Antigoni Goni speaks to Dariusz Domanski for the Polish Magazine Swiat Gitary
In August you will teach on the International Guitar Course in Szczawno (Poland). Have you ever been to Poland before? Do you know and play any Polish guitar music?
Antigoni Goni: No I have never been in Poland before even though I have admired its talents for many many years now. One of my most talented and dearest student at Juilliard is a Polish young man, and somehow through the years, I got to taste a bit of Poland, through his family and their customs, his stories and his gifts. Even so, my exposure to Polish guitar music is very limited and this is one of the reasons why I am looking very much forward to my upcoming visit.
Since 1995 you are the teacher in the Guitar Department at the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School. In 2000 you joined the faculty at Columbia University and just recently you became professor at the Royal Concesrvatory of Brussles. Tell us a little about these appointements.
AG I started the guitar department at Juilliard’s Pre-College Division almost ten years ago, back in the fall of 1995. All these years have been full of joy and inspiration, the very sentiments that only students with great talents and no attitude can give you.
My affiliation with Columbia University started almost five years ago, when the music department decided to introduce music performance into its curriculum. There are still no music performance degrees available at Columbia, so my students are usually double majors or talented young people that, even though previously involved with the guitar, chose university over conservatory studies.
My newest teaching appointment at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussels) came this last fall. Located in the heart of Europe, the Royal Conservatory is one of the oldest and most prestigious music institutions in Europe. Talented students from all over the world can pursue graduate and undergraduate studies, working towards Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate degrees. It is a wonderful environment- relaxed, human and very creative. The administration is very supportive of the guitar and open to innovative ideas. My ambition is to make the department a focal point for the guitar in Europe, offering talented students not only the means to pursue their studies but also as much performance experience as humanly possible. The other fascinating aspect of this position is that this coming year I will be moving to Brussels, taking a year’s leave of absence from Juilliard and Columbia in order to establish a solid foundation for the department.
How do you work with your students, what do you try to give them? What do you think is most important in the teachers’ job?
Oh dear! How am I supposed to answer this one in few lines?
Building a solid technique is essential since, without it, there is no freedom of expression.
Building a young artist’s self-confidence and helping him/her find their own artistic identity is another area that I try to focus on.
As for the vast area of interpretation, I believe my role is to give students direction, broaden their horizons, inspire them to become better than their limitations would suggest, and ultimately leave them the space to find their own voices.
In my opinion the most important element in a teacher’s job is to help in the creation of a complete, well-rounded artist with an impeccable character. In my list of priorities the highest place is kept for art, music and the love for your fellow humans. Without it everything becomes self centred, self-served and therefore extremely sterile.3.
Some advises for young guitar players (about practicing, musical thinking, competitions etc)...
In my opinion the only goal of young players should be to become as brilliant as their talent allows them to. With no compromises and no fear. They shouldn’t worry about career, recognition, money, fame etc. This all will come at the right time. This is not to say not to have dreams. Having high standards and “reaching for the moon” is what gives motivation, strength and perseverance. The years of studying are sacred and unique exactly because they are the only years when one can emerge oneself into pure work without having to worry about bringing food on the table or paying the rent. My only advice is hard work, discipline and complete immersion in art. Any form of art. We have lots of great technicians; it is great artists that we are always in need for.
What technical exercises do you advise? How do you practice particular pieces of music, how do you work on the right and left hand’s technique?
Even though I don’t believe there is one magic set of exerceises that would work equally well for all players, there is a routine that I go through. It is a well-balanced set of scales, slurs and arpeggios. This way I equally work on left and right hand as well as their co-ordination. If I have the luxury of time, I like to add shifts, stretches, 8ves, 3rds and 5ths. I also have a set of my own excerpts from pieces that offer technical challenges and use them to finish my warm-up.
When it comes on working on particular pieces of music, after I go through the piece several times so that I simply get a feel of its form and shape, I like to focus first on the most technically demanding spots of the piece. At the same time I decide on articulation and phrasing. I prefer not to separate too much the music from the technique. The two elements are working hand by hand and it it would be foolish to try to separate them in the practice room.
What is your best way to learn new piece. What advice do you give for young guitar students?
