IN CONVERSATION WITH HARRY BENNETTS

By Dylan Henderson

26 May 2017

It’s July 2016, and you’ve just got the news that you’re the first musician

from ANAM to win a place at the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic

Orchestra Academy. What’s going through your mind?

To be honest it actually took me a few days to accept that I had won a position

in the Academy, I was so sure that someone had made a mistake! The Karajan

Academy had always seemed to be an unobtainable dream, I think I'd known

about it for at least five or so years before the audition. After winning the place

and the initial joy I was quite afraid of what was to come; moving to Europe,

leaving the comfort of what I knew and also facing the dauntingly large pond

that is Berlin!

You’re now around nine months into the two-year residency. Tell us what

it’s been like so far.

Amazing! Of course I've had to deal with the challenges of moving to a country

with a foreign language and an actual dark, cold winter, but these have all

added to the experience. My first project here was with John Adams in the start

of his year as artist in residence and it was a blur! Brett Dean was also playing

in the orchestra that week which kept some sense of familiarity to the start of

my new life here and it was quite special having one of the previous directors of

ANAM there for this new beginning. I've made some great friends here in the

Academy and learnt so much about music and myself. It can be tough and we

are sometimes thrown into uncomfortable performing situations but in the end

it's always worthwhile.

The Berlin Philharmonic is universally acknowledged to be one of the

best orchestras in the world. What’s the atmosphere like within the

orchestra, and within the city of Berlin itself?

The orchestra has quite a unique vibe, its one of the best in the world, but it has

the energy of a youth orchestra which is something so intoxicating in

performance, also from the audience’s perspective. The unified sense of

purpose and combined energy was something I had only experienced a few

times playing in smaller ensembles, and I think pulling this off on such a grand

scale is part of what sets the Berlin Phil apart from other symphony orchestras.

Living in Berlin is also quite interesting, a city which is soaked in culture and

with such a diverse history. Winters are incredibly tough for someone raised in

Sydney but a strong motivator to keep working hard!

You’ve been under the mentorship of concertmaster Noah Bendix-

Balgley. How has he shaped your development as a musician?

It's hard to put a finger exactly on what you're currently learning. Naturally

there's always technical advice but Noah's knowledge and ability to lead and

communicate through playing are something which I believe will help me greatly

in the future. Even following him while playing in the Phil is a lesson, seeing

how he navigates the orchestra through problems, shows characters and

colours in the moment and all this while balancing his hectic schedule. Lessons

that can be applied to all parts of music making.

What’s been the highlight of the program so far?

It would easily be the Academy project directed by John Adams. As part of the

concert we performed his chamber symphony, instrumented for four solo

strings, wind, brass, percussion and synthesiser. The piece is written sort of like

a concerto for 17 instruments and features quite a hefty violin cadenza, it was

quite amazing to work with the composer on this project as it was also my first

Academy project. I definitely felt like I'd been thrown in the deep end with this

one...the parts were fiendishly difficult.

You’re returning to Australia in July to perform several concerts around

the country with pianist Louisa Breen. Tell us about some of the

repertoire you’ll be playing together at UKARIA Cultural Centre.

Speaking for myself this is all repertoire which I have never performed before.

Each piece on the program I know very well and feel suits my playing and

sense of musicality, so it's quite exciting to face an entirely new repertoire of

music I love. Starting with the freshness of Beethoven’s ‘Spring’ Sonata to

Chausson’s passionate Poéme, Lutosławski’s Subito and finishing up on

Strauss' mighty Violin Sonata. It's a program I am very eager to start working on

with Louisa!

Does the Richard Strauss Violin Sonata have a special significance for

you?

I've always loved the orchestral works of Strauss, especially the Alpine

Symphony and Ein Heldenleben, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I heard

the Violin Sonata for the first time. It was actually in one of my first ANAM

string classes with Louisa Breen playing with one of the students. It's written in

a musical language that I have always loved, very orchestral and typical of

Strauss' more large scale orchestral writing, so straight away I felt a great

connection with the piece. When I heard that the recitals were to be with

Louisa, straight away I thought we have to play Strauss sonata!

How do you find time in your busy concert schedule to relax and

unwind?

It's not always easy, sometimes it can be days without any personal time but

when it does arrive I'll admit I am the master of doing absolutely nothing! It's so

beneficial to your wellbeing and so clearly improves your performance that I'm

always up for hanging out over beers or coffee and the occasional Netflix

binge!

Harry Bennetts and Louisa Breen perform at UKARIA Cultural Centre on Sunday, 9 July.

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