suddenly fills the room

0:01:32.082,0:01:40.000
with an entire cloud of[br]sounds, like sequins in the air.

0:01:40.000,0:01:42.096
These sounds are then[br]repeated by the orchestra

0:01:43.000,0:01:46.000
and alternately by different[br]groups of instruments

0:01:46.000,0:01:49.000
that react to each other and I too am

0:01:49.000,0:01:52.000
involved at this point and[br]occasionally play sounds

0:01:52.000,0:01:58.000
that, in contrast to the sounds[br]being played by other instruments

0:01:58.000,0:02:00.034
are picked up and[br]emphasized by the orchestra.

0:02:00.035,0:02:03.000
That is, the notes played[br]by the solo instrument,

0:02:03.000,0:02:05.051
the flute, are then[br]sustained by the orchestra

0:02:05.053,0:02:10.000
as a kind of sound relief[br]and from these sounds a harmony builds

0:02:10.000,0:02:13.000
and over and above this harmony,[br]a solo flute voice develops

0:02:13.000,0:02:17.022
which leads to a wonderful Cantilena[br]in the second part of the piece.

0:02:17.055,0:02:23.000
The piece is called a concerto[br]for flute and orchestra,

0:02:24.000,0:02:27.000
but I would prefer to[br]describe it as a nocturne

0:02:27.000,0:02:29.000
although it has the form of a concerto.

0:02:29.000,0:02:32.000
It's one long piece of music[br]that's clearly divided

0:02:32.000,0:02:35.000
structurally into four[br]different movements.

0:02:35.000,0:02:39.000
Just as with a symphony,[br]with the first part

0:02:39.000,0:02:41.000
and then a middle, slower part,

0:02:41.000,0:02:44.000
that you could say is more of a song

0:02:44.000,0:02:47.000
then a third part where[br]the cadence is free

0:02:47.000,0:02:50.000
and the flute starts out alone

0:02:50.000,0:02:54.000
and it is joined by other instruments,[br]mainly the drum group

0:02:54.000,0:03:00.083
and then in the end a finale marked[br]by a great deal of virtuosity

0:03:00.083,0:03:02.054
not only from the flute

0:03:02.054,0:03:05.057
but also from the violins[br]and the other instruments of the orchestra.

0:03:06.000,0:03:08.000
What Elliott Carter borrowed[br]from Stravinsky

0:03:09.000,0:03:14.000
was his decades-long intensive[br]preoccupation with rhythm.

0:03:15.000,0:03:17.000
He not only wrote essays[br]on the subject but

0:03:17.000,0:03:20.000
most of his work reflects[br]this focus on rhythm.

0:03:20.000,0:03:23.027
What is it like in the Flute Concerto?

0:03:23.089,0:03:26.040
It isn't nearly so difficult from[br]the point of view of rhythm

0:03:26.040,0:03:27.094
as in his earlier works

0:03:28.000,0:03:34.000
works from the 1970s and 80s when[br]he's already well over 70 years of age.

0:03:36.000,0:03:38.000
The works are marked[br]by an enormous level of complexity

0:03:38.000,0:03:42.000
but with age he seems to have[br]acquired a certain wisdom

0:03:43.000,0:03:49.056
inasmuch as he played with[br]complex rhythms a lot

0:03:50.000,0:03:54.000
where, for example a duet[br]for flute and clarinet,

0:03:54.000,0:03:57.000
called 'Esprit Rude, Esprit Doux'

0:03:58.000,0:04:03.000
meaning 'Rough Spirit, Kind Spirit'

0:04:04.000,0:04:09.000
this piece was composed for[br]Pierre Boulez sixtieth birthday.

0:04:10.000,0:04:12.085
In this piece there are[br]just the two instruments

0:04:13.000,0:04:14.076
but they may never play together.

