Backstage at the CSO: Jennifer Gunn on Thea Musgrave’s Piccolo Play

In anticipation of her upcoming performances as soloist, Phillip Huscher speaks with Jennifer Gunn, the CSO’s Dora and John Aalbregtse Piccolo Chair, about Thea Musgrave’s Piccolo Play.

Phillip Huscher: Did you ever play the first version of this piece for piccolo and piano?
Jennifer Gunn: I actually never played the original version of Piccolo Play in performance. I have enjoyed others playing it and bought the music a long time ago but never got around to performing it.

How did this version for piccolo and strings come about?
The original version of Piccolo Play was commissioned by the National Flute Association, and for its fiftieth anniversary, the association commissioned Thea to orchestrate Piccolo Play. I was the lucky person they asked to perform the newly commissioned piece! The 50th National Flute Association Convention was held here in Chicago, and the concerto night was at Symphony Center. So, I felt right at home.

How different are the two versions?
There are very minor changes to the piccolo solo part from the original piccolo/piano version—some note changes and minor articulation changes. The noticeable differences would be in the strings’ ability to sustain more than the piano in the accompaniment lines.

There’s a great variety of piccolo writing in these seven pieces. It gives you a chance to do everything, doesn’t it?
The way Thea has used the piccolo in this piece is very enjoyable for the player. In each movement the player really gets to change characters and use different skills. For example, in the first movement the player utilizes an extreme legato or smooth sound, while in the second movement the music calls for a more percussive articulation; in the last movement, there is quite athletic use of double tonguing.

In Papillon, the fourth movement, there is a lot of unaccompanied music for piccolo. Do you think of it almost as a cadenza?
In this movement there is a lot of rhythmic freedom given to the performer. The piccolo flits around the registers with such ease, and the use of flutter tonguing feels especially descriptive to me. So, yes, it has elements of feeling like a cadenza.

Is the last movement, which flies like the wind, quite a challenge?
She marks this movement “Moto perpetuo (Il più presto possibile),” meaning perpetual motion as fast as possible. It is an intimidating marking, but one that I feel gives me energy to make it through the final pages of the piece. Double tonguing on wind instruments is tiring, especially when required for almost the entire last movement!

Are there moments in this piece that you especially love playing and look forward to?
I really enjoy the first movement and how the piccolo weaves around in it. It was this movement that drew me to the piece. Movement 2 is such a contrast, and the orchestra is more involved, so that makes for an interesting dialogue. The subtitle of the third movement is “the Wheedler” — I hope I can wheedle this work into the audience’s hearts! Les Papillons, movement 4, is just fun! The freedom of movement 4 has lulled the orchestra, and now movement 5 is a chance to start waking them up for the march ahead of us in movement 6. And the last and final movement — what a way to finish!

Piccolo players are not frequent soloists with orchestras, but you’ve had previous chances to play concertos with this orchestra. That must feel like the highest honor.
This orchestra has a rich tradition of wonderful piccolo playing. My predecessor, Walfrid Kujala, was one of the leading forces on the piccolo, and I am incredibly honored to hold this chair [the Dora and John Aalbregtse Piccolo Chair]! The first time I was asked to play a concerto, I was truly shocked! That was Vivaldi’s Concerto in C major (RV 443) with Harry Bicket conducting from the harpsichord. What a magical experience! The next time I was asked to play a piccolo concerto, Maestro Muti insisted on conducting! What an incredible honor it was to play two concertos under his baton with my wonderful CSO colleagues (Benshoof’s Concerto in Three Movements and Vivaldi’s Concerto in C major, RV 444). Now that I have been asked again, I feel very proud to bring a female composer’s work to the CSO in addition to the debut appearance of Daniela Candillari. There is never a day that goes by that I don’t feel like a very lucky person.