Hot ticket aims to Currie favour at iconic venue

Published on Wednesday 4 November 2009 08:39

COLIN Currie was three when he first showed signs of musical talent. His favourite toy was a drum kit and his parents noticed that his banging and bashing sounded surprisingly tuneful.

Fast forward 30 years and he's certainly lived up to that early promise. Tonight, the Edinburgh-born percussionist is playing at New York's legendary Carnegie Hall.

Every artist dreams of standing on the stage of the fabled New York venue. And, as a Scot, Currie feels particularly proud to appear at the venue built by the Dunfermline-born industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, in 1890.

"It's wonderful to play at Carnegie Hall; it's such a beautiful, historic concert hall and the acoustics are incredible," says Currie.

Today, Currie is one of the most in-demand musicians around, playing as a featured soloist with some of the world's leading orchestras and conductors.

He comes to New York direct from St Louis, where he received standing ovations for the two pieces he played. He is performing them again tonight in New York where he is appearing with the St Louis Symphony Orchestra.

It's all a very long way from Currie's childhood. He grew up in Bonaly, near the Pentland Hills, in the family home his parents still live in – his mother taught modern languages at Merchiston. He and his older sister, Jan, went to Bonaly Primary School and then Firrhill High School. His biggest fans include classmates from his school days who come to see him perform around the globe.

"Edinburgh is a great city but I don't get back as often as I'd like," he says. "Mostly when I do, it's for work. My parents come and see me on the road as often as they can."

As a percussionist, Currie plays a wide range of instruments. His favourite is the marimba, a type of xylophone, thought to have been introduced to Latin America by African slaves.

He plays the marimba in one of the two pieces he is playing in New York, Colors of Crimson by Bright Sheng. It is inspired by Chinese folk melodies and has required Currie to put in countless hours of rehearsal time.

Though he has his favourite instruments, Currie could probably bash out a tune on just about any object put in front of him. In fact, tonight's concert sees him making music with water, in renowned composer Tan Dun's Water Concerto.

"There's some improvisation, it's very spontaneous and a lot of fun to play. You have to really get into the moment. It's really atmospheric and evocative and sounds amazing live," he says.

"The two pieces are very different so it's interesting to play them together. They each have very different challenges and use different parts of my brain."

The musician lives in London where he appears regularly with the London Symphony Orchestra and London Philharmonic. A highlight in Currie's calendar is playing at the Proms where he is a regular. "The audience there is great. They are like audiences nowhere else."

But he spends up to 40 weeks a year travelling around the world for work. It's a lifestyle which he's got used to over the years. He says: "I love it. It's a wonderful way to work. I'm so used to travelling now that the minute I sit down on a plane, I fall asleep and I don't wake up again until we touch down."

His constant travelling companions are his iPod, loaded with classical music, and a pile of books. "At the moment I'm reading Buddha Da by Anne Donovan which is set in Glasgow and which is written in Glaswegian dialect. It's really interesting."

When back in Edinburgh, Currie loves catching up with old friends and walking up the Pentlands. "I also love walking around the city. The New Town is very beautiful. I'm always struck by what a beautiful, amazing place Edinburgh is when I return. I appreciate that even more since I've been away."

Currie knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue music professionally. After discovering classical music, he joined the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

At 15, he got his first big break when he won the Shell/London Symphony Orchestra Music Prize. Three years later, he became the first percussionist ever to make it to the finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition.

After school, he won a coveted place at the Royal Academy of Music in London and, in 2002, he was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society's Young Artist Award.

As well as performing, he is currently Visiting Professor of Solo Percussion at the Royal Academy of Music in London and at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.

Praised around the world for his innovative and charismatic performances, Currie favours playing "new" classical music. One of the oldest pieces in his repertoire is Veni Veni Emmanuel, written by James MacMillan in 1992.

Currie comes from a family of keen musicians. His mum sings and plays piano and violin, and his sister plays piano, saxophone and violin. But Currie is the first member of his family to play professionally.

Growing up, Currie loved playing drums and percussion. "Initially, I think the excitement of all the kit really appealed," he says with a laugh. "I like the variety of playing different instruments. Percussion is dynamic, explosive, expressive and exciting."

The timbale, a type of drum which features prominently in salsa music, is another of Currie's favourite instruments. He fulfilled a long-held ambition to play in a salsa band on a recent trip to Bogota. He was in the South American city to play with the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia.

Currie's musical influences include the American drummer Buddy Rich. "My dad took me to the Playhouse in Edinburgh to see him on his last ever European tour. I must have been eight or nine years old. That was an amazing experience."

Another of his favourite musicians is Hakan Hardenberger, with whom Currie recorded the album Borrowed Time in 2003. It's one of a number of recordings which Currie has made. "I'm most influenced by non-percussion musicians," says Currie.

Though he loves travelling, Currie misses the Scottish sense of humour.

"It's hard to put your finger on what it is but it's something very specific which is perhaps missing elsewhere," he says.

His next appearance in Scotland is with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland in 2010. On the other side of the globe, he has a tour of New Zealand coming up with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

His packed diary also includes appearances in Finland, Toronto, Utah and Baltimore.

In January, he is collaborating with the beat-box artist Shlomo at London's Southbank Centre.

"We don't know yet where that will take us," he adds. "We've been talking about creating something with a dance company or a visual artist."

But first he has the notoriously demanding New York audience to win over. Not that this talented musician is in the least bit fazed. "I can't wait. It's such a thrill to play at Carnegie Hall."

TALENT WAS OFF THE WALL

PLAYING the drums as a baby wasn't the only early sign that Colin Currie was destined for musical greatness.

At the age of 12, he photocopied the score of Stockhausen's Kontakte, an electronic music work, and used it for wallpaper in his bedroom. Last year he finally got to play the piece at the Proms.

On his website, he pays tribute to his piano teacher, who taught him between the ages of 13 and 17, who he says helped him enormously. "I found the instrument quite difficult, but I loved the sound," he says.