Bruno Giuranna:

a personal
perspective on
viola teaching
 BRUNO
BRUNO GIURANN
GIURANNA

Our muscles are

often stronger
than our ideas.
You should want the victory
of the musical image over
the muscles
Precision, a certain fastidiousness and clear-headed
practicality characterize the teaching methods of
renowned violist Bruno Giuranna. As he reaches the age
of 80, he talks to ARIAN TODES about his educational
influences, and shares some of his guiding principles

B
RUNO GIURANNA IS INSISTING THAT I ORDER
linguine with my scallops. He explains carefully
that because of their flat shape they absorb sauce
better than the spaghetti the restaurant is offering
on the menu. Its dinner time and Ive just touched
down in Sarasota, Florida, to visit his La Msica festival (see
The Strad, July 2013) and interview him for his 80th birthday.
Im hungry and very happy to take his advice - and the proffered
glass of wine.
Over the course of my week in Sarasota, being around
Giuranna and the other musicians, I realize that much of what I
learn about this internationally treasured viola soloist, chamber
musician, conductor and pedagogue is encapsulated right there in
that moment. The concern for others; the attention to detail; a
certain fastidiousness; an aesthetic but rational sensibility; and a
love of good food.
Between the jovial group meals, socials for the sponsors,
rehearsals, performances, chauffeuring colleagues, his daily
hour-long walk and viola practice, we get a chance to talk about
his life and career, and specifically his teaching. Giuranna was
born in Milan in 1933. In the family history, one day I heard my
mother accompanying a violinist in the Pizzetti Sonata and I
said, Who wrote this beautiful music? They said, Bruno has
to be a musical genius. He was four and started the violin at
five. Music was in his genes, though. His mother, Elena Barbara,
was a composer whose operas were performed at La Scala and
San Carlo, and who taught counterpoint to composition students
at the Rome Conservatoire. His father, Mario Giuranna, was a
conductor, assistant to Franco Ghione, but died in 1936 aged
only 37.
Giurannas first violin teachers were Vittorio Emanuele,
Mario Corti and Remy Principe, who all had different influences:
Each one gave me something, each at the moment I needed it.
From Emanuele, who studied in Paris and was a clear example of
the French school, I learnt that special use of the bow - the clean,
precise attack. In later years he became severe and I was
becoming afraid of playing, of making mistakes. With hindsight,
Giuranna empathizes with his teacher: I dont teach teenagers
now - but I remember when I did. Its difficult to have contact
with them - they are not boys any more, and theyre not yet men.
Emanuele had problems with this change of age.
His next teacher came at the right time: Corti was a peaceful
man, at the end of his career, and I found it was possible to play
and even make a mistake without it being a tragedy. If Id had >

