In honour of World Violin Day, we spoke to Geoffrey Allan, Violin Leader at Northern Ballet, about his life as a violinist.
Written by Geoff Allan
How did you become a violinist?
When I was very young my parents bought me a mandolin, whose strings are tuned exactly the same as a violin, and I began to teach myself to play it as a guitar substitute. Then at the age of seven, my class in school was asked if any of us would like to learn the violin and my hand went up. However, although I’m told I showed a natural aptitude for the instrument and was fortunate to have a very fine teacher after my initial year, somehow I wasn’t yet sold on the violin.
Popular music was more attractive to me at that time and a proper guitar had now replaced the mandolin as my instrument of choice. To such an extent did the guitar dominate that the violin retired to its case for some considerable time. However, after a couple of years, I had a ‘Road to Damascus’ experience which changed my life.
Now in my early teens, I was becoming disenchanted with the direction that popular music was taking, and one evening I began to look through my dad’s record collection for something else to listen to. I have no idea what prompted me to select a disc by the violinist Fritz Kreisler, as I had been listening to very little classical music and certainly not the violin. The album consisted of Kreisler playing some of his own short compositions and transcriptions, and I was absolutely overwhelmed. It was as if Kreisler’s inimitable sound and musicianship awoke emotions which had been lying dormant – I recall Dvorak’s Humoresque moving me deeply. I felt as though a new world had opened up before me. All I wanted to do was find a way to make that sound, and my old violin was brought out of the cupboard. And that was it, I was hooked.
Northern Ballet Sinfonia. Photo Amy Kelly
Jonathan Lo with Northern Ballet Sinfonia. Photo Amy Kelly
Describe a day in the life of a musician with Northern Ballet.
When we are on tour, in a typical week we have seven performances, from Tuesday evening to Saturday night. The venue could be from Edinburgh to Southampton or Cardiff to Norwich. The musicians all travel separately. There is no communal coach or anything like that as the players live all over the UK – they are chosen for their abilities and not by geographical location.
Our first session is the Seating Call, usually at 5.30pm, in the orchestra pit. This is a half-hour rehearsal, mainly to make sure that we fit comfortably into the pit and have room to play. Also, there may be passages that the conductor or players wish to rehearse if they feel they can be improved. After this, we have a short time to get something to eat and the first performance is normally at 7.30pm.
The regular pattern for the rest of the week is single evening shows on Wednesday and Friday and double show days (matinee and evening) on Thursdays and Saturdays. We really are very fortunate as we get to see much more of our country throughout the year than most people, and some venues such as Norwich, Canterbury, and Bath are a delight as they are particularly beautiful and historical cities. However every city has its attractions and players may also wish to visit gyms, swimming pools, cinemas, shops etc. There are rarely rehearsals on tour for the orchestra, so we need to find a time and place to practice individually to make sure we are staying in shape.
As for accommodation, it is up to each musician to find somewhere to stay, be it a hotel, flat, or ‘digs’ in someone’s home. In the latter, I have met some lovely people who have become firm friends.
Is there anything different about playing for a ballet compared to being in other orchestras?
There can be a significant difference playing for ballet, but rarely at Northern Ballet. Because so many of our productions are focussed on storytelling, much of the time we play the music and the dancers dance and act. However, in some companies specialising more in classical ballet, the music can be distorted to fit complex and difficult choreography. A case in point is The White Swan from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. This is a famous violin solo, with the solo cello joining towards the end. I have played this solo elsewhere EXTREMELY slowly, to the point where the flow of the music is inhibited dramatically, feeling almost static. I (and other orchestra leaders) sometimes add extra notes just to fill out the long bars and help the music along. But at Northern Ballet this has never been the case, and we can play it just as Tchaikovsky wrote it.
Jonathan Lo with Northern Ballet Sinfonia. Photo Amy Kelly
What is your favourite score to play from the Northern Ballet repertoire?
Although it is tempting to answer this question with our former Artistic Director David Nixon’s version of Swan Lake, with its four big violin solos, I’m going to go for The Three Musketeers. This ballet was also created by David, and the score was assembled from Sir Malcolm Arnold’s vast catalogue of compositions, both from concert works and film music.
With a score that must be performed repeatedly, the important thing for me is not depth or profundity. The main qualities I look for are that it is interesting to play, that you have plenty to do without it being exhausting, and that there is enough liveliness and charm to keep your spirits up on a long tour. Also, that it is well-scored for the forces we have. All of those qualities are fulfilled par excellence by The Three Musketeers.
What has been your highlight of working with Northern Ballet?
This question is incredibly difficult to answer, however, I am going to stay with The Three Musketeers. The rehearsals for that ballet were very enjoyable for me and although I had never met Sir Malcolm Arnold (and alas he was too infirm to attend), I felt a real bond with him through the music. I’m sure many of my colleagues felt the same. So, when we were assembled in the pit of the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, for the opening night I felt a keen sense of anticipation and enthusiasm for the forthcoming performance. But shortly before the show was to commence, a dramatic piece of news flew around the pit – Sir Malcolm had just passed away. I can’t describe the mood in the orchestra at this revelation minutes before curtain-up, but we were all extremely moved and I think felt a resolve to make this a performance of which Sir Malcolm could be proud. The orchestra played its socks off that night, and it remains one of the most memorable performances of my time at Northern Ballet. Some of that spirit was captured later in a CD which we made of the score, and I think it is the best recording we have made to date.
Is there a ballet you would love to play for?
One ballet score I love is Daphnis and Chloe by Ravel. He was a wonderful composer and a masterful orchestrator, and his music can take one into a magical and exotic world. But I fear that it would be impossible to reduce that score for us as it is written for a huge orchestra – plus chorus! There’s also Khachaturian’s Gayaneh, which rarely seems to be performed these days. I’m very fond of that music and coincidentally a suite from that ballet was another early discovery for me in my dad’s record collection!
What advice do you have for someone wanting to become a professional violinist?
It is not a particularly easy time to enter the music profession right now, especially after the Covid pandemic and the financial pressures which we all face, and my first piece of advice would be that you must really love the violin and music to pursue a musical career. Undoubtedly you will encounter obstacles and disappointments – every musician does – and in addition, work opportunities may not be as plentiful as they once were. An aspiring musician must have a very deep-rooted determination to succeed.
My advice would be always to think for yourself. Set high standards for yourself and compare yourself with the best, not with your fellow students. I remain inspired today by the greatest practitioners of the violin, and I would encourage youngsters to listen not only to the violinists of today but of yesteryear as well. And always prepare thoroughly, whenever you have a performance be it a recital, orchestra, or audition.
Geoff Allan
Geoff and Northern Ballet Sinfonia will be at Leeds Grand Theatre with Northern Ballet’s The Nutcracker from 20 December 2022 to 7 January 2023 and The Great Gatsby from 8 to 18 March 2023.
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