The first part of the question I partially already answered in my previous answer. I would only like to underline that having a very clear idea of the form and the musical flow of the piece helps you define fast the articulation and therefore the decisions on the fingerings are much more efficient and effective. The process of learning a piece of music is as rich and adventurous as a journey and it involves the artist in multiple levels. As young students we are all focused on only one of those aspects: learn the notes and play a tempo. Well this is basically just the beginning of the journey. For a compete immersion we need to discover the composer and its body of work, familiarise ourselves with the period and the style, listen to other artist’s interpretations and some time to other instrumentalists playing music of the same composer or the same period of music. Music is vast and very rich where technique is very limited.
What advice would you give to parents who have children who are studying music or the guitar? What would you tell them?
Being the parent of an artist, when you are not an artist yourself, can be very difficult and at the same time amazingly excilarating. Difficult because as a parent you have only your child’s talent as a guarantee of a future career for him/her, and excilarating because through your child you are offered the precious chance to be part of a magical world that very few can experience.
It needs strength and courage and trust and a tremendous love for life. You need to be emotionally strong so that you can support and encourage and help your child through a journey that leads only to a superior way of experiencing our trivial every day life.
In our material and ephemeral world, art is a breath of humanity, of eternity, of meaningful fullfilement and those involved with it are truly fortunate.
Tell me about your practicing. How many (hours) a week you practise? How does your rehearsal look(s)?
Oh well…I practice as many hours as I need to. As for my rehearsal, it varies according to my touring schedule. Out of principle I always try to warm up even if it is for a very short period of time. Then I like to write down a detail list of the goals I want to accomplish during every session. I have found this way to be the most effective especially when I am working on a lot of diffferent music at the same time.
What about your (studies)? Which of your teachers was the best for you and why?
I feel I am very fortuante exactly because I have had the privilege to be surounded by wonderful teachers. It would be blasphemy to single out one or another since they have all offered me generously, their knowledge and wisdom as well as their experience and support. Therefore I would simply like to mention their names, paying thus once more my respects: Evangelos Assimakopoulos, Leo Brouwer, John Mills, Julian Bream, Sharon Isbin and Oscar Ghiglia.
In 1995 you won the GFA Competition, (Guitar Foundation of America). How has that event impacted upon your career?
Winning the GFA marked a turning point in my career. Apart from the prize itself and the exposure that offered me trhough the 65 concert tour, 1995 was the year that a lot of things came together: the GFA tour, the Naxos recording, the Juilliard appointment. It was then that the strongest personal and professional relationships were realized and for that I am grateful. More than anything were those personnal and professional bonds that ensured a continuity and a growth to my career. Without them prizes last until the next winner comes out a year later-that is a really short time.
What's your opinion about guitar competitions. They are good for growing young guitarists?
I don’t think very highly of competitions in general. The reason is simple: in art there are no winners and losers and thanks God, no world records.
Neveretheless if competitions are faced for what they are: experience under stressful conditions, exposure to a wider audience and a deadline to work towards to, then they do indeed help in the growth of a young player.
What do you thing about (the) situation of the guitar, guitar players, festivals, concerts etc in USA and Europe. It's similar or not?
I find the guitar world quite different between the two continents. In the US, societys, festivals and concert series tend to attract a much wider audience as opposed to Europe where I have a feeling that all the above mentioned events are supported and attended by a much closer circuit of people. Neveretheless both worlds face the same financial issues and at the end it always comes down to the efforts and personnal work of a handful of guitar lovers that simply refuse to compromise.
You play a lot of music inspired by Greek mythology, such as Three Greek Letters by Sergio Assad, Eridos by Stanley Silverman, and the Duarte arrangements... Could you tell about it?
I have to admit that it was simply a coincidence. It was never planned as a project. It simply happenned over the last 4 years. What can I say?? Maybe it is my name…
Your repertoire is filled with new original works and arrangements for the classic guitar. Where do you find them all? Are any of them in print, or do you commission them for your exclusive performance?
It is true that I love the challenge of presenting new music for the guitar. Studying at Juilliard gave me the opportunity to meet and become close friends with a lot of modern composers. Following their workshops turned me on to the exciting creative process.
