Hi! How are you? Where are you?
Hi! I’m well thanks, currently staying at my sisters in Kent preparing for the New Year’s concerts.

What’s on your schedule right now?
At the moment I’m preparing for Prokofiev Concerto No.2 in Odense with Peter Altrichter,recitals in the UK,my CD launch,Schumann Concerto with Tamas Vasary and my two and a half week tour in America,New Zealand and Australia.

If you hadn’t chosen for music, what do you think you would do right now?
I can’t imagine life without music but if really pushed either something in Formula 1 racing as I adore cars or politics as I have a love of debating and international affairs.

What or who was your biggest influence as an artist?
I have had quite a few influences but I think that the main ones have to be Professor Bronwith whom I studied for 10 years,Ida Haendel,who is a truly amazing woman and musician and my travels.

What’s the hardest part about being a musician and what’s the best?
I’ve never thought abouut there being a hard part but I imagine one could say that the constant quality one has to produce could be construed as quite stressful.The list for the best parts is too long!!The travelling, working with new people,exchange of ideas and the experiencing of new cultures are but the tip of the iceberg.

What’s your view on the classical music scene at present? Is there a crisis?
I don’t like the word crisis. I think that if this idea is put into our audiences mind, they will start to believe it.Yes, classical music’s image could do with an update but I personally believe there will be a rise in the popularity. In the UK more people, especially young people are listening to classical music than ever before.

Some feel there is no need to record classical music any more, that it’s all been done before. What do you tell them?
Whilst it is true that most works have been recorded at least once.Everyone has something new to say in a piece whether it is by colour, soundor different life/emotional experiences.Every experience affects people differently and therefore will be portrayed differently in interpretation.

What constitutes a good live performance in your opinion? What’s your approach to performing on stage?
For me, a good live performance is when I feel the person on stage communicating with me.In my opinion, a great performance should involve the artist telling a story in which the style and emotions of both the piece and performer emerge.

What does the word “interpretation” mean to you?
Interpretation to me, as you refer to in the next question, is the necessity of balancing emotions and that which the composer wants.

How do you balance the need to to put your personal emotions into the music you play and the intentions of the composer?
Ida Haendel always said to me that we are simply the channel through which the composer talks to the audience.As such, it is imperative to try and go back to the original scores or to by Urtext editions as much as possible,especially when working on composers such as Mozart and Beethoven.

True or false: People need to be educated about classical music, before they can really appreciate it.
For me the answer has to be false.You do not have to be educated to appreciate emotions and beauty.Whilst there is of course theory behind music, which do most people appreciate more- theory or beauty? In my opinion beauty.Music can speak to everyone in a way that no other language can.

You are given the position of artistic director of a concert hall. What would be on your program for this season?
I would make sure that there was a good mix of Orchestral concerts and Chamber Music Recitals.For the Orchestral Season I would like to include a performance of Sibelius 4th Symphony as it is a truly gorgeous work which is not played often enough.For orchestral works I would also include works such as Beethoven Pastorale, Brahms Symphony No 1, Shostakovich Symphony No 10,Prokofiev Classical Symphony, Mozart Violin Concerto No 3, Grieg Piano Concerto, Dvorak Cello Concerto, and Glass Violin Concerto.For the Chamber MusicSeason I would include Chausson Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet, any Beethoven Sonata, any Chamber work by Brahms, Beethoven orSchubert.

How would you describe the relationship with your instrument?
I would describe it as a veryclose relationship.The violin has been through many things with me throughout my time so far in this business.It’s like having another best friend.

Have you ever tried playing a different instrument? If yes, how good were you at it?
I used to play the piano and also to sing.I received top marks in all graded exams I did in both. I could have developed my voice but there is something about the violin which drew me to it

Discography:
Chloe Hanslip & London Symphony Orchestra (Warner Classics) 2001
Bruch - Violin Concertos Nos 1 & 3 (Warner Classics) 2002
John Adams: Violin Concerto (Naxos) 2006
Benjamin Godard: Violin Concertos (Naxos) 2008

Homepage:
Chloe Hanslip