When Hilary Hahn asked Spanish composer Anton Garcia Abril to write a series of six partitas for solo violin, the musician knew she'd be performing the pieces for quite a while.
As an artist dedicated to incorporating new commissions into the classical canon, she takes a different approach from some artists. Instead of commissioning a number of new works, playing each fresh piece only a few times, and moving on to the next new thing, she prides exploration and getting comfortable with a new composition.
Committing to playing new works constantly isn’t a misstep — after all, she said, artists who stick to this performance standard bring a lot of new material into the classical canon in short order — but she has learned that she works best when given the latitude to fully dissect and analyze a new creation.
“I make the biggest contribution when I really get to know a piece over time because I like to tinker, and I like to let things reveal themselves to me,” she said, adding that recital repetition allows her the freedom to experiment with different interpretations of the music. “If I stop after one or two performances, I feel like I haven’t learned as much about a piece.”
Hahn will perform the sixth of Abril’s partitas at Clayton State University’s Spivey Hall at 3 p.m. Sunday with pianist Robert Levin. In addition to the solo violin work, the duo will play compositions by Beethoven and Mozart, as well as Bach’s Sonata No. 6 in G Major. To round out the program, Levin will present a solo work he commissioned by Hans Peter Turk, “Traume.”
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The new Abril compositions are an extension of Hahn’s 2013 recording of freshly commissioned encores for violin and piano, “In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores.” For that release, Abril composed “Third Sigh,” a short, fiery lament that sees the violin supported by extended, rubato piano chords that grow increasingly fragmented and forceful. Based on the encore, Hahn suspected that Abril could write fascinating solo violin pieces if he was given the chance.
“He wrote in a particular way for violin that’s unusual among composers today,” she explained, noting that Abril’s writing is “polyphonic, but not in a particularly academic way.” Hahn was drawn to how he weaved together the separate voices of the piano and violin, allowing them to keep a distinct character while melding them into one unit.
The violinist describes the sixth partita as a work that is both rhythmically free but that also benefits from a natural sentence structure. This means, she said, the composition immediately makes sense and appeals to a wide range of listeners. She chose to play the sixth at Spivey because it’s the flashiest and most dramatic of the works.
“Whenever I learn new music, I really want to make sure a lot of people hear it,” she said.
When fashioning a program to take on tour and play night after night, Hahn pays attention to the overall flow of the recital. Of course, she programs familiar composers that would appeal to the public, but she cautions that audiences shouldn’t get too stuck on unfamiliar names or compositions when looking at the scope of her recitals.
“It’s really about what they’re going to experience rather than who’s being played or the details of the program,” she said. If a work receives a particularly lukewarm reception, she’s been known to switch up the program order or vary her interpretation of the piece.
While she allows that some listeners might be worried about the prospect of new music, she’s found that audiences are actually drawn to the prospect of learning about new composers and different styles of music.
“I always like programming a variety of pieces because that’s how I like to listen to music,” she said. As for programming cherished works alongside newer compositions, she doesn’t really put stock in that strategy. “I don’t have to wrench myself in one direction or another to make particular accommodations,” she said.
Hahn learns about a new piece through practice, continued performance and audience feedback. In this way, bringing a new commission to multiple audiences throughout the world can function as an artist’s workshop, of sorts. If after hearing the piece for the first time, she receives pointed feedback, she might incorporate the discussion into her interpretation of the work.
“As a performer, you don’t have a complete picture of what a piece really is,” she said. “You do need to hear from people. Then you realize that there are so many different ways to hear music.”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Hilary Hahn with pianist Robert Levin
3 p.m. March 26. $70. Pre-concert brunch at 1:15 p.m. $40. Spivey Hall, 2000 Clayton State Blvd., Morrow. 678-466-4200, spiveyhall.org.
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