ANNE AKIKO MEYERS
WHAT’S NEXT?
US violinist Anne Akiko Meyers speaks to Rita Fernandes about her Californian roots, lifelong hunger for commissioning new works, and determination to make a lasting impact on the future of new music
‘I get so overexcited and become obsessed with tracking these composers down!’
DAVID ZENTZ
The stars were aligned – quite literally – on the evening of 12 September 2023 at the Hollywood Bowl. They cloaked the clear Los Angeles night sky, a violet backdrop against the two crossed Hollywood searchlights beaming above the iconic 17,500-seat outdoor venue nestled in the Hollywood Hills. But they were aligned in other ways, too. Alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic, US violinist Anne Akiko Meyers was performing, with the composer present, Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto no.1, which she will be recording next year alongside his New Chaconne for violin and bass-line, written for her. She is herself from California and grew up attending the Hollywood Bowl. Her interpretation of the concerto was seamlessly in tune with the soul of the piece. And the orchestra ended the concert with Holst’s suitably galactic The Planets.
Sentimentality aside, in our interview at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA the next morning, Meyers tells me that she was secretly wishing Jim Carrey would be there (Glass scored The Truman Show).
If you ever get the chance to meet Meyers, the first thing you’ll notice – and hear – is her infectious laugh. With a witticism here and a deadpan joke there, she finds a humorous twist in almost everything. But don’t be fooled by the lightheartedness, as she is also a uniquely focused artist: focused on her musical mission and focused on the here and now, especially when it comes to commissioning new works. There is an urgency, a sense of childlike wonderment and a humanistic approach when she talks about commissioning. And though she may be too humble to admit it, her profile makes her one of the best-placed artists today to make a real and lasting impact on the future of new music. Commissioning has marked many of her major career achievements and it has come to define her approach to music itself.
Glass is her latest catch in a nearly 25-year-run of commissioning. (I can’t think of any other artist on her level who has a tab on their website dedicated to composer collaborations.) With so many commissions now behind her, it is amusing to hear the genuine surprise in her voice every time she reveals that another composer has agreed to collaborate with her – as if her track record weren’t enough, she is also simply a delight to be around. And her playing – so focused yet flexible – lends itself uniquely well to bringing new pieces into the world.