Rachel Mercer
In this conversation with the really inspiring cellist, Rachel Mercer, we discuss the arc of her career so far as a chamber musician, soloist, principal cellist, the late Yehonatan Berick, an amazing violinist and pedagogue, who was her life partner, "Our Strength, Our Song" with her sister, the wonderful violinist Akemi Mercer-Niewöhner and many other chamber music collaborations and unique projects, as well as her way of approaching music. Rachel very generously made a special recording of the prelude from JS Bach's fifth solo suite and her heartfelt introduction to the power of this music is right after our conversation, so please keep listening till the end! There's also a timestamp for the Bach (timestamps listed below and in the description of the episode in YouTube and on the podcast page) and in the podcast version, the Bach with her introduction is also a separate bonus episode.
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To learn more about Rachel, her recordings and her current projects: Rachel Mercer
Rachel Mercer: “I think at some point I felt that playing scales was not helping my music making because it was so rigorous in the way I was doing it. It just didn't relate to because I really want to have every possibility of expression available to me and that does not come from physically playing my instrument. That comes from my imagination and then I hear or feel a sound in my head. How am I going to make it? And I don't learn that from playing the studies and scales. I learn that from hearing it and figuring out physically how to make it. I have a piece of music I need to learn. First, I study the score. If there's a recording, I listen to the recording because I want to hear the big picture and what it really means and what I'm trying to for. I never take out a piece of music and just start learning the notes and rhythm unless it's something...Actually, no, I don't do that because it just gets me into too small a focus. I want the big picture of the end game, what I'm going for and then it's learning that and then focusing in and making sure the details fit as much as possible by the day of the performance.”
