Masterclass: Arabella Steinbacher on Ravel’s Tzigane
2024-01-17T09:31:00
The German violinist gives advice on how to inject character and charisma into the daunting solo introduction of this much-loved work. From February 2018
I first played Ravel’s Tzigane when I was 14 years old and immediately I loved it. It isn’t a typical virtuoso piece, where the aim is just to show off: there is so much depth and musicality to it. I had the opportunity to play it with a student orchestra when I was the same age, and it was a very scary experience, to play completely alone for the first five minutes – almost half the piece – with the orchestra sitting behind me, listening. It taught me, as a young player, to be confident…