As I always look for new music, I try to stay informed as to who’s who in the composition world. In terms of arrangements, the best ones come from guitar composers, so those are the ones I seek out.
When you "commission" a new work, do you have any input as to the nature of the piece? Do you collaborate with the composer while the work is in progress? Have you worked closely with composers who are not guitarists?
Naturally, every composer works in a different way. I like to work with the composer but the closest collaboration happens with composers who are not guitarists. There, the exchange is intense. The most recent example was “Dialogues” by Augusta Read- Thomas; her first finished version of the piece changed entirely. From that first piece she kept only the opening two bars. When I worked with [Stanley] Silverman, the edited version was slightly different from the original; the changes were my suggestions but ultimately his realizations. When I choose a composer, it’s because I like their musical style and I trust their talent, so even though I like to speak of “my piece”, I ultimately leave the decisions to the composer.
What works have you commissioned to date? Have you performed or recorded them all?
The works I have commissioned, or those that were composed especially for me are:
Solo music by Augusta Read-Thomas, Sergio Assad, Jon Magnussen, Stanley Silverman, Caliope Tsoupaki, Bryan Johanson. There is a concerto by Efraim Podgaits and chamber music by Dan Coleman, Ernesto Cordero, Simone Yiannareli, and Tulio Peramo; there is also a work-in-progress; Dusan Bogdanovic is writing a piece for me for flute and guitar.
By the end of the next season I will be able to say that YES, I have performed them all and record most of them.
Do you like playing with the others instruments? What „company” does the guitar sound best in?
No, I don’t play other instruments but I certainly enjoy playing with other instruments. I like very much the sound of the guitar paired with voice and flute. I always hoped though that there were more music for guitar and percussion, a combination which I think can be fantastic.
Tell me about the new John Duarte recording
. Well I wouldn’t exactly say …new recording, since it has been out for at least 3 years now. I could definitely say though, my last Naxos recording.
So here is the story behind it: John is a dear old friend. We met for the first time in 1994 in Moscow and St. Petersburg for a huge festival. Up to then John Duarte was a mythical figure, the main hero of a lot of the stories that my Greek teachers used to tell me. Meeting him was a big event that developed to a long lasting friendship. Anyway. I had just recorded the Barrios CD for Naxos, and as you know John was turning 80, so Naxos approached me proposing a Cd that would coincide with his birthday. I thought it was a great idea and I immediately accepted. I had a great time recording it. I really think the music is great and in all it offers a very good sample of John’s most substantial works a well as his ability to tackle successfully different styles. 15.
What guitars do you use?
(name of the luthier, model, wood, special construction etc). Which strings do you use? I play a 1989 José Romanillos and a 1997 Olivier Fanton D’ Anton. They are both spruce tops with indian rosewood sides and back. As you probably know Jose’s guitars are based on the Torres model where Olivier’s guitars are quite different, a bit heavier, with a slightly arched top and a unique and braising underneath. Even though expremely different, they are both marvellous instruments that have been already with me for several years. The strings I use are Savarez, the strings I also officialy endorse. 16.
Could you tell me about your most exciting concert(s)?
This must be a trick question!!!!
I have given hundreds of concerts in my career up to now and every sigle one of them is a unique experience. There is never repetition, or routine. Even the mistakes I do are never the same!!!
Therefore there is always plenty of excitement.
If I had to single out concerts I could only go in blocks: my GFA tour, my visits in Japan and Russia, every time I play in Greece, my Carnegie debut, my Siberian debut, the concert in the unbelievable Conzertgebouw in Amsterdham and lots lots of others.17.
What's happening for you currently and in the near future? What do you plan to record?
There is a lot of exciting personal and professional projects for the near future. Moving to Brussels in order to take over the guitar department at the Royal Conservatory of Music, is a huge event and a big change. As for concerts apart, from my normal touring in the US and Europe there is another Russian tour coming up at the end of next season as well as a return visit to Japan for the year after.
In the recording field, I just finished a whole new solo recording that should be released within the next 2 years. It features among others, the Ginastera Sonata, Assad’s three Greek letters as well as Takemitsu and a couple of surprises. In September I am recording a whole flute and guitar album for Koch records featuring a premier by Dusan Bogdanovic and in the makings there is collaboration with Sergio Assad for one more album scheduled to happen next summer.
