Julian Perkins: Playing in Secret
What a joy it is to be preparing our New Horizons concerts with PBO – a crack ensemble I’ve long admired from afar. From vivid depictions of warfare in Biber’s Battalia to the wordless plight of an abandoned lover in Locatelli’s inimitable Il pianto d’Arianna, our programme is a rollercoaster of emotions, showcasing pioneering works that celebrate Baroque music’s eternal freshness. I’ve particularly relished the challenge of capturing an element of hysteria in my version of Kircher’s infectious Tarantella Napoletana, a dance that revels in instrumental brilliance and stylish swagger. All this is the stuff of theatre, and I hope it will grip you as it grips me.
Now, here’s a confession. I’m also passionate about the clavichord, that small keyboard instrument whose whisperingly delicate sound is perfect for those worried about disturbing their neighbours. Why?
Julian Perkins at clavichord © Photo by Gerard Collett
Well, quiet though it might be, it makes unsparing demands on the player. That’s because of its simple mechanism. The key is just a lever, and at the business end a brass blade remains in contact with the string until the key is released. So, the player exercises absolute control over articulation, dynamics, resonance duration, and can even indulge in vibrato. Although many subtleties are possible, you have to know what you’re doing and to be willing – pretty introspectively – to search both score and soul for meaning. In short, the clavichord makes me a better keyboard-director not only because it demands an assured technique, but also because it compels me to focus on sound.
But isn’t such an instrument a touch obscure for a musician today? Less so than you might think. Musicians as diverse as Oscar Peterson, Peter Maxwell Davies and Gustav Leonhardt have all drawn inspiration from this musical Cinderella. So, I’m in good company, and when I tackle those devilish runs in Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto with PBO, you’ll now know that they have been ‘‘cooked’’ at the clavichord (as, indeed, are most of my projects). It’s how I’m “internalising” Mozart’s Così fan tutte right now at the Bavarian State Opera, and how I prepare to direct the Academy of Ancient Music or perform as a chamber musician or soloist at London’s Wigmore Hall. Fairly often I perform on it in public. January 2023 sees the release of my fourth clavichord recording, Handel’s Attick. Its title comes from John Mainwaring’s account of the young Handel stealing to the attic at night to study at the clavichord in defiance of his disapproving father. It was also the medium I chose for the Baroque-inspired chamber pieces by Héloïse Werner and Iain Farrington which I recently co-commissioned and premièred.
I confess there’s another reason why I adore this instrument. My young twin boys seem to have inherited the energetic Neapolitan spirits of my wonderful and inspiring pianist wife Emma Abbate. Much as I love them, escaping occasionally to this contemplative world – mercifully soccer-free – is helpful in other ways. I can emerge refreshed to share our New Horizons programme with you!
- Julian Perkins
Handel’s Air in G minor - performed by Julian on a clavichord in Handel’s bedroom at the composer’s London home: https://youtu.be/t1XugGpjZFY