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2024 Interviews - Kamala Bain, Ruth Wilkinson & Rodney Waterman

2024 Interviews - Kamala Bain, Ruth Wilkinson & Rodney Waterman

Categories : Interviews with Recorder Players , Resources

An Interview with Kamala Bain (NZ)

Alex had a quick chat with Kamala Bain about how the recorder first came into her life and some of her favourite early memories with the instrument. She also shared insights from her time studying under recorder legends Walter van Hauwe and Paul Leenhouts, and how their teachings have shaped her musical journey.

Kamala Bain play a C Bass Recorder for her upcoming concert with the Recorder Co-op.

How did the recorder come into your life? Do you have any favourite early memories of playing it?

The recorder first came into my life at primary school. It was an amazing initiative by the school principal – recorder outdoors in the warmer months with children leading children in small circles on the netball courts, and Scottish folk dancing in the cooler months accompanied by the principal on the bagpipes. I’m amazed that I kept going – the cacophony of all of those small groups outdoors was something to behold, but I was given the responsibility of leading a group around the age of 8 so something clearly clicked. Many of the children from that school moved on to a middle school where my mum was in charge of music. She gathered the capable players together and put us through recorder ensemble exams. That was my first “this is a real instrument” moment. Specialist recorder teachers were hard to come by where I grew up in Hamilton, New Zealand.

One very influential moment was being given an alto recorder and the Telemann Fantasias around the age of 13 and told to work out both the fingerings and the music by a recently found teacher who was primarily an organist. Another huge moment at the same age was mum spotting a recorder festival in Auckland that was organised by David Coomber who had recently returned from Europe. That was the true turning point. There were players from all over the world and I was completely inspired, plus a very kind Fred Morgan gave me his very special flageolet made of narwhal ivory to try. Magical!! There were various courses and masterclasses in Auckland along the way. At 14 I boldly ordered a handmade recorder which I announced I would save up for (and I did), and there was also the opportunity to try a contrabass which set my passion for playing large basses in motion.

At the age of 16, my parents found a teacher in Auckland and drove me two hours each way fortnightly so that I could pursue this passion of mine. Another international festival in my last year of high school  consolidated my decision to study recorder at the University of Auckland and in Europe in the future. University and lecturers such as the late Anthony Jennings sowed the seed of my passion for early music as it was the first time I was exposed to other early instruments. David Coomber expertly guided me through university and prepared me for the next phase of study at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Ryan Williams playing a one of the kind Bb renaissance Bass and Kamala Bain playing the C Bass Recorder.

You’ve had the chance to study with recorder legends like Walter van Hauwe and Paul Leenhouts. How have their teachings influenced the way you play and think music?

The Conservatorium van Amsterdam was an eye opener on every level. There were approximately 30 recorder students when I began and the calibre of some of the players blew my mind. There were two camps of students at that time – those of us from far flung places and those who had been learning the recorder from highly qualified teachers from a very young age. One of the students was even teaching at another conservatorium at the time! I felt a bit like a fish out of water but I was also hungry to learn. Walter van Hauwe had set up a masterclass system many years prior called the “blok” which meant we only saw our teachers for one week in the month.

The goal was that we bring questions about musical and technical challenges and all students would learn by sitting in on each others lessons. Having a lesson with Walter was like going to the doctor. He could quickly diagnose technical issues and unlock doors that felt closed prior. I’m so grateful for the clarity of his explanations and find that I also strive to clearly communicate “how to” in my own teaching. Both Walter and Paul Leenhouts were super passionate about music old and new. Paul was new to the conservatorium and quickly found funding to get a consort of renaissance recorders made by the late Adriana Breukink. I was so excited about the arrival of these instruments with their quirky renaissance fingerings and quickly formed a trio. The first time I played the great bass I nearly fainted but over time I worked my way up to mastery of the three metre subcontrabass aptly named “Big Babe”.

I was developing a deep passion for renaissance music and enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity to be part of an ad hoc renaissance double choir recorder consort for an end of year concert. This group quickly developed into the Royal Wind Music directed by Paul Leenhouts, and the hours we would spend tuning and exploring repertoire was very formative, as was the opportunity to rehearse my colleagues when Paul couldn’t be at rehearsal. Tours to various parts of Europe and a recording in Seville, Spain, with the Royal Wind Music were big events for a girl from down under. Royal Wind trained players can easily connect playing-wise due to the highly intensive ensemble training we received.

Aside from the excellent teaching we received in the blok system, the artistry, creativity, and knowledge from other students presented many more learning opportunities. Over the years, a real family atmosphere developed and students were fantastic at helping other students in the weeks when our teachers weren’t available. One of Walter’s goals was to create unique recorder players who didn’t sound like him which he definitely achieved. 

Close up’s of the renaissance consort  recorders the Recorder Co-op are playing made by Ture Bergstrøm.

