Q + A WITH PRINCIPAL VIOLA LAURENT GRILLET-KIM

QYou’ve lived in France and the

U.S., and travelled around the world on cruise ships. Now that you’re in Calgary, what’s the best part of living here?

AMy favourite part is living near the mountains. I go ski touring whenever I can with some friends from the Orchestra.

QHow old were you when you

started playing an instrument?

AI started playing the violin at age seven. I originally wanted to play cello, but there wasn’t a cello teacher close to our house.

QWhat drew you to the viola?

AWhen I was living in France, I played in a string quartet for a long time, and even though I was playing first violin, I was always attracted to the inner voices. As a chamber musician I started to think that these inner voices were key to the sound of a quartet or an orchestra, and that’s where the music really was. My ego prevented me from acting on it at the time — playing first violin was more easily rewarding! As I grew up, I guess I got a bit of control over my ego and decided to try playing the viola as well as the violin. At Indiana University I majored in both instruments, but gave up the violin almost completely when I joined the CPO in September 2014.

QIs there a particular piece of

music or a performance that had a major impact on you?

AIt would be hard to talk about one piece in particular, but I can clearly remember the impact that both Mozart and Beethoven’s music had on me. Although it may sound cliché, they really shaped my idea of beauty. As for a performance, I heard the Alban Berg quartet in Bordeaux when I was 15 or so — they played Bach’s The Art of Fugue and Beethoven’s Opus 130 from the Great Fugue. I remember being shocked by the first notes, the quality of the sound. I feel like I’ve never heard anyone playing with a sound that beautiful since then. It really stuck with me. Q What do you enjoy most about

being a musician, and what is most challenging?

AAlthough it is not very poetic, what I enjoy most is the fact that I can make a living being a musician. Lots of people think being a musician is a hobby — they don’t realize the time and effort you need in order to get an even mediocre job. For me the greatest challenge is to be consistent. Maintaining a certain level of playing is really difficult as it requires a lot of discipline in practising.

QYou’ll be performing

Bartók’s complex Viola Concerto on 28 + 29 February. Are you excited?

AI’m excited for the challenge. I don’t often perform as a soloist, so many aspects of this performance are demanding. Technically, the piece is difficult, and being comfortable with it to make it sound genuine requires a lot of work. Preparing mentally and physically to play a solo performance is quite different than preparing for a concert with the orchestra.