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him from the beginning, it would not have been productive, but
at that moment it was fantastic. Principe taught Giuranna In my life I never tried to
between the ages of 18 and 20 and provided a different effect
again: He taught me how to practise. He concentrated on the left
do anything, ever. Im very
hand, never considering a single note or finger, but always the privileged that whatever
group, which brought an organisation of the left hand. He wrote
many exercises - far too many, so I made a concentrated system. happened just came to me
And after studying with him I developed it in my own way. This
was a focused time for Giuranna: When I started studying the
to develop that on the viola. He later had lessons with Giovanni
way Principe showed me, I was practising ten hours a day -
Leone, violist of the Chigiana Quintet.
which I would not suggest to anyone. You can obtain the same
results practising less and better, but at that moment I wanted to So does a player choose their sound? Giuranna explains
do well. that often its more a default, and its up to the teacher to help
change this: When we play, we project an image that we have
of the sound that is inside ourselves, whether its conscious or
THE SWITCH TO VIOLA WAS NOT AUTOMATIC - and not. The difficulty for the teacher is that often a student has
it certainly wasnt love at first play: I remember my first the tendency to play on the fingerboard too much, because the
experience of the viola. I did not like it. I was 14 or 15 and we string speaks more easily, but they dont have much definition
had an obligatory viola exam in the eighth year. This strange or power. However, they get used to it and thats the image
sound did not appeal to me at all. It was only a few years later, they have. You can say, This is not enough if you want to
after my violin diploma, that I had the idea that I wanted to project something in a big hall, so you have to do something
become stronger in my playing. That happened in the summer at else. Then they have to accept that until they get used to it
the Academy Chigiana, which I entered on the violin. I came out they probably wont like what they hear, that there are noises
captivated by the sound of the viola. under the ear. In classes, I get the student to produce that
He was already performing professionally in I Musici while sound and ask them if it could be used in a performance. They
still a student and started teaching at the age of 24 (see normally say no but then I ask the others who are watching,
Giurannas Career, right). It all seems to have come very easily and they say yes. Students dont want to do it until they are
to him, though: In my life I never tried to do anything, ever. Tm convinced by observing the reaction of others. >
very privileged that whatever happened just came to me. I wasnt
trying to play more solo concerts or chamber music or do more
or less teaching. It just happened like that. I was always clear
how fantastic it was to change and not spend months only
playing solo. The destiny of the soloist is solitude. I remember GIURANNA'S
Six-year-old Giuranna
the trips I did with the Italian String Trio were like parties of joy. with his violin: he CAREER
I alternated that with concertos. Then you do teaching, began lessons aged five
which somehow brings you back to 1933 born 6 April in Milan
normal life. Changing hotel every 1938 starts private violin
night is not a normal life. lessons with Vittorio
At the point that he made the Emanuele
shift to viola, the profile of the 1950 graduates from
instrument was far from where its Conservatorio Santa Cecilia,
come to now: The viola must be Rome, on violin
played loud - that was the aesthetic
1951 co-founds I Musici
world I was brought into. I didn't
have one viola player to inspire me 1952 graduates from
to make a viola sound - nothing that Conservatorio Santa Cecilia,
convinced me. It was a good thing. I on viola
had to go through the challenge of 1954 gives world premiere
finding my own sound. With the of Giorgio Federico Ghedini's
viola its not simple - you have to Viola Concerto with the
decide whether you are going to be a Italian Radio Symphony
tenor or contralto. Do you want a dark Orchestra under Herbert
or bright sound? Paradoxically, he von Karajan in Rome
was inspired in his conception of viola 1957-65 professor at
sound by violinist Leonid Kogan: I Conservatorio 'Giuseppe
was taken to a concert in Rome by my Verdi', Milan
teacher when I was around 15. Id 1959-1975 member
never heard anything like that on the of Italian String Trio
violin - the sound quality and the
1965-78 professor
impression that each note was like a big
at Conservatorio
pearl. I worked out for myself how
Santa Cecilia, Rome

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 BRUNO GIURANNA
BRUNO GIURANNA

1961 records Beethoven

string trios with Italian
String Trio for Deutsche
Grammophon
1969-83 professor
at Nordwestdeutsche
Music Academy, Detmold,
Germany
1981-98 professor
at Hochschule fr
Musik, Berlin
1983 records Mozart's
Sinfona concertante with
violinist Henryk Szeryng
1983-92 artistic director
PHOTOS MAURICE GUNNING

of the Padua Chamber

Orchestra
1984 records the Mozart
piano quartets with the
Beaux Arts Trio
The idea of the role of a teacher as offering students tools
1985-present professor
towards an objective perception seems to be a theme: Its the same
at Walter Stauffer
with vibrato. We could look at someone making vibrato. If we
close our eyes, we hear much less vibrato. We dont hear Foundation, Cremona
objectively what is coming out. We hear our intention. Very often 1987 awarded Cavaliere
you make a recording and the vibrato does not even reach the di Gran Croce al Mrito
microphone. So I also do the same exercise with vibrato, and again della Repubblica Italiana
the question is whether this is something that can be used in a
1990 records Beethoven
performance. Its very important to change the perception of the
students. string trios with
Anne-Sophie Mutter and
Mstislav Rostropovich
TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP in this respect. It turns out that
Giuranna is rather a tech geek - he teaches me about the voice 1995-6 International Chair
recognition on my Samsung phone, and gets very excited about a Giuranna in at the Royal Academy of
action, coaching
recording app I show him. Hes also keen on students using chamber music Music, London
recordings in their practice, again working on the reality gap at the University
of Limerick 1999-2013 professor at
between what we do and what we think we do. When we perform,
the University of Limerick,
we dont keep the hypercritical attitude, but with a recording we
can have some impressions of what we did. You can record a Ireland
phrase, and the next day prepare your recorder, and sing the phrase 2002-5 Prince Consort
as you would like to hear it. Then click play, and you hear the Professor of Viola at the
difference between what you would like to hear and what came Royal College of Music,
out, so you can start to work on those differences. Very often, our London
muscles are stronger than our ideas. What you want should be the
victory of the musical image over the muscles. 2002-present professor
Its not only in his use of technology that he is progressive, at the Conservatorio
though. In the wake of revelations of abuse at some music schools, della Svizzera Italiana,
there is debate about the future of one-to-one teaching, but Lugano
Giuranna has been teaching in a class format for many years, for 2002 receives the
several reasons. I dont like the close relationship between a
degree of Doctor of
teacher and student. Ive had too many experiences of seeing
Letters honoris causa
things around me that I didnt like. The teacher has a dominating
from the University
relationship to the student - Do this, dont do this, try that. This
has a healthier result if it does not happen in a one-to-one of Limerick
relationship, if there are people listening to it. Then after a stormy 2004-11 president of
lesson, the student can ask a friend who was listening, This European String Teachers
happened, can you tell me what was going on? The other aspect is Association (ESTA), Italy
that we have to train ourselves to play for others. When you play
2011-present European
for a teacher, the first time you are nervous, but after a while you
get used to it. > president of ESTA