Interview with Ruth Wilkinson & Rodney Waterman

Alex recently interviewed Ruth Wilkinson and Rodney Waterman for their upcoming musical collaboration. Rodney, who has recently focused on Brazilian jazz/folk and free improvisation, joins in duet with Ruth, an internationally respected performer and teacher in the field of Early Music, for a concert of Renaissance, Baroque and Modern gems for recorder duo. They’ll perform music by Orlando Gibbons, Giovanni Bassano, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Thomas Morley, Jacques Hotteterre, Georg Phillipp Telemann, Ros Bandt and Rodney Waterman.

Ruth and Rodney have often collaborated musically at the annual Australian Recorder Festival, Armidale NSW. They first performed on recorder together in the Victorian State Opera’s (VSO) historic performances, on period instruments, of Monteverdi’s Orfeo (1977) and Il Ritorno d’Ulyses (1980). In these VSO performances, Ruth also played viola da gamba, and Rodney the lute. The Flûte de Voix concert will feature a beautiful array of exquisitely diverse hand-crafted recorders.

Alex:  You have known each other for a long time, going back to performances with the Victorian State Opera in the late 1970s! What makes your musical partnership so special?

Ruth: We did first meet and play together in the late 70’s. I had just returned from my studies in Switzerland and Rod was at the threshold of his young career.  I admired his talent, skill and enthusiasm for what was to become a revolution in early music performance.  They were exciting days.  Audiences were being introduced to composers that were not on their radar as concert goers and the performances of Monteverdi operas (where Rod and I first worked together) using original instruments was an exciting time for us all. Our careers took different paths but in the recorder world we always enjoyed meeting up.

Rod: I first heard Ruth play recorder in concert in about 1976. She played a Telemann duo with Fred Morgan in Trinity Chapel, Melbourne. It was a sublime and inspirational moment for me as a young recorder player. It has always been a treat to play with Ruth, first in the Monteverdi performances with the Victorian State Opera, and later at times when we met as tutors in music festivals, particularly the Orpheus Music Australian Recorder Festivals over the last few decades. Last year it was a treat to play recorders together in Bach Brandenburg concerti 2 and 4 with the Hepburn Players in Creswick, Victoria.

Alex: What do you find most rewarding about performing as a recorder duo, and how do you approach balancing your individual musical styles?

Rod: I love the quality of tone and purity of sonorities generated by a pair of recorders. It’s a joy to play in a responsive acoustic like the VAS Gallery. We have individual playing styles, but we also have a deep respect for the historical context and conventions of the music we are playing. A duo is a musical conversation in time, reflecting our individual and collective journeys with recorder and music over many decades.

Ruth: In our recorder careers I think we all spend a lot of time introducing the rich recorder duo repertoire to our students and have not always had the opportunity to perform these works ourselves with our musical colleagues.  I am so enjoying working with Rod on a repertoire we have talked about doing for many years.  We have played together many times at the Orpheus gatherings but have not had the opportunity in our own city. Finally we are doing it and the notes flow with ease between us.  This is a joy to do.

Above: Rodney Waterman

Alex: The concert features a beautiful range of hand-crafted recorders. How does the choice of instrument affect the interpretation of these works, and are there particular recorders you’re most excited to perform with in this concert?

Ruth: Rod and I have been so fortunate to build our careers with the beautiful instruments of Fred Morgan.  I think for both of us our sound and approach to music has been so influenced by our individual collections of his instruments.  Playing on instruments developed by Fred bring a special nuance to our playing that is not easily explained but certainly deeply felt by us as players.

Rod: We are particularly excited to play the Hotteterre Suite for two flutes in the original key of B minor on voice flutes (tenor recorders in d’). We’ve played a few movements of the Hotteterre at times together at festivals, but this will be the first time we’ve performed the whole suite.

Above: Ruth Wilkinson

Alex: What can audiences expect from Flûte de Voix? Are there any moments or pieces in the program that you’re especially excited to share?

Ruth: We will of course play our voice flutes which will feature in the Hotteterre Suite in b. Minor which ends with a spectacular and extended passacaille.  It is a favourite for both of us.  I will perform Magpie,  written for me by my very special colleague Ros Bandt.  As a recorder player herself and a great exponent of sound she has a deep understanding of the voice of the recorder.   I have always found I can really immerse myself in this work and feel I am talking with the birds she is inspired by.

Rod: We’re pleased to be playing some favourite renaissance and baroque recorder duos, and some modern delights, in a physically beautiful and acoustically responsive venue. Above all, we’ll enjoy this opportunity to share our enthusiasm and love for the wonderful instrument we play, the recorder.

Alex: Rodney, as a composer yourself, a few of your own works will be featured. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the pieces and how they fit into the evening's program?

Rod: I’ll play a few of my Six Fantasias, works I have transcribed and published from my original improvised recording, twelve fantasias (2020). I’ll improvise a brief prelude to each piece. These pieces were originally improvised with a specific acoustic setting in mind. I will adapt the performance to reflect the acoustic of the VAS Gallery. I’m very much looking forward also to hearing Ruth play Ros Bandt’s Magpie, a piece dedicated to Ruth and first performed in Vienna, 2006.

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