There's a plethora of terrific concerts on 8 March, International Women's Day. Actually we're splendidly spoilt for choice this year! In the
Barbican's offering,
Laurence Equilbey conducts her own
Insula Orchestra - resident at La Seine Musicale in Paris - in the UK premiere of the Symphony No.3 by Louise Farrenc (1804-1875), with Beethoven's Triple Concerto in the first half starring Natalie Clein (cello), Alice Sara Ott (piano) and Alexandra Conunova (violin). I asked Laurence why she's putting Farrenc side by side with Beethoven, and plenty more besides...
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| Equilbey in action |
Your
London concert is on International Women’s Day. This annual event has gained
prominence at an extraordinary speed over the past few years. Why do you think
it’s important to mark it?
There is definitely a greater appetite from
audiences to hear music from female composers of the past than there has been
previously, and when is a greater opportunity to celebrate this than on
International Women’s Day! However International Women’s Day is not the only
day that Insula orchestra will be celebrating female composers. In upcoming
programmes we will be performing Fanny Mendelssohn’s Hero et Leander, and Clara
Schumann’s Piano Concerto, and I would love to tackle the work of even more
rarely performed female composers, like Clemence de Grandval.
For
those who haven’t yet heard of Louise Farrenc, please tell us a bit more about
her. What appeals to you in her music? Why should we all come along and
discover her?
I love to always keep an ear out for rare and
undervalued works. I discovered the work of Louise Farrenc a few years ago, but
I wanted to wait for the perfect moment to perform her Symphony no.3, as it is
her finest work. This symphony has been immaculately constructed, and uses
fascinating rhythmic motifs, very powerful orchestration, and has beautiful
melodic themes which I think are evocative of Mendelssohn (Felix!). It
definitely deserves to be a mainstay in the performance canon.
The
concert has three female soloists in the Beethoven Triple Concerto and a
symphony by Louise Farrenc. How did you decide on the pieces and the
performers?
Symphony no.3 was actually premiered alongside
Beethoven’s 5th, so I wanted to be paired with Beethoven again. I
think these works not only enhance each other, but help to complete a broader
understanding of 19th century musical life in Paris. Farrenc and
Beethoven are also linked in other ways, as they shared a teacher, Antoine
Reicha.
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Laurence Equilbey at La Seine Musicale
Photo: Julien Benhamou |
It was not a case of gender with the three
female soloists – Alexandra Conunova, Natalie Clein and Alice Sara Ott. All
three are simply superb musicians who are at the top of their game.
How
and why did you start your own orchestra? What is its mission statement, and
why?
Insula orchestra is resident at La Seine
Musicale, and we performed the inaguaral concert there in 2017. The venue also
provided the inspiration for the name ‘Insula’, the latin for ‘island’, as La
Seine Musicale is located on Ile Seguin, just a few miles downstream from
Paris. The Insula cortex is also the part of the brain linked to emotion.
Starting a new orchestra like Insula orchestra
and having a fantastic new venue like La Seine Musicale gives us the perfect
opportunity to approach classical music from a fresh perspective. We have the
freedom to take risks, and our ethos is to preserve a place of artistic
experimentation, innovation and openness. We have plans to incorporate visual
arts, theatre, and technology in many exciting ways.
What
are your views generally on the issues facing women in the music business,
especially conductors and composers? Have we put up with sexism and
discouragement on the grounds of gender for too long? Do you think the
situation is improving now?
There are definitely prejudices against women in
the music business that have existed for a long time, but we should celebrate
that now we have some opportunities to finally enjoy the work of long neglected
female composers, like Louise Farrenc. One must not forget however that there
are many forgotten composers who were neglected due to racial bias or their social
situation, not just due to their gender.
For performers, conductors, soloists, stage
designers, the path is a hard one, and there is a need to take some specific
measures for more inclusive programme ideas.
What
further measures can be taken to aid this process?
We can make amends to these women, and in turn
benefit female composers of the future, by first and foremost exploring their
music. For performers, the French government has proposed quota objectives to
fill. I also read recently that UK festivals are taking actions to achieve
greater gender equality on the stage. It is very important that culture opens
itself up to women.
The
new concert hall in Paris on the Seine is the second important music venue to
open in the French capital in the past few years, the other obviously being the Philharmonie. But
London is still struggling to build its first since the 1980s. Why do we need
new, proper concert halls in this day and age?
At La Seine Musicale we have been very
lucky to have the support and commitment of our local government, Departement
des Hauts de Seine. In that area of Paris there was previously no big concert
hall which could be used for staged projects, with all the modern technical
equipment. La Seine Musicale was an unprecedented investment in the musical
sector, so we can only hope that similar opportunities will arise in London.
Having said this, the Barbican’s willingness to welcome Insula orchestra and
our ethos is hugely encouraging.
