Wednesday, November 12, 1997
From street corner to Philharmonia
MUSIC World-renowned violinist started by playing for Hostess
fruit pies
By Ai Goldsmith
Daily Bruin Contributor
Some musicians play music out of pure pleasure. Others play
music to satisfy their sweet tooth. That’s how it is for Mark
Kaplan, who appears as a soloist with the UCLA Philharmonia
Orchestra on Thursday.
Now an accomplished musician, Kaplan fondly recalls his first
paid performance.
"I remember very well when I was 8 years old," Kaplan says, "I
went and played (at the New York State Fair.) I got paid $15 and I
had never had that much money in my life. I had always loved to eat
sweets and I was always saving my allowance to get the Hostess
fruit pies – I just loved that kind of stuff. So I took the $15 and
bought about 100 fruit pies … they lasted for a long time."
That wasn’t the only time that music nourished Kaplan’s sweet
tooth. Kaplan explains that the night before his first European
concert, he saw an opera with his girlfriend and the conductor of
the orchestra. After the opera, they wanted to stop at a cafe but
did not have any money.
"I took out the fiddle and played some stuff on the street there
and we got a quite a bit of money. So we went to the cafe and we
didn’t think any more about it," Kaplan recollects.
But it happened to be that there was somebody from a newspaper
who wandered by, inquiring into what was happening, and the next
day, this was on the front page: ‘The Young American Makes European
Debut in the Street.’ So of course, there was a lot of interest in
the concert. As the result of that, my career developed much more
quickly," Kaplan says with a smile.
Nowadays, Kaplan does not play the violin on the streets.
Instead, he has become an internationally acclaimed violinist whose
extensive resume includes solo appearances with New York’s and Los
Angeles’ Philharmonic Orchestras, to name just two. A gentleman,
both in countenance and manner, Kaplan is admired and respected by
fellow faculty members and students.
"His personality belies the power of his playing," says Jon
Robertson, the director of the UCLA Philharmonia Orchestra.
Thursday evening, Kaplan will add UCLA’s name to his list of
solo appearances. He will once again step into the limelight to
perform Barber’s Violin Concerto with the UCLA Philharmonia
Orchestra.
"It’s American," Kaplan says of the Barber Concerto, "and I am
very much in favor of promoting American music when it’s good. It’s
a great piece. It’s very Romantic and very virtuoso."
In addition to the violin concerto, the orchestra will perform
the Academic Festival Overture by Johaness Brahms and "Beethoven’s
Fifth." While the Academic Overture by Brahms is based on drinking
songs, Symphony No. 5 by Beethoven is based on four notes.
"Those famous four notes have become a part of world culture …
I continue to be amazed at what (Beethoven) has done with four
notes," Robertson says.
As Robertson prepares to conduct "Beethoven’s Fifth," he
expresses excitement as well as some anticipation.
"Starting the Fifth Symphony is scariest for all conductors. You
give the down beat but you must wait for the notes to come. When it
works, it is an exciting moment," says Robertson.
Unlike Kaplan, Robertson, who conducts the UCLA Philharmonia
Orchestra, describes another aspect of performance – conducting.
Robertson describes conducting as "the biggest rush."
"Every time you perform, it’s a brand new experience. It’s also
like fighting the new and the old; you know what you are going to
do but you are anticipating the unknown. You are creating on the
spot and that’s an extraordinary moment," Robertson says.
As a conductor, Robertson is aware that the musicians experience
similar thoughts.
"When I walk out onto the stage, I know that they want to play
well and the anticipation and the excitement can be cut with a
knife," Robertson says.
Being aware of the musicians’ emotions is just one criteria on a
long list of responsibilities of a conductor. "There’s a lot of
responsibility involved in being a conductor," Robertson explains.
"You have to make sure that everything is going well and everyone
depends and looks to you for guidance. It is a musical sports
event."
Conducting an orchestra is not the only "musical sports event."
Musicians find that performing for an audience can be athletic
experience as well. Like athletes, some musicians engage in good
luck rituals before a performance.
"In fact, I know a pianist who looks at photographs of his kids
or something (before performing)," Kaplan says.
However, Kaplan himself does not engage in good luck rituals.
"Well, I don’t think I have any rituals but if I did, I probably
won’t tell them to you," Kaplan laughs with a twinkle in his eyes.
Then, changing his tone, Kaplan declares, "I know what you mean and
I don’t have anything like that. But I do tune the violin. It’s not
a ritual. It’s a necessity."
MUSIC: Mark Kaplan and the UCLA Philharmonia Orchestra will
perform at 8 p.m. Thursday in Schoenberg Hall. Tickets are $7, $5
for students and free to senior citizens.