0:04:15.000,0:04:16.062
The piece is very very fast,

0:04:16.063,0:04:20.000
but when the clarinet plays[br]five notes in a row

0:04:20.000,0:04:21.071
then the flute only plays four... or six and

0:04:22.000,0:04:23.065
the other way around as[br]well, the entire time

0:04:24.000,0:04:28.000
and during a performance[br]if you hear two sounds

0:04:28.000,0:04:32.000
played together then the[br]performance has failed.

0:04:32.090,0:04:36.027
It's entirely different than playing Mozart

0:04:36.030,0:04:38.014
or Beethoven, where[br]you hear immediately

0:04:38.014,0:04:39.076
that a mistake has been[br]made when it's not together.

0:04:39.076,0:04:44.063
In this case it's just the opposite,[br]which offers an interesting perspective

0:04:45.006,0:04:48.000
but it leads to the oddity that[br]when a sound finally comes together

0:04:49.000,0:04:53.000
the audience or the[br]musicians playing think

0:04:53.000,0:04:56.000
'finally' it's alright after all

0:04:57.000,0:04:59.000
but no, it's actually wrong.

0:05:00.000,0:05:08.000
None of that in the Flute Concerto[br]nor in the Piano Concerto, the Dialogues.

0:05:11.000,0:05:15.000
It's well defined who has the lead role,[br]the piano or the flute,

0:05:15.000,0:05:19.000
and the orchestra is in constant dialogue,

0:05:19.000,0:05:24.016
that is, we react to one[br]another using the same material.

0:05:25.000,0:05:29.016
The rhythmic complexity is there during[br]the entire development of the piece.

0:05:29.076,0:05:33.000
It appears in many different forms.

0:05:33.000,0:05:36.036
But Elliott Carter, unlike many other[br]composers of the younger generation,

0:05:37.000,0:05:40.000
completely rejects special effects.

0:05:40.000,0:05:45.000
Because you can get a very[br]sweet tone from the flute

0:05:45.000,0:05:47.031
but also very ugly sounds.

0:05:48.000,0:05:55.000
Or very windy or a very pizzicato-like sound[br]using the tongue to make a popping sound.

0:05:56.000,0:05:59.000
Or a clapping type of sound,[br]a percussive effect.

0:05:59.000,0:06:02.034
You have a lot of possibilities for effects

0:06:02.034,0:06:06.040
that you can breathe or[br]blow into the instrument

0:06:07.000,0:06:11.024
that create other kinds noises,[br]not to mention sounds.

0:06:11.024,0:06:15.020
But there's none of that with Elliott Carter.

0:06:15.041,0:06:20.000
He uses the flute... after[br]the opening of the concerto

0:06:20.000,0:06:23.000
which is quite scattered almost chaotic

0:06:24.000,0:06:28.000
and this chaos slowly[br]organizes itself into a kind of

0:06:28.000,0:06:31.000
musical language for all[br]the performers on the stage.

0:06:32.000,0:06:39.000
And afterward there comes an almost[br]neo-impressionistic musical language,

0:06:39.000,0:06:42.047
which is very suited to the flute,

0:06:42.047,0:06:45.062
especially since Debussy's[br]orchestral works

0:06:45.062,0:06:47.418
or Ravel's orchestral works[br]which have helped audiences

0:06:47.618,0:06:49.935
recognize the flute as[br]that type of instrument.

0:06:50.035,0:06:51.888
After the intermission, we will hear the

0:06:52.000,0:06:54.000
Concerto for Piano and[br]Ensemble, 'Dialogues'.

0:06:54.000,0:06:57.000
It was premiered in[br]London in January 2004

0:06:57.000,0:07:01.000
and this evening's soloist also[br]performed that world premiere.

0:07:02.000,0:07:04.000
You will be performing with the[br]orchestra, playing the flute,

0:07:04.000,0:07:06.000
and you are familiar with the work.

0:07:06.000,0:07:09.000
The works are very similar in[br]length and have a similar

0:07:09.000,0:07:11.000
ensemble of instruments,[br]perhaps a little smaller.