Lots of work but lots of fun also.
Antigoni Goni: No I have never been in Poland before even though I have admired its talents for many many years now. One of my most talented and dearest student at Juilliard is a Polish young man, and somehow through the years, I got to taste a bit of Poland, through his family and their customs, his stories and his gifts. Even so, my exposure to Polish guitar music is very limited and this is one of the reasons why I am looking very much forward to my upcoming visit.
Since 1995 you are the teacher in the Guitar Department at the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School. In 2000 you joined the faculty at Columbia University and just recently you became professor at the Royal Concesrvatory of Brussles. Tell us a little about these appointements.
AG I started the guitar department at Juilliard’s Pre-College Division almost ten years ago, back in the fall of 1995. All these years have been full of joy and inspiration, the very sentiments that only students with great talents and no attitude can give you.
My affiliation with Columbia University started almost five years ago, when the music department decided to introduce music performance into its curriculum. There are still no music performance degrees available at Columbia, so my students are usually double majors or talented young people that, even though previously involved with the guitar, chose university over conservatory studies.
My newest teaching appointment at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussels) came this last fall. Located in the heart of Europe, the Royal Conservatory is one of the oldest and most prestigious music institutions in Europe. Talented students from all over the world can pursue graduate and undergraduate studies, working towards Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate degrees. It is a wonderful environment- relaxed, human and very creative. The administration is very supportive of the guitar and open to innovative ideas. My ambition is to make the department a focal point for the guitar in Europe, offering talented students not only the means to pursue their studies but also as much performance experience as humanly possible. The other fascinating aspect of this position is that this coming year I will be moving to Brussels, taking a year’s leave of absence from Juilliard and Columbia in order to establish a solid foundation for the department.
How do you work with your students, what do you try to give them? What do you think is most important in the teachers’ job?
Oh dear! How am I supposed to answer this one in few lines?
Building a solid technique is essential since, without it, there is no freedom of expression.
Building a young artist’s self-confidence and helping him/her find their own artistic identity is another area that I try to focus on.
As for the vast area of interpretation, I believe my role is to give students direction, broaden their horizons, inspire them to become better than their limitations would suggest, and ultimately leave them the space to find their own voices.
In my opinion the most important element in a teacher’s job is to help in the creation of a complete, well-rounded artist with an impeccable character. In my list of priorities the highest place is kept for art, music and the love for your fellow humans. Without it everything becomes self centred, self-served and therefore extremely sterile.3.
Some advises for young guitar players (about practicing, musical thinking, competitions etc)...
In my opinion the only goal of young players should be to become as brilliant as their talent allows them to. With no compromises and no fear. They shouldn’t worry about career, recognition, money, fame etc. This all will come at the right time. This is not to say not to have dreams. Having high standards and “reaching for the moon” is what gives motivation, strength and perseverance. The years of studying are sacred and unique exactly because they are the only years when one can emerge oneself into pure work without having to worry about bringing food on the table or paying the rent. My only advice is hard work, discipline and complete immersion in art. Any form of art. We have lots of great technicians; it is great artists that we are always in need for.
What technical exercises do you advise? How do you practice particular pieces of music, how do you work on the right and left hand’s technique?
Even though I don’t believe there is one magic set of exerceises that would work equally well for all players, there is a routine that I go through. It is a well-balanced set of scales, slurs and arpeggios. This way I equally work on left and right hand as well as their co-ordination. If I have the luxury of time, I like to add shifts, stretches, 8ves, 3rds and 5ths. I also have a set of my own excerpts from pieces that offer technical challenges and use them to finish my warm-up.
When it comes on working on particular pieces of music, after I go through the piece several times so that I simply get a feel of its form and shape, I like to focus first on the most technically demanding spots of the piece. At the same time I decide on articulation and phrasing. I prefer not to separate too much the music from the technique. The two elements are working hand by hand and it it would be foolish to try to separate them in the practice room.
What is your best way to learn new piece. What advice do you give for young guitar students?
