interview with
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interview with
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I was born in Tenerife, Canary Islands, but lived many years in Madrid, Barcelona and The Hague, where I specialized in historical flutes with Kate Clark, Wilbert Hazelzet and Marc Hantaï.
I have collaborated with several orchestras, such as Freiburger Barockorchester, Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco, Orchestra of the 18th Century, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin or Australian Romantic and Classical Orchestra, among others. Despite my passion for playing orchestral repertoire, chamber music has always been an essential element in my life. The most beautiful memories on stage are playing with my colleagues and friends of 'Academia de los Afectos', 'Sponte Sua' or 'The Goldfinch Ensemble', with whom I have played in different Early Music festivals around Europe. Pablo Sosa on Facebook |
The first thing you do when you pick up your traverso to start the practice day, and why?
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The first thing I do when picking up the traverso is to play a few tunes that come to my mind, as a fun way to feel the instrument. After this, I usually start my daily practice session with the same exercise, which is number 2 from Reichert's Exercises Journaliers. I love that one! I usually start in G Major, followed by the relative minor key, e minor in this case. Then I continue with the circle of fifths: D/b A/f# E/c# etc and finishing with the tonalities with flats: F/d Bb/g Eb/c etc. There are many ways to vary this exercise allowing to work on very different technical aspects of flute playing. For instance, I like to always start by doing a couple of arpeggios with 'frullato' - it helps me to open and relax the throat, which is essential to find the quality of sound I like. After having worked on the sound, I continue with the articulation, changing it after each tonality.
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Any recurring piece to play every day, and why?
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Not necessarily, however, there are a few pieces that I enjoy so much playing and, if I have the time, I end up playing just for pleasure. This may include Bach's solo Cello Suites or Telemann's Fantasias, just to give you some examples.
Another thing I do quite regularly, also for 'fun', is to play along with recordings. The repertoire really depends on my mood, but I really enjoy playing cantatas by Bach, or Beethoven and Mendelssohn's symphonies when I'm working on the keyed flute. |
Do you have a daily routine?
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Yes, I try to keep the same routine if I have the time. Sometimes it is not possible because of the urgency of preparing new pieces/programs.
Nevertheless, even if I do not have the amount of hours I wish, I still keep the same daily routine: I start with some technical exercises, then I go to the music I need to play and work on very specific points - usually very slow and focusing on the aspects I need to improve. I usually finish the session with some pieces that I enjoy playing or, as a fun exercise, playing on top of recordings. |
What kind of goals do you set for your practice?
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It really depends on how much time I actually have.
I prioritize short term objectives when time is short, and these are usually related to the specific piece I am working on at that moment: finding the right character, 'cleaning' a difficult passage, etc. On the other hand, If I have a bit more time, I work on certain exercises that require a little commitment to master, usually focusing on getting the result in a long term. |
Do you do any systematic warm-up?
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Not really. I warm up a bit but without any specific structure, just playing around. Then I directly start with the exercises and after a few minutes I feel completely awake and focused.
I also think that one should be trained to play without having the necessity of warming up. There are moments in the professional life that you have to play a very exposed tune without the possibility of playing a note before, and that is more of a mental work that we all should train as well. |
Do you have a specific structure for warm-up and practice sessions?
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As I already mentioned, I usually start with 'frullato' and other kind of exercises to get the best sound I can. Once I have it, I work on articulation and other technical aspects. Then I practice the pieces I need to play in the upcoming projects and I finish the session sight reading new music.
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Any distinctive characteristics of baroque flute daily practice vs. modern flute or other instruments?
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I think there is not a big difference between baroque flute and modern flute (or other instruments) in terms of daily practice. All musicians, independently of the instrument they play, work on the sound, articulation, intonation, phrasing and all the musical-technical elements of the performance praxis. Of course, the way of approaching all these specific elements is completely different depending on the 'nature' of the instrument and its musical context.
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What are the key elements and unmissable points of daily practice?
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I consider a few elements essential during the daily practice: sound quality and flexibility, intonation and articulation.
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How long and distributed should warm-up and practice be?
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There is not a unique answer for this question, as everyone has their own method. In my case, I normally spend a few minutes warming up and then I do a third of the time I have for pure technique exercises. The rest of the time I work on the pieces I have to play (musically and technically).
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Any specific tip to address difficult technical passages during daily practice?
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When facing a difficult passage, I think that working on it very slowly and learning it by heart is a very efficient way to achieve good results. In addition, I also like to change the articulation and the rhythm, which helps to 'digest' the passage and really understand it.
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Are there any tools that are particularly useful for practicing?
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Adding to the previous answer, I usually work with the metronome when having troubles with a difficult passage - always progressively. I also love to work with the tuner. One of the exercises I do quite often consists on playing a tone on the tuner machine and practice pure intervals on top of it. It can be a bit tiring, but I find it to be a very good exercise for improving intonation.
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Any other general advice, suggestion, tip?
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Take risks and be musically generous when performing - never play safe!
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How do you advise your students as far as structuring their daily practice?
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I normally recommend what it works for me: a third of just technique (sound, articulation, intonation...) and the rest working on the repertoire (musically and technically).
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Do you suggest or teach a warm-up routine?
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I recommend a few exercises that I like and work for me, but everyone should find their own way of warming up.
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Are there any specific pieces particularly beneficial to be played regularly in daily practice?
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I find Reichert's Daily Exercise no.2 an amazing exercise that can also be modified to work on different aspects of baroque flute playing. I do it every day in different ways!
Apart from that, there are many exercises, etudes, methods one could choose, but it is not about the specific exercise. I believe it is more about being fully focused on the elements you want to improve rather than spending many hours playing these pieces without a clear goal in mind. |