0:07:12.000,0:07:15.028
What other similarities do[br]you see in these two pieces?

0:07:16.000,0:07:20.000
These pieces are.....[br]immediately recognizable

0:07:20.000,0:07:23.000
as works by the same composer...A.

0:07:24.000,0:07:27.000
and B. - they are in the same musical style.

0:07:28.000,0:07:31.097
Elliott Carter doesn't use any exotic

0:07:31.097,0:07:35.064
instruments such as[br]drums, harp or keyboards

0:07:35.064,0:07:39.000
in the piano piece... because[br]he already has a wonderful

0:07:39.000,0:07:42.083
percussion instrument, the piano itself.

0:07:42.093,0:07:48.000
After all, it is hammers that[br]make the sound on the strings,

0:07:49.000,0:07:51.065
and depending how softly[br]or strongly the notes

0:07:51.065,0:07:54.000
are struck an unbelievable[br]palette of sounds unfolds.

0:07:54.000,0:08:01.000
Sometimes it sounds like Chopin[br]and sometimes it sounds like Bernstein.

0:08:01.000,0:08:06.000
There's a Cantilena, but it[br]isn't heard so much in the

0:08:06.000,0:08:12.002
solo Flute voice but rather[br]from the English Horn

0:08:12.002,0:08:14.056
performed beautifully by Albrecht Mayer.

0:08:14.056,0:08:19.000
And this Dialogue takes place[br]between

0:08:19.000,0:08:22.094
a solo instrument and the orchestra

0:08:23.000,0:08:26.000
but naturally with other ingredients.

0:08:26.000,0:08:30.000
Since a piano is not dealt[br]with as a solo instrument

0:08:30.000,0:08:33.040
in the same manner as a flute.

0:08:33.040,0:08:38.002
As a result the entire cosmos,[br]the entire constellation is there

0:08:38.002,0:08:41.065
but is seen from an entirely[br]other point of view.

0:08:42.000,0:08:50.043
It is as if you were to see the sky[br]in Berlin at midnight and then

0:08:50.086,0:08:55.000
a few hours later from Sydney.

0:08:55.000,0:09:00.037
You would see different constellations[br]that belong to the same cosmos,

0:09:01.000,0:09:03.067
but you would be looking at them[br]from another perspective.

0:09:03.067,0:09:07.082
In 1990 Elliott Carter composed a[br]Trio with the beautiful name

0:09:08.000,0:09:10.000
'Con Leggerezza Pensosa',[br]contemplative lightness.

0:09:10.000,0:09:14.000
Many of the works from[br]the last two decades

0:09:14.000,0:09:19.000
of Carter's oeuvre merit[br]similar-sounding names.

0:09:19.000,0:09:23.000
What about the two works that[br]we'll be hearing this evening?

0:09:24.000,0:09:29.000
Lightness and thoughtfulness...[br]but both together and linked

0:09:29.000,0:09:36.000
is an absolute key to[br]understanding these works

0:09:36.000,0:09:41.000
as well as to performing these works.

0:09:41.000,0:09:46.000
There is a composer's note in the score

0:09:46.000,0:09:49.000
'giocoso' meaning 'playful'.

0:09:49.000,0:09:53.000
and there is another 'legerissimo' note[br]toward the end of the Flute Concerto.

0:09:53.000,0:09:57.000
These notes recur quite often in the works.

0:09:57.000,0:10:03.000
as if to indicate a baroque[br]treatment, a light and

0:10:03.000,0:10:05.053
decorative way of playing the piece.

0:10:05.076,0:10:13.000
It's an indicator of the playful way[br]the composer sees his work.

0:10:13.000,0:10:18.000
Not taken too seriously,[br]and not to be made too important.

0:10:18.000,0:10:23.000
It is naturally a sign of great maturity.

0:10:23.000,0:10:29.000
and I will try, even with my[br]'relatively' advanced years

0:10:29.000,0:10:33.000
to adhere to the composer's notes.