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BRUNO GIURANNA

Giuranna teaches in Cremona and Lugano for three

or four days every month, during which time every
student attends the classes and must play twice. He
explains why this is good for them. The benefits of
being abandoned for one month - provided I give them
what they need - are that they gain independence and
self-awareness. I take one of the technical aspects that
need improving and tell them to take care of it - it could
be to move back the point of contact of the index finger
of the left hand, or to avoid an angle with the wrist of
the left hand. I give one correction at a time, because I
know its difficult. I give them enough material to work
for the month and they have to do what needs to be
done, to take care of this basic aspect.
Giving students what they need seems to be at the
root of his motivation as a teacher, much more than
their winning competitions and becoming high-flying
soloists: I was never very picky about accepting only
talented or extra-talented people. That was never my
priority. It was always to discover if I saw a possibility
for improvement. Those are the cases that make you
feel that what you are doing is rewarding, when you see
the progress the student is making because of the advice
youre giving. If someone plays for me and I feel that
this person is not playing well because of a specific
technical problem, I make a bet with myself: if this
person corrects this defect they will play much better.
Fundamental to his classes is the principle of
performance practice: The first time you play a piece,
no matter what level the preparation is, it has to be a
performance. I want to hear it from beginning to end,
then again, with interruptions. If I start shouting after
two bars, the student is going to be happy, because its a
relief from the responsibility of playing from beginning
to the end. I This responsibility is actually our job. I Giuranna actively
encourages students'
didnt invent | this: its in The Art of Violin Playing by independence and
Carl Flesch. We have to prepare ourselves properly for self-awareness
the famous first time because this is the only chance
we have as performers.
When we play, we project
YOU CERTAINLY GET A SENSE OF TOUGH LOVE from
Giuranna: T have a very democratic attitude: you do exactly what
an image that we have of the
is written! You do my bowings; you do my fingerings. The
moment you do my fingerings well, you are free to change
sound that is inside ourselves
whatever you want. Its always in the students best interest,
though: You do my bowings because if youre in an orchestra He has pragmatic advice for anyone struggling for technical
you dont go, I feel better like this. We are all great artists, but discipline: One should make a list of all the technical aspects
discipline is at the basis of everything. that are necessary to keep fresh in our playing. Its difficult to go
There are aspects of discipline that Giuranna sees as through this list every day, but if you decide you can go through
disappearing alarmingly: Rhythm doesnt interest anyone - its an this list in three days, in that time you have covered everything
expensive option that nobody buys, and this seems to be more of a you need. Who wants to practise octaves? But if you practise
problem now. If we dont have a very strong rhythmic feeling octaves every three days because you know you have to, they will
there can be no flexibility. If there is an iron soul then you have become better. If you dont practise them they will become
flexibility, but if everything is flexible its like a jellyfish. This is worse. There is justice - if you dont practise, why should they
the psychology of interpretation, too - you establish a good come out well?
rhythm and after that you vary that rhythm as an effect, but if you Does he ever send people back to open strings? Yes, all the
do that right away there is no feeling of rhythm. time! I do it myself, if Ive had a long time without practice. >

