The soloist dream
“Who is that boy over there? He is clearly very musical, but he can’t play the instrument to save his life”
With those words, the late Anna Shuttleworth asked about a cellist sitting second desk of a string orchestra during some Summer camp at the British School of Brussels, really really doing his best.
“I want to teach that boy” Anna said.
That ‘boy’' was me.
And so it began, crushingly, my dream to become a cello soloist. The next day - at 7AM(!) - I would be sitting ready for a pre-breakfast lesson with this great and grand lady of the cello. I’ll be honest. I had no idea who she was. I was sixteen years old, especially interested in music and social interaction with girls. That first lesson turned out to be an absolutely unforgettable moment.
Me, a year later, aged 17, performing a house concert for the family Noblesse-Matthé 1996.
The music week involved playing lots of chamber music, string orchestra, sports and Alexander technique lessons. The latter is a form of body control techniques, learning to relax, reset your bone structure and move naturally. That too, was completely new for me.
“Play something for me” she stated, once I sat down after the Alexander exercises. I decided to play the Prelude to the Suite No. 2 by J. S. Bach.
After 2 phrases (that’s less than one minute of music) she shouted, her head shaking:
“STOP STOP STOP!!!!!! Is this a sight-reading, boy?”
As I recently completed my Grade 8 exams for the ABRSM (that’s quite a thing when you’re into learning an instrument in the British music system) with distinction, I replied:
“Well, no, it is not.” I replied. “As a matter of fact, I just got 29/30 for this in my exam.” I was quite cocky back then, I suppose.
Anna did not believe me and put me right into my place.
“Never mind then. Just play me an open D-string.”
Slightly perturbed by this run of events, I put my bow on the cello and began to stroke the D-string.
“YOU. CAN’T. EVEN. DO. THAT!!!” she shouted. She really shouted.
I did not know what had hit me. But like a train scooping a car at a cross-roads, Anna came crashing into my life, wrecked my pubescent ego and dragged me along for quite a ride.
Every ounce of confidence I had was thrown out of the window. I questioned every single thing I did on the cello. But… every day at 7AM prompt, I had my lesson with Anna, who demolished most of what I believed was great playing yet meticulously started rebuilding it too.
After the week ended (in which she had allowed me to also begin working on the Elgar Cello Concerto, even though I was still very far from playing ‘just’ an open D-string in a proper fashion) Anna told my mother that she would like to continue teaching me, in England.
I was extremely excited and nervous about this, but it was arranged that I could participate in the next ‘Gathering of the Clans’ - an intensive cello course with some of the best teachers the country had to offer.
There, the foundations were laid for my university studies and I was introduced to some cellist who would become very important in my development as a musician.
Maybe, I thought, one day I will be like them and be a soloist, travelling the world to play those greatest of cello concertos for audiences old and young.
It didn’t quite turn out that way. But you’ll read more about that soon, no doubt.
