NICE GUYS

posted by James Reel

    Some people perceive classical musicians as distant and even arrogant, and that's certainly true in some cases. But yesterday I was reminded how warm and genuinely nice many classical artists can be.
    I called violinist Jaime Laredo at his home in Vermont to get some comments for an article I’m writing on one of his former students, Jennifer Koh. I’d interviewed Laredo a couple of times in the past and met him socially when he appeared in Tucson with his Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, and I’ve always found him to be genial and open. But I was especially impressed by the warmth and generosity of his praise of Jennifer Koh, and I could almost sense that he blushed when I told him that Koh thinks of him as her mentor. Laredo, besides being a superb chamber musician, obviously cares deeply about people other than himself.
    I also placed a call to England to chat with John Rutter about his new recording with the Cambridge Singers of (mostly) Renaissance music for the bedtime Compline service. Rutter has enjoyed a long career as a choral conductor, but he’s even better known as a composer of highly accessible choral music. A couple of decades ago, some people dismissed Rutter’s music simply because it was pretty, but now I think most of us understand that there’s a big difference between music like Rutter’s that contains both prettiness and integrity, and music by others that is merely opportunistic shlock. I hadn’t had reason to speak with Rutter for several years, but as soon as yesterday’s conversation began I remembered why I’d enjoyed our previous interview so much: He comes across as articulate, precise in his expression, yet gentle and kind. This man is the very personification of Fauré’s Requiem, the work that makes even death seem like a loving comfort.
    Now, being nice does not mean that you are necessarily a good musician, and a great many vile, reprehensible people clog the pantheon of Great Artists. But we sometimes forget that it’s perfectly normal for good people like Jaime Laredo and John Rutter to make good music. You don’t have to suffer, or be insufferable, to be an artist.