An Interview with David Aaron Carpenter
Can you describe the initial meeting, during the selection process, with Mr Zukerman?
My audition was in the main concert hall at the National Arts Centre [in Ottawa] early in the morning. My flight was delayed the previous night, and I had still not met with my assigned pianist who had never seen the four pieces I had to perform momentarily for Mr Zukerman. All of these unforeseen circumstances truly enervated my psyche for perhaps the most important audition of my life. Mr Zukerman then walked into the concert hall. I started playing, and, after a movement of Bach’s Suite No. 5, he stopped me and exclaimed, “Try it this way.” I was relieved; from that point onwards, I realised that I wouldn’t have to play two hours of music straight through. I was grateful that my audition became a quasi-master class.
Why do you like the viola?
The future holds a special place for the viola as a solo instrument. Thanks to the efforts of the violists [William] Primrose and [Yuri] Bashmet in the last half-century, the repertoire has expanded immensely. Consequently, the perception of the viola is changing from an accompanying, “oom-pa-pa” instrument, to a more dynamic solo instrument. It still has to make substantial inroads in order to catch up with its more soprano counterpart due to the repertoire gaps from the two previous centuries. However, my goal is to present the instrument’s amazing ability to move people and communicate at a level higher than merely filigree. There are so many new qualities to explore about this mystifying instrument, and with the Zukerman “sound” and approach to the viola, I hope to make a compelling case for revitalising this amazing instrument.
Why are there so few viola soloists and so many violin soloists?
Most stringed musicians start on the violin due to convenience factors and never feel compelled enough to switch instruments once they are comfortable playing a light and compact violin. Regrettably, they don’t know what they’re missing!