The scarcity of classical music on radio waves and iPods has made it synonymous with cobwebs and the ghost of music’s past. But The Wits Trio believes that classical music is very much alive and accessible.
The scarcity of classical music on radio waves and iPods has made it synonymous with cobwebs and the ghost of music’s past. But The Wits Trio believes that classical music is very much alive and accessible.
Before their performance at Rhodes University’s Beethoven Room on 1 April, the group shared their experiences of playing classical music to audiences across the country.
The Wits trio first formed when Zanta Hofmeyr (violin) and Malcolm Nay (piano) who had been performing together since 1996 asked Maciej Lacny (cello) to join them after hearing him perform. For the musicians who have now been performing together for three years, music is part of their friendship. “We love to play together. For us, playing together is like talking and having coffee,” said Lacny.
Although they each have different backgrounds, the profound respect for classical music unifies these three musicians.
Hofmeyr and Nay, who were both born in Johannesburg, left the country to pursue their studies in music abroad.
Hofmeyr, a part-time lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and a South African Music Award (SAMA) nominee, still uses the violin that she bought in New York in1982, while she was a student at the Julliard School of Music. “I’ve really developed a very close relationship to the instrument. It has become my sound identity,” said Hofmeyr.
For Nay, who also lectures at Wits and is considered to be one of the most accomplished chamber pianists and accompanists in South Africa, working with a piano is difficult because unlike a violin or cello, it cannot be carried around. However, his love for the instrument helps him to work around the pianos which prove to be a challenge.
Lacny, who is currently the co-principal cello of the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, says that his choice to become a cellist was not his own: “My father was a cellist and my mother was an Opera singer. I wanted to be like my father, so I cannot even say why I love cello. [But] I love cello, this is my body,” said Lacny.
The Wits Trio disagrees that classical music is irrelevant today.
Nay acknowledges that in South Africa, classical musicians are swimming against the tide of popular music, but he remains positive that it will survive because of the variety of outreach projects in all of the universities.
Hofmeyr said that because its commercial value is not viable, the government and private institutions opt to provide financial support to sport. However, she is certain that classical music will always be alive, whether it is in a big or a small way, especially among the youth.
“Once the bug bites the student, they can’t let go and I’ve seen it. "One of the wonderful things about classical music in this country is the opportunities for young musicians to perform in youth orchestras – and that’s where it starts,” says Hofmeyr.
The Wits Trio, whose repertoire includes symphonies by Schubert, Brahms and Dvorak, will be performing for the Knysna Music Society after their stay in Grahamstown.
Although there is an entire process before getting to the concert stage, the musicians look forward to the spontaneity of each performance.
In spite of the hours put into practising and interpreting the composer’s work, they say they never know how a performance is going to be and that it is a growth process.
Each member of the trio finds a different connection to the composer’s intentions and this is what keeps each performance alive and dynamic.
“Every performance is different and this is what makes music real music,” said Lacny.
