Historical awareness

Examining the evidence Many historically informed performance (HIP) practices have become mainstream. Yet, Alfred Brendel suggests, several of its ‘norms’ are not fully supported by the evidence: ‘Some players give the impression that a public decree was issued somewhere around 1801 which prescribes employing vibrato and playing on steel strings. Beethoven was Haydn’s and Mozart’s younger contemporary. The Schuppanzigh Quartet had already played for Haydn before being at Beethoven’s service. The development of string playing and string instruments from the Baroque into the 19th century was very gradual.’

Levon Chilingirian is wary about modern Urtext editions: ‘You get squeakyclean editions where there are many possibilities for unnatural playing. The quartet players who made editions 120 years ago knew Brahms. They couldn’t all have been wrong with their bowings because they probably played to Brahms.’

For Antje Weithaas, HIP is now less doctrinaire:

‘70 years ago, there was a dogma about what was allowed or not, but now these ensembles all play differently, which is probably how it was in every city 300 years ago. Every city had a different musical approach.’