The first part of the question I partially already answered in my previous answer. I would only like to underline that having a very clear idea of the form and the musical flow of the piece helps you define fast the articulation and therefore the decisions on the fingerings are much more efficient and effective. The process of learning a piece of music is as rich and adventurous as a journey and it involves the artist in multiple levels. As young students we are all focused on only one of those aspects: learn the notes and play a tempo. Well this is basically just the beginning of the journey. For a compete immersion we need to discover the composer and its body of work, familiarise ourselves with the period and the style, listen to other artist’s interpretations and some time to other instrumentalists playing music of the same composer or the same period of music. Music is vast and very rich where technique is very limited.
What advice would you give to parents who have children who are studying music or the guitar? What would you tell them?
Being the parent of an artist, when you are not an artist yourself, can be very difficult and at the same time amazingly excilarating. Difficult because as a parent you have only your child’s talent as a guarantee of a future career for him/her, and excilarating because through your child you are offered the precious chance to be part of a magical world that very few can experience.
It needs strength and courage and trust and a tremendous love for life. You need to be emotionally strong so that you can support and encourage and help your child through a journey that leads only to a superior way of experiencing our trivial every day life.
In our material and ephemeral world, art is a breath of humanity, of eternity, of meaningful fullfilement and those involved with it are truly fortunate.
Tell me about your practicing. How many (hours) a week you practise? How does your rehearsal look(s)?
Oh well…I practice as many hours as I need to. As for my rehearsal, it varies according to my touring schedule. Out of principle I always try to warm up even if it is for a very short period of time. Then I like to write down a detail list of the goals I want to accomplish during every session. I have found this way to be the most effective especially when I am working on a lot of diffferent music at the same time.
What about your (studies)? Which of your teachers was the best for you and why?
I feel I am very fortuante exactly because I have had the privilege to be surounded by wonderful teachers. It would be blasphemy to single out one or another since they have all offered me generously, their knowledge and wisdom as well as their experience and support. Therefore I would simply like to mention their names, paying thus once more my respects: Evangelos Assimakopoulos, Leo Brouwer, John Mills, Julian Bream, Sharon Isbin and Oscar Ghiglia.
In 1995 you won the GFA Competition, (Guitar Foundation of America). How has that event impacted upon your career?
Winning the GFA marked a turning point in my career. Apart from the prize itself and the exposure that offered me trhough the 65 concert tour, 1995 was the year that a lot of things came together: the GFA tour, the Naxos recording, the Juilliard appointment. It was then that the strongest personal and professional relationships were realized and for that I am grateful. More than anything were those personnal and professional bonds that ensured a continuity and a growth to my career. Without them prizes last until the next winner comes out a year later-that is a really short time.
What's your opinion about guitar competitions. They are good for growing young guitarists?
I don’t think very highly of competitions in general. The reason is simple: in art there are no winners and losers and thanks God, no world records.
Neveretheless if competitions are faced for what they are: experience under stressful conditions, exposure to a wider audience and a deadline to work towards to, then they do indeed help in the growth of a young player.
What do you thing about (the) situation of the guitar, guitar players, festivals, concerts etc in USA and Europe. It's similar or not?
I find the guitar world quite different between the two continents. In the US, societys, festivals and concert series tend to attract a much wider audience as opposed to Europe where I have a feeling that all the above mentioned events are supported and attended by a much closer circuit of people. Neveretheless both worlds face the same financial issues and at the end it always comes down to the efforts and personnal work of a handful of guitar lovers that simply refuse to compromise.
You play a lot of music inspired by Greek mythology, such as Three Greek Letters by Sergio Assad, Eridos by Stanley Silverman, and the Duarte arrangements... Could you tell about it?
I have to admit that it was simply a coincidence. It was never planned as a project. It simply happenned over the last 4 years. What can I say?? Maybe it is my name…
Your repertoire is filled with new original works and arrangements for the classic guitar. Where do you find them all? Are any of them in print, or do you commission them for your exclusive performance?
It is true that I love the challenge of presenting new music for the guitar. Studying at Juilliard gave me the opportunity to meet and become close friends with a lot of modern composers. Following their workshops turned me on to the exciting creative process.
As I always look for new music, I try to stay informed as to who’s who in the composition world. In terms of arrangements, the best ones come from guitar composers, so those are the ones I seek out.
