Nicolas Baldeyrou began learning clarinet at the age of eight years old. He studied, successively, at the Conservatoire Municipal du Kremlin-Bicêtre (under Pierre Billaud), the Conservatoire de Saint-Maur-des-Fossés (under Véronique Fèvre), and at the age of 14, the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse (under Michel Arrignon and Jérôme Julien-Laferrière).
As one of the most prominent Clarinetists of his generation, he is invited to perform as soloist with such prestigious orchestras as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic, the Tokyo, Prague and Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestras, the Sofia Symphony Orchestra, the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, the Orchestre d’Auvergne and the Orchestre de Cannes-Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur.
He is regularly invited to recitals at Carnegie Hall, New York, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Cité de la Musique à Paris, the Cologne Philharmonic, the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo, the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, as well as performing in China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mexico.
Nicholas is an endorser for Buffet Crampon, and thus contributes to the development of the clarinet and to the influence of the école française throughout the world.
The Band Post speaks to Nicolas Baldeyrou, who is in Singapore this week, about his music career, his influences and his views on music education.
Did you grow up with music? What drew you to the clarinet?
My family are absolutely not musicians. Nobody has ever touched an instrument, not even my grandparents or anyone related.
I remember being in the car with my mum listening to the radio. It happened that we listened to a Mozart concerto without knowing what it was. I said, oh, it’s really beautiful; what is this instrument? We waited for the end and it was Jacques Lenot playing this Mozart Concerto. I told my mum that I would really love to learn the clarinet; she was surprised but said why not? She then brought me to a concert in my little city near Paris, and my journey with the clarinet started like that. I was just 6 years old at that time.
Would you say you have major influences or teachers that you enjoy learning with, and how did they shape your playing and your career?
My biggest mentor was definitely Michel Arrignon, a former teacher in the Conservatoire de Paris. He was a very charismatic musician at that time, and had a really strong musical personality. He was an incredible musician, but also someone who thought a lot about music techniques, and about how to achieve what he wants musically in a very pragmatic and technical way. That was a complete learning experience from him, and it was interesting in every aspect.
What are some pieces or composers that you really like?
I like so many pieces, and it’s really difficult to choose them. Of course, I’m really into French music because it’s my culture, and I was raised with that repertoire. But as a clarinet player, it is inevitable to not be in love with Mozart repertoire. I love Mozart so much that I was really starting to play his music on period instruments. For example, next January, I’ll have one album coming out with all the serenades of Mozart, with some music played on period instruments; it’s one of my big projects from last year, and I’m really happy it’s releasing.
What does your practice routine look like? How has it changed over the years?
I would love to have a practice routine; but unfortunately, when you have a hectic schedule as a professional with solo concerto, solo recital, orchestra, teaching, and family, there’s really no routine at all. The only thing I can tell you is when I’m back from holidays, I will try to go back to fundamentals and basics. I do all the Jeanjean exercises, and work on some long tones over a few days just to get back in shape and regain my good feeling in playing the clarinet. So it’s basically putting my reed on my mouthpiece and starting the rehearsal one minute after and directly with it.
How do you balance the work of being a professional player and your personal life? Is it difficult?
It’s quite difficult. You need to have a very understanding partner to understand what’s going on and what you have to do.
Being a musician, of course, is daily work. You have to be in shape, you have to practice every day, you have to avoid losing too much contact with the instrument. So holidays for me are just like one or two weeks a year, and the rest of the time in practice. I try to be as efficient as possible, just to achieve all my goals in a minimum amount of time. I really try to avoid anything which can disturb me at work. I try to keep one hour or one hour and a half without phone or TV, but to focus on the clarinet. For me, that’s enough to stay in shape.
Of course, I need to practice much more for a new piece or new concert too. But just to stay in shape, it’s something like what I described. If you plan your schedule smartly and if everything is going well, then you can balance your career more in a better way with your personal life.
What are some memorable collaborations with groups that you play with or performances that you really love?
I have so many good memories. One of the most powerful emotions I had was the first time I played in a very good orchestra at a very high level. My first great experience was in the European Union Youth Orchestra, which consisted of super good students from everywhere in Europe. We had the chance to have incredible conductors, of which many have passed away by now. Conductors like Carlo Maria Giulini and Bernard Heiting were really incredibly charismatic and impressive people with such huge careers. I really enjoyed playing big poems by Richard Strauss or the various Mahler symphonies with these personalities at a very high level. There were many of such performances after, but let’s say this was one of the best ones.
How has your experiences as a performer influence your teaching for young clarinetist players?
It’s from both sides. My teaching influences my playing, and my playing influences my teaching. Of course, I do get a lot of experience playing a lot of concerts and facing multiple problems and trying to solve them. This is nourishing for my time, my pedagogy and my teaching.
On the other hand, sometimes discovering a new problem for students makes me think about many things which affect my playing. I will tend to be more accurate and solve some little problems that I was not previously very aware of. Of course I’m lucky to teach very high and advanced students who are almost professional, and they are also facing all the problems I had for auditions, competitions, orchestra playing, and recitals. So I can definitely say my experience is really valuable for such a relationship with my students.
What advice will you give for young students trying to make a clarinet career? What tips do you have for inspiring clarinetists?
I think there’s many tips, but the first thing is to be curious. Don’t be only interested in classical clarinet music only. You should open your ears, at least for every clarinet player in the world. We now have easy access to music on Spotify, Apple Music, and so on, so we can listen to anyone at any time. Be curious and you may discover some really different aesthetics, sounds and ways of playing. Try to expand your interest and open your ears. Try to find what you like, try to find your way, and what is more appealing to you.
The second thing is, definitely, even for super young students, don’t stick to just music. I mean, art is in every field, and every field is nourishing each other. You can’t properly understand Schumann music, for example, if you don’t know anything about romanticism, literature, or paintings, I mean, you should at least know about all the influences who made a composer write in a certain way. I think this global approach to art is really important. It’s not about being so much into details, but you have to understand the character, the mood, and what was going on at that time. It will help a lot for the quality of your interpretation of the voice.
The last tip is to trust your teacher, and have discipline. If you want to achieve something in the music field, you should really have discipline. Be rigorous, stick to your objectives and define some really clear and achievable goals you want to achieve. Try to have a plan and a routine, and it will come naturally if you stick to that.
This is your second time to Singapore with the first time being 17 years ago. What do you think of coming back and what are your thoughts about doing a recital here?
I’m very excited. I had really great memories in my first trip as it was an incredible discovery of the country. I still remember that I was warmly welcomed and there was a very nice environment with the people around me. I had a wonderful concert and some really interesting master classes. I’m super excited this time to refresh those good memories and also to finally taste all the specialities I couldn’t taste in my last trip. I’m looking forward to the next few days to have good food of all types.
Why should the audience attend your recital and what will they hear or learn it?
I’m always very happy to present a full French programme. It’s part of my mission as a French clarinet player to defend my repertoire and my culture. So I think the pianist and I are very well prepared for this. I will try to present the music as best as I can because there’s really a special vibe and special character in the music. I have also included three big pieces in the programme, along with my own arrangement of Carmen fantasy, which is really fun to play. I think the choice of repertoire is really pushing me to stay in shape because it’s always extremely difficult to play, but it’s a good challenge every time.
Nicolas Baldeyrou’s Clarinet Recital
Thursday, 19 September 2024
Esplanade Recital Studio, 7.30pm