0:10:33.000,0:10:36.063
You played the world[br]premiere of these pieces

0:10:36.063,0:10:39.058
and now you're doing[br]their European premiere.

0:10:39.058,0:10:44.056
You premiered the Flute Concerto[br]of Marc-AndrĂŠ Dalbavie in 2006.

0:10:44.066,0:10:48.000
Just two examples of your commitment[br]to contemporary classical music.

0:10:48.000,0:10:51.000
What is it that draws you[br]so much to this music?

0:10:51.000,0:10:55.044
The music of Johann[br]Sebastian Bach, of his sons,

0:10:55.044,0:10:58.015
from Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven

0:10:58.015,0:11:01.068
was at one time very[br]new and revolutionary.

0:11:01.068,0:11:04.000
They were interested in new instruments.

0:11:04.000,0:11:07.077
And it has always been the same.

0:11:08.000,0:11:10.079
And it continues to be that way today.

0:11:11.000,0:11:15.000
The difference is that the composers also

0:11:16.000,0:11:21.000
performed their works on[br]the piano or violin, or viola

0:11:22.000,0:11:26.000
or improvising during[br]a concert performance

0:11:26.000,0:11:29.000
and then wrote out[br]their compositions.

0:11:30.000,0:11:35.000
The ease with which a Mozart, for example,[br]in just one night in Prague

0:11:35.000,0:11:40.000
composed his 'Don Giovanni' Overture[br]just shortly before the dress rehearsal

0:11:41.000,0:11:45.000
is something that is reflected in the

0:11:45.000,0:11:50.000
hyperactivity of a[br]composer like Elliott Carter.

0:11:51.000,0:11:54.026
I believe if people had[br]complete freedom of choice

0:11:54.026,0:11:56.082
they would always take the works of

0:11:56.082,0:12:00.000
Matthias Pintscher, Elliott Carter [br]or Pierre Boulez

0:12:00.000,0:12:03.076
or Marc-AndrĂŠ Dalbavie [br]compose for example.

0:12:04.000,0:12:07.000
And I really hope that in 250 or 300 years

0:12:07.000,0:12:11.070
people will think about their[br]works the way we think about

0:12:11.070,0:12:14.066
the works of Mozart or Bach.

0:12:14.066,0:12:20.000
That what the composers want to[br]say with their works today

0:12:20.000,0:12:24.000
may be seen as visionary,[br]and can't be understood

0:12:24.000,0:12:25.096
without some explanation.

0:12:26.000,0:12:30.000
But you do want a kind of guide.

0:12:32.069,0:12:36.062
This language has become established

0:12:37.000,0:12:43.000
and is fully integrated in the[br]musical language of the classical world

0:12:43.000,0:12:49.090
as the natural further development[br]of the musical language of Bach or Mozart

0:12:50.000,0:12:56.000
Schubert, Brahms, Mahler, Berg, Weber,[br]and today... Carter.

0:12:57.000,0:12:59.000
When you're playing a new score that

0:12:59.000,0:13:03.000
no one else ever played before[br]you, since it is a world premiere,

0:13:03.000,0:13:07.000
is there any particular[br]difference to the manner

0:13:07.000,0:13:11.000
in which you prepare[br]compared with 'old' works?

0:13:11.020,0:13:14.026
Absolutely, when you discover a new work,

0:13:14.026,0:13:16.096
it's really like going[br]somewhere you've never been.

0:13:17.006,0:13:20.073
You have no idea when the ground[br]might fall away beneath your feet,

0:13:20.073,0:13:23.007
or how the different performers[br]react to one another.

0:13:23.007,0:13:25.000
Is there any kind of a cushion[br]between the instruments?

0:13:25.000,0:13:30.028
You don't know if you'll get the feeling[br]of being attacked around the next corner.

0:13:31.000,0:13:36.000
You have to be careful, especially [br]on the lookout and respectful.

