Master is in his job title, but Jonathan Carney, concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, remains humble.
Before arriving in Maryland in 2002, Carney led London?s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for 12 years and toured the Americas, Europe and the Far East as a soloist and concertmaster.
What was your first performance?
It was playing the “West Side Story” Broadway score, known as fiendishly difficult, when I was 10 years old with the [Clarkstown High School] orchestra. I remember being completely over my head most of the time, but I had to deal with it. It was such a life lesson because I learned quickly what I could and couldn?t play and how to get through passages that I couldn?t. But every performance got easier. It stuck with me that no matter what, I could survive a performance and make the best of a less-than-perfect situation.
How can the average listener better understand and subsequently appreciate classical music?
By doing what many musicians do ? studying the works, listening to them. Read passages in a musical dictionary about [a piece?s] composer and its origin. For example, what?s really fascinating is knowing some of the details of Beethoven?s life when he was beginning to lose his hearing. Learning that, you understand the mood of the music. For more complicated 20th-century pieces, attend free lectures. Listen to them often just to get the sound in your head so it?s not so shocking the first time. I?ll often change my opinion about a piece from rehearsal to last performance on 20th-century work.
You?ve likened playing the violin to long-distance running. What injuries plague violinists?
Tendonitis in the elbows and shoulders, aches and pains in joints and hands, huge back and neck problems. Really it all stems from the neck. [Playing the violin] is one of the most unnatural positions to hold, and as soon as you add stress, fatigue and age, you get a cocktail for problems.
