IN CONVERSATION WITH JENNIFER KLOETZEL
Credit: Gregory Goode
Did that, doing that, will be doing that are not just exercises of grammatical tenses but a mantra of cellist Jennifer Kloetzel’s high-profile life as chamber musician, soloist and teacher – specifically Professor of Cello, Head of Performance and Head of String Area at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). As a transformational founding member of the Cypress String Quartet from 1996-2016 she enhanced the group’s lasting legacy of inspired performances and recordings that include the complete string quartets of Beethoven, sextets of Brahms and several commissioned string quartets by Elena Ruehr (all on the Avie Records label).
Her own collaborations as soloist are also quite substantive and include ground-breaking world premieres of new music such as Lee Actor’s cello concerto (2017), Joseph Lander’s Sonata for Cello and Piano (2018) and she is featured in Richard Aldag’s Romance for Cello and Piano (Albany Records, 2019). Of course her extensive go-to concerto repertoire includes Dvorak, Elgar, Lalo and Walton. Kloetzel studied at The Juilliard School and includes among mentors Aldo Parisot, William Pleeth, Stephen Kates, Julliard String Quartet and Amadeus Quartet. She also shares her expertise in master classes and this summer will be on the guest faculty at Sitka International Cello Seminar having previously performed at Sitka Music Festival and frequently with festival Artistic Director Zuill Bailey.
In conversation with Editor Leonne Lewis, Kloetzel tells all when it comes to her symbiotic relationship with Beethoven (musically speaking, of course), maps out a how- to guide for aspiring chamber music players and offers a peek at upcoming plans.
Kloetzel mentions the words curiosity and research when searching for a better understanding about the interpretation of Beethoven’s music - which provides a sense of enjoyment in her quest for information about works she performs. “I read any book or article that is released about Beethoven and his life and have spent hours at the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies in San Jose and at Beethoven Haus in Bonn. I have also visited Beethoven Haus in Heiligenstadt and wandered in that suburb where Beethoven went to rest his ears from the noise of Vienna. And I have performed this composer’s works in the Lobkowicz Palaces in Vienna, in the same hall where the Eroica symphony was premiered and in Prague,” says Kloetzel.
She comments that interaction with musicologists like William Meredith, a former director of San Jose’s Beethoven Center help freshen up perspectives and approaches. “Beyond that, I have spent so much time in Beethoven’s world looking at the markings and how things are put together. After twenty years of performing and recording Beethoven’s quartet cycle and exploring his major chamber works, I feel as though I have an insight about how to interpret Beethoven’s music – specifically the dynamics, the pacing and the form. Yes, it’s my point of view but it comes from decades spent working on this music and coming to my own conclusions about what was important to him and what separates his music from others.”
Even though Beethoven remains Kloetzel’s significant other composer she discusses the value of working with composers of our time during the Cypress String Quartet era and beyond - especially in commissioned solo works where seeing a dedication of her name on a new score provides a thrill, as she admits. “I’ve spent a lot of time with many of the composers I’ve worked with and count them as some of my closest friends so I am impressed by the process it takes to craft a piece of music and love getting a closer view. I work tirelessly to best understand what a composer wants from my part and having a living composer around to ask questions is the best resource we have. I am passionate about championing living composers and for me, it enriches my music making in playing both the old and the new.”
Kloetzel’s interest in chamber music began at an early age where a teacher gave her etudes with a second part to take home, learn and make music in the next lesson. These duet sessions shaped her perception that “music was larger than just my own part,” she says. “I carry this into my own teaching and play as often as I can with my own students – whether it’s a second cello part or the bass line of a piano part of a sonata.” From the age of eight she received chamber music coaching with teachers at the Peabody Conservatory Preparatory program and later at The Juilliard School from musicians like Felix Galimir and leading collaborative pianists.
The big breakthrough came in a collaboration with Andre Previn at La Jolla Chamber Music Festival where she was chosen by Previn as a ‘Rising Stars’ performer for two seasons at Caramoor Festival in New York. “This was a turning point in deciding that chamber music was going to be a focus in my life. I had always known that I loved chamber music but doing these concerts cemented in my mind the fact that chamber music was going to be a major focus of my career.”
In case you are wondering how the Cypress String Quartet came into being, well it all began in New York when Kloetzel was subbing for a cellist in a string quartet – which led to her contacting two violinists in San Francisco who wanted to form a string quartet. After meeting, playing and exchanging ideas she moved to San Francisco and became a founding member of the quartet. “I gave it at least three years to see what we could build together and twenty years later with many incredible experiences, concert tours, recordings and commissioned works the quartet disbanded – and I found myself with more time to perform other chamber music.”
And Kloetzel is also able to dedicate more time to an established teaching schedule, first at San Jose State University and currently at UCSB with its ocean view campus. She offers tips on the art of chamber music collaboration. “Well, that could easily be a book but in a nutshell I will mention four parts: know your part, study the score, do your research and listen like mad.” Of the first principle, she uses the analogy of an English high school class discussion where YOU haven’t read the book being talked about. “You can’t contribute to a chamber music discussion about tempo, musical approach or almost anything else if you can’t play your own part.”
Of score study, Kloetzel points out the importance of understanding how a piece is constructed and divides this into playing works with piano, winds or vocalists and strings only. “Cellists should pay special attention to the left hand of a piano part and remember that as a chamber musician you are creating a new sort of instrument – the blending of sounds for the totality of the piece. In works for strings it’s important to match bowing, vibrato, intonation, articulation and quality of sound.” For her, the research aspect includes knowing about the composer, background of a work, the time frame, any special dedication and listening to recordings, however she cautions, “There is a danger in listening to recordings and making musical choices based on the premise, ‘That’s what they did’ – which is not a sound musical reason.”
Of the fourth principle, Kloetzel advises that when rehearsing it’s helpful to listen to other parts of the same piece being played and observes that after a year of careful listening in daily quartet rehearsals she was able to hear four voices at a time. “It’s also so important to your musical growth to be open to the ideas of others and their feedback. If you can play something in a number of ways you have great options and will become a more interesting musician.”
In case you are also wondering what cello Kloetzel plays, she is currently using a 1901 Camillo Mandelli of Milan which she describes as having a “robust sound with a wide range” that at one time she used in concerts and recordings before it went on a lengthy hiatus while she played a 1701 Amati II with the Cypress String Quartet – but now she and Mandelli have reconnected. “The most important instrument I play is the one in my inner ear. I always imagine the sound I want to create before I try to find it on any cello and if you hear me play on any instrument, it will therefore sound like me. Some instruments are easier to control than others, but I firmly believe that it all begins with that magical idea in our brain.” Beethoven would have agreed with that.
Kloetzel’s “dream board” of upcoming projects, as she describes it is overflowing with world premieres of concertos and sonatas written for her and ongoing recordings of Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano – which includes the new CD release The Conquering Hero reviewed in MIROIRS CA. “Nothing would give me greater joy than to spend many more hours in Beethoven’s world, fussing over details and exploring this great music. I am working on a plan to make all this become a reality – so please stay tuned.”