0:13:36.000,0:13:38.075
But once you've completely[br]worked your way

0:13:38.075,0:13:40.054
through the piece for the first time

0:13:40.054,0:13:44.061
and you begin to review the piece[br]for the second time,

0:13:44.061,0:13:51.000
it's a little like going into a museum[br]and seeing a new work hanging there.

0:13:51.000,0:13:54.051
It was never hanging in that room[br]before and now it's there.

0:13:54.051,0:13:57.025
The room feels completely different[br]and you are initially irritated.

0:13:57.025,0:14:00.021
But then you look at the work a little more[br]closely and get used to the new work

0:14:00.021,0:14:03.074
and you notice the texture of[br]the work, how it's put together.

0:14:03.074,0:14:09.028
And taking a few steps back[br]you look at the work from different angles.

0:14:09.028,0:14:13.037
And you notice 'aha, there's this aspect[br]or that one...' this surface, this material.

0:14:13.037,0:14:17.000
And that's exactly how we approach[br]a new musical work.

0:14:17.000,0:14:21.067
And the analysis of the work[br]takes on a form, a structure of

0:14:21.067,0:14:24.010
one has to try to find the key

0:14:24.010,0:14:26.000
to how the work is put together[br]it's like sentence structure

0:14:26.000,0:14:29.000
in order that it makes sense

0:14:29.000,0:14:32.043
it's all words following one anther[br]that make sense in some way

0:14:32.052,0:14:37.035
and it's our job as performers[br]to try to understand the composition

0:14:37.035,0:14:40.057
preferably without a[br]phone call to the composer.

0:14:40.057,0:14:42.060
That's what I was about to ask,

0:14:42.060,0:14:46.000
the advantage of working on[br]pieces from living composers

0:14:46.000,0:14:50.000
is naturally that you[br]can ask composers questions.

0:14:50.000,0:14:53.000
Does it help to talk with the composer?

0:14:53.000,0:15:02.000
I don't like too many influences[br]when I'm preparing a new work.

0:15:02.000,0:15:10.000
When a composer has reacted[br]to a suggestion to create a piece,

0:15:10.000,0:15:15.000
or he approaches us himself[br]with a piece he's composed

0:15:15.000,0:15:18.000
that's already quite a step.

0:15:18.000,0:15:22.000
But, then you have two [br]different types of work,

0:15:22.000,0:15:25.000
the creator, the composer[br]making his piece

0:15:25.000,0:15:31.000
and the performer who plays [br]the music or reanimates it, so to speak,

0:15:31.000,0:15:35.000
those are two very different[br]roles and I don't want

0:15:35.000,0:15:40.000
to have any limiting influence[br]on creativity of the composer.

0:15:41.000,0:15:47.000
I think the burning idea,[br]the cry that leads to the birth of the work,

0:15:47.000,0:15:57.000
is so very important for the whole world,[br]but for me as a musician

0:15:57.000,0:16:00.000
it's the only way I can move ahead.

0:16:00.000,0:16:04.000
If I give a commission[br]for a work to be composed,

0:16:04.000,0:16:08.000
tailor-made for me, then[br]no one moves ahead.

0:16:08.000,0:16:10.000
It may be a personal 'tour-de-force' that

0:16:10.000,0:16:14.000
shows off my talents but[br]it becomes self-serving,

0:16:14.000,0:16:20.000
and that isn't what musical[br]creation is supposed to be about.

0:16:20.000,0:16:22.000
My job is to serve the composition as best

0:16:22.000,0:16:26.000
I can understand and[br]interpret it to the world.

0:16:26.000,0:16:34.000
So a composer needs to know that[br]as soon as he allows a work to be printed.

0:16:34.000,0:16:39.013
It belongs to the whole world and[br]everyone can play it the way they'd like.

0:16:39.013,0:16:42.041
And it's like a newborn that[br]begins to make its way

0:16:42.041,0:16:46.000
and master its own future.