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GIURANNA'S INSTRUMENTS
GIURANNA PLAYS two Venetian instruments: a 1766 Deconet
(The Strad, May 1988) and a Busan from 1781. He explains his
preference: 'Venetian instruments are probably better than
Cremonese for violas and cellos. The Busan Is the bigger one.
The Deconet has a fascinating quality in the sound, while the
Busan has the effortless power of a giant. Strangely enough,
the Busan is brighter.' He uses French bows, a Peccatte and a
Tourte: 'They're never heavy, those old French bows. Some are
considered heavy violin bows. They have a special quality in
sound. But I like to change bows. When I started buying a car
I was impressed by the people in the garage who switch from
one car to another. It's the same with the bow: you must be
able to use different bows because we do not play the bow.
It's the bow that teaches us what to do. It has some physical
needs and we only have to fulfill these needs.'

A good practice section on open strings is fantastic. The French

school of bowing made you play only open strings at the
beginning, for quite a long time. If you embellish everything with
vibrato, youre not sure - was it the vibrato or was it the bow?
This is fundamental. Double-stops on open strings are good
because when you play two strings it's not automatic that the Giuranna considers performing with
weight is distributed evenly - one of the strings is often his students a vital part of his teaching
predominant. But of course its not only about technical aspects,
so how does Giuranna encourage his students sense of My question of how the music world changed since the start of

PHOTOS BILL SOMACH

musicality? The notes in front of us are the raw material from
which we should be scholars. I suggest they play what is written
exactly as it is written without any expression, trying to make an
effort to be amusical. Try to develop a sense of criticism, in order
to make it more beautiful or make more sense. Interpretation starts
from phrasing. The example is with what we say when we speak,
because theres always an accent or emphasis, for example, when
I say, I like my dog. (He goes through the possibilities: I like
my dog; I like my dog; I like my dog; I like my dog.) Wherever
we give the emphasis we express what we want to say. In music
we have to discover this. Four notes are seldom four even notes.
These are the kinds of things I suggest students look for when
studying a phrase. Decide on the notes that stay, and the notes that
go. Its very important to start from what is written and then
abandon what is written - what is written tells you what to play,
not how.
ANOTHER METHOD FOR DEVELOPING all-round
musicians is to play in chamber groups with students, which
Giuranna first came across in Marlboro in 1973. One thing I like
to do more and more is to play with young players, to put together
a programme or piece so they can go through the whole procedure
of rehearsals. At the first rehearsal all the technical aspects of
playing together should be solved. These are not easy: its not
only playing together - its also trying to play with the same kind
of sound. Being together isnt only starting together, but also
ending together. Once this technical approach has been solved,
through-performances are very important. This brings people to
self-judgement and self-criticism, which are vital.
his career elicits a gloomy note: If I were a student now I
wouldnt be a musician. My generation is the last one that was
spoiled. Our attitude was, I want to play as well as I can, and I
want to become very, very good. You had that and things would
happen. Today, you do that and its possible that nobody knows
that you play well. Players nowadays have to do public relations -
they have to do a lot more. We had the chance to ignore all that.
But can they do well without being any good? Being good is
not enough. The average quality has improved, technically,
certainly. Musicality is another thing. One aspect is personality.
Sometimes a strong personality disturbs: no one wants to be
disturbed, so there are fewer personalities around. The
personalities of the past I recall, such as David Oistrakh and
Leonid Kogan, were very strong. I dont see these around today.
Giuranna shows no sign of letting up. If anything, his drive to
discover new ways of teaching, new technologies to help him,
new players to perform with, goes from strength to strength. Even
when being absolutely serious about the priorities of music and
the art of teaching, one always senses a playfulness and curiosity.
In this aspect, it seems he has a particular role model: When he
was 80, Goethe was asked what his ideal was in life, and he said,
I would love to learn how to read. I would love to learn how to
listen. (Oh, and he was absolutely right about the pasta - the
linguine worked perfectly.)
For more insights from Bruno Giuranna about his
teaching methods and the players he's worked with,
go to http://goo.gl/XGPU2R
Download Giuranna's free viola parts at www.giuranna.it

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