When you "commission" a new work, do you have any input as to the nature of the piece? Do you collaborate with the composer while the work is in progress? Have you worked closely with composers who are not guitarists?
Naturally, every composer works in a different way. I like to work with the composer but the closest collaboration happens with composers who are not guitarists. There, the exchange is intense. The most recent example was “Dialogues” by Augusta Read- Thomas; her first finished version of the piece changed entirely. From that first piece she kept only the opening two bars. When I worked with [Stanley] Silverman, the edited version was slightly different from the original; the changes were my suggestions but ultimately his realizations. When I choose a composer, it’s because I like their musical style and I trust their talent, so even though I like to speak of “my piece”, I ultimately leave the decisions to the composer.
What works have you commissioned to date? Have you performed or recorded them all?
The works I have commissioned, or those that were composed especially for me are:
Solo music by Augusta Read-Thomas, Sergio Assad, Jon Magnussen, Stanley Silverman, Caliope Tsoupaki, Bryan Johanson. There is a concerto by Efraim Podgaits and chamber music by Dan Coleman, Ernesto Cordero, Simone Yiannareli, and Tulio Peramo; there is also a work-in-progress; Dusan Bogdanovic is writing a piece for me for flute and guitar.
By the end of the next season I will be able to say that YES, I have performed them all and record most of them.
Do you like playing with the others instruments? What „company” does the guitar sound best in?
No, I don’t play other instruments but I certainly enjoy playing with other instruments. I like very much the sound of the guitar paired with voice and flute. I always hoped though that there were more music for guitar and percussion, a combination which I think can be fantastic.
Tell me about the new John Duarte recording
. Well I wouldn’t exactly say …new recording, since it has been out for at least 3 years now. I could definitely say though, my last Naxos recording.
So here is the story behind it: John is a dear old friend. We met for the first time in 1994 in Moscow and St. Petersburg for a huge festival. Up to then John Duarte was a mythical figure, the main hero of a lot of the stories that my Greek teachers used to tell me. Meeting him was a big event that developed to a long lasting friendship. Anyway. I had just recorded the Barrios CD for Naxos, and as you know John was turning 80, so Naxos approached me proposing a Cd that would coincide with his birthday. I thought it was a great idea and I immediately accepted. I had a great time recording it. I really think the music is great and in all it offers a very good sample of John’s most substantial works a well as his ability to tackle successfully different styles. 15.
What guitars do you use?
(name of the luthier, model, wood, special construction etc). Which strings do you use? I play a 1989 José Romanillos and a 1997 Olivier Fanton D’ Anton. They are both spruce tops with indian rosewood sides and back. As you probably know Jose’s guitars are based on the Torres model where Olivier’s guitars are quite different, a bit heavier, with a slightly arched top and a unique and braising underneath. Even though expremely different, they are both marvellous instruments that have been already with me for several years. The strings I use are Savarez, the strings I also officialy endorse. 16.
Could you tell me about your most exciting concert(s)?
This must be a trick question!!!!
I have given hundreds of concerts in my career up to now and every sigle one of them is a unique experience. There is never repetition, or routine. Even the mistakes I do are never the same!!!
Therefore there is always plenty of excitement.
If I had to single out concerts I could only go in blocks: my GFA tour, my visits in Japan and Russia, every time I play in Greece, my Carnegie debut, my Siberian debut, the concert in the unbelievable Conzertgebouw in Amsterdham and lots lots of others.17.
What's happening for you currently and in the near future? What do you plan to record?
There is a lot of exciting personal and professional projects for the near future. Moving to Brussels in order to take over the guitar department at the Royal Conservatory of Music, is a huge event and a big change. As for concerts apart, from my normal touring in the US and Europe there is another Russian tour coming up at the end of next season as well as a return visit to Japan for the year after.
In the recording field, I just finished a whole new solo recording that should be released within the next 2 years. It features among others, the Ginastera Sonata, Assad’s three Greek letters as well as Takemitsu and a couple of surprises. In September I am recording a whole flute and guitar album for Koch records featuring a premier by Dusan Bogdanovic and in the makings there is collaboration with Sergio Assad for one more album scheduled to happen next summer.
Lots of work but lots of fun also.
Swiat Gitary Magazine August /September 2004