Tri-County Concerts Association

EJ:  How long have you and Anna Polonsky been performing together?  When and where did you meet?

SJ:  I had heard wonderful things about Anna and her playing for several years, and finally got the chance to play together at a chamber music festival in Seattle in 2008. Right away, I knew I had met my musical soul mate. It just clicked, and I was so inspired. We've been playing together ever since.

AP: We met at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival.  But my husband [Orion Weiss] and Stefan knew each other from a long time ago, when they won the Avery Fisher Career Grant in the same year, 2002.

EJ:  What first sparked your interest in your instrument?

SJ:  I was given a tiny violin for my fourth birthday. So, my parents started me on lessons at a local music school.

AP:  The short answer is: my parents made me! They are a violinist and a pianist, and each of their two daughters had to play one or the other instrument. We still do. 

EJ:  Could you tell us about the repertoire you have chosen for this concert?  What makes these pieces meaningful to you?   (Program:  Stravinsky, Suite Italienne;  Brahms, Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78; Chopin, Nocturne in C sharp minor;  R. Strauss, Violin sonata in E Flat, Op. 18)

SJ:  The emotional heart of the recital is Brahms's first sonata for violin and piano. Although it is his first violin sonata, it is from later in his career. It is a piece filled with nostalgia and longing for the past. In it, you can hear Brahms looking back on his life as a musician and grappling with and ultimately accepting the inexorable passage of time. The other big piece is Strauss's violin sonata. It is very different from Brahms. Strauss was just a teenager when he wrote it, and it is filled with joy, hope, and confidence. You can already hear Strauss's signature heroic themes.

EJ:   What challenges do you find in playing this music?

SJ:  I think a constant challenge for a performer is to not fall into the trap of just trying to sound beautiful. Our job is to serve as a vessel for the composer. So, the sound, tonal colors, articulations, etc., vary greatly from Stravinsky, to Brahms, to Strauss. 

EJ:  Tell us a little about the Carnegie Hall program that you will perform soon after the Tri-County concert, how it differs from what you'll be doing here.

SJ:  The program will be the same, except we will open the second half with a world premiere, commissioned by Carnegie Hall, of a new work by a wonderful young American composer, David Fulmer.

EJ:  You have received rave reviews of your performances of Mozart, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and more! Who is your favorite composer and why?

SJ:  Tough question. I have always felt most close to Mozart's music. It speaks to me on such a direct level. Something about the humanistic and dramatic quality of his music. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it is my favorite. I love Beethoven too, of course, but it feels less natural and instinctual for me.

EJ:  Is there a single violinist whose style and skill you admire most or who has influenced you most?

SJ:  There are so many wonderful violinists out there. Like most violinists, I went through a phase when I was obsessed with violinists from earlier eras, especially Jascha Heifetz. These days, I listen a lot to Christian Tetzlaff. He has such imaginative versatility, and he truly disappears into each piece he performs. 

EJ:  One reviewer has said that you play "with the incisiveness and exquisite taste of an Old World, long-seasoned fiddler."  How do you respond to this compliment?

SJ:  "Thank you!" Trying to sound like an old-world fiddler is not something I consciously strive for, but it's a nice compliment!

EJ:  You attended Harvard before going to New England Conservatory. Why did you choose Harvard instead of a conservatory? What did you study there?

SJ:  I actually attended the two schools concurrently. I went to an academically rigorous high school, and loved being in that environment. I cherished being guided through great literature, learning about important art, history, and I also had a knack for sciences. When it came time to apply to colleges, I knew that I wanted to make music my life, but I wanted to continue down the same academically rigorous path for a bit longer. Hence Harvard.

EJ:  Tell us about your Philadelphia connections.  Stefan, you've performed twice with the Philadelphia Orchestra. What was memorable about those concerts?

SJ:  They are truly one of the great orchestras of the world. I don't know what causes this -- maybe it's their tradition, or their training -- but playing a concerto with those musicians feels like chamber music. When I've played with them, I feel like we're all listening to each other, responding in real time, and doing spontaneous things in concert. That's the best feeling in the world. 

EJ:  Anna, you attended The Curtis Institute of Music. What significant memories do you have from Curtis?

AP:  I owe my piano career to Curtis, not only on the superficial level, through the musical connections I've made there (my peers as well as the faculty), but especially through the incredible love and respect for the art of music that that school fosters in people. If I had to go to school again, I'd go there in a second. It was an inspiring, formative place, teeming with brilliant musicians who are devoted to their art. 

EJ:  Anna, you have performed on the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society series. Tell us about that.

AP:  I've had the privilege of performing on the PCMS series many times, either as a member of a Marlboro tour, as a soloist, as a collaborator with singers, as a chamber musician—you name it!  In March, the phenomenal cellist Peter Wiley and I are playing a marathon of complete Beethoven works for piano and cello (5 sonatas and 3 sets of variations) in one day. Assuming we'll survive the day, it will be quite a ride!

EJ:  Anna, tell us about your recordings and your future projects.

AP: I am currently in the middle of recording several Mozart concertos with the Odense (Denmark) Symphony for Bridge Records. That is truly a labor of love—nothing beats that repertoire, it's the best music on the planet. I have several recordings out, mostly chamber music.

EJ:  Thank you both so much for talking with me today.  We very much look forward to your concert on our Emerging Artists Series.