Martin Stadtfeld in an interview

"Aggressive criticism baffles me."

Over the past ten years, Martin Stadtfeld has established himself as one of the leading interpreters of Johann Sebastian Bach's music. In 2002, he won first prize at the Bach Competition in Leipzig. His 2004 CD debut, released by Sony Classical, featuring Bach's "Goldberg Variations," reached number one on the German classical music charts and was awarded the Echo Klassik Prize.

Classicpoint.ch: You recorded the Goldberg Variations first. Weren't you hesitant to debut with this work?
When I was 16, I became acquainted with the Goldberg Variations and learned them by heart within two months. Since then, I knew that I could express something very personal with this work. It was never in doubt for me that it also had to be my CD debut. Because I couldn't find a record company right away, I did a radio production at SWR (Southwest German Broadcasting) and sent it to Sony in Berlin. They were impressed and released it.

You seem to polarize critics. While you receive praise and awards from many, there have also been some very scathing reviews. How do you deal with that?
One certainly has to be able to live with being harshly criticized at times. I read all the reviews and am pleased to find constructive criticism in serious, balanced ones. But reviews that have an aggressive tone still baffle me.

You became famous with J.S. Bach. What fascinates you about Bach's music?
For me, it remains the most comforting music. Bach understands humanity in its joy, its sorrow, its desires, its disappointments. He experienced and felt everything, and from this he created music that takes us by the hand. I don't know to what extent he was aware of this. He probably wouldn't offer any further explanation of his music. But that's not necessary at all. I'm currently planning several CD projects with important Romantic works (Schumann concertos) and hope to be able to show my perspective on this repertoire with them.

What would you ask J.S. Bach if he were alive again for a moment?
I would have one question for him: What is your relationship to the Church?

Are you ever afraid of being reduced to J.S. Bach?
Hardly. His music is, in fