Il Capriccioso

Many had to learn the recorder in school in the past and therefore have a very ambivalent relationship to the instrument. Since I was never in this situation myself and always enjoyed great lessons with many different teachers, I had a happy start into the world of recorder music. And although I later also had violin lessons, the recorder was always my first priority. It was clear to me very early on that this instrument would accompany me throughout my life.

TC: You received your education primarily at the Schola Cantorum, but as a basiliensa you must have belonged to a vanishingly small minority at this school. How did you experience the international training competition, was it enriching or burdensome?

MG: I think that even today you can count the number of Basel students at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis on one hand. For me, this was a completely new experience at the beginning, since I had perceived the music school of the Schola during my childhood as a completely “normal” Basel music school and of course knew nothing else. It was only during my studies that I became aware of the exclusivity of this special place. The internationality of my fellow students was an enormous enrichment for me. The cultural diversity, the different languages and also the mixture of different age groups gave me a lot to take with me on my personal path. It is often said that the Schola is probably the worst place to learn German or even Swiss German. However, for me, besides all the musical experiences, it was also the best language school.

TC: Early music, and also modern compositions, as well as folklore, are in your repertoire, as far as I know. Are there clear preferences based on literature or do these different musical worlds complement each other in your musical life?

MG: It’s important to me to maintain a certain curiosity on the instrument, and that includes somewhat more unusual programs from time to time. The different styles help me to remain musically and technically flexible and, for example, to discover completely new sounds in contemporary music. With my two ensembles, I enjoy immersing myself in the different worlds of Renaissance consort music and early and high Baroque chamber music.

TC: The recorder is known to have failed to make the step into classical music, was it too quiet, too intimate, too delicate or simply too old-fashioned? Can you tell us something about the history of the instrument?

MG: The fact that the recorder fell more and more into the background from the second half of the 18th century certainly has to do, among other things, with its sound characteristics and also the range. The softness and sweetness of the “Flauto Dolce” was probably simply no longer in such demand, and the larger orchestras and concert halls demanded more powerful instruments. Without its slumber, however, the recorder would not have been able to celebrate a renaissance in the early 20th century. Thus, this breather was perhaps just a great fortune for the current recorder world, since since the 20th century until today many composers have again dealt with the instrument and numerous exciting works have been created.

TC: One last question that I always like to ask: Baroque music has enjoyed great popularity for several decades, while the music of the Middle Ages as well as the Renaissance still leads a niche existence with a growing but far smaller fan club. Can you imagine that our time is also ripe for a renaissance boom in music?

MG: It is nice to see that the music of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is able to fascinate more and more listeners. Especially here in Basel there is already a great concert offer and also an interested audience. I think that this trend will certainly continue in the coming years and I am pleased to be able to contribute a small part to it myself.

For this concert, the focus is not only on one composer, Vincenzo Ruffo, but even on just one collection, the Capricci of 1564. Ruffo was an immensely prolific composer of masses, motets, and especially madrigals. The Capricci are a collection of only 23 pieces for three instruments – the only instrumental music surviving from him. And we almost lost this book too: the only complete copy is in the Biblioteca Vaticana. It is, however, a wonderful collection of diverse pieces: Dances, abstract fantasies, paraphrases on Italian madrigals and French chansons; examples of what an instrumental ensemble would do with different originals. Needless to say, I have never heard a concerto before that focused on Ruffo or even his Capricci. But in anticipation of it, my mouth is already watering.

(Translation: Tabea Schwartz & Marc Lewon)