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In June I met Maximiliano Martín, principal clarinet of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and international soloist. We barely had a chance to talk then but managed to stay in touch. I really love social media sometimes!
Last week Martín returned to Korea to teach several days of masterclasses with students of Prof. Matthias Luft at Kangnam University’s German School of Music Weimar (GSMW), of which I wrote about for The Kangnam Hakbo.
Despite the all-day blocks of continuous teaching, Martín’s energy never seemed to diminish. Animated, attentive, and full of good humor, he could always pick out specific and useful things for students to work on. And they clearly appreciated the delight on Martín’s face when just a little bit of coaching made a significant difference in their playing.
No matter how satisfying teaching may be, however, it is “draining” — a fact even Martín cannot hide once the lessons are over. “Students don’t know how much [teachers] give during a lesson,” he commented to me.
“Yeah,” I replied, “they don’t know we go home and collapse at the end of the day.”
Martín plays in various ensembles and, of course, as a soloist, so he can’t fit much teaching into his schedule these days. Having him visit the students at GSMW, therefore, is a real treat.
Speaking of treats, Martín was kind enough to bring me a copy of his 2009 CD Vibraciones del Alma on Linn Records. His joyful playing on the title tracks by Miguel Yuste (a Spanish composer I hadn’t known) immediately reminded me of how well Martín expresses the narrative qualities of each piece he performs. I look forward to giving this CD several thorough listens.
His most recent album, a program of Brahms Sonatas and Gade Fantasy Pieces on Champs Hill Records, of which I wrote a brief review for the Hakbo is still part of my regular music rotation. I was delighted to learn from Martín that Champs Hill is apparently quite happy with its strong sales. I’m not surprised though. Despite its niche target audience, it is truly wonderful listening experience that could easily be appreciated by the wider public!
A new CD with Champs Hill is in the works, this time Brahms’s Clarinet and String Quartet. Should be good!
Somehow in his busy schedule, Martín found the time for some chats in which he talked about his life, family, how he got started with the clarinet, and the joys and challenges of being a classical musician. I plan to turn our interesting conversations into a profile for the Hakbo, which will be ready by February when Martín returns to Korea for a concert at Seongnam Arts Center. I know I’m really looking forward to it.
Keep up with Maximiliano Martín on his website, Facebook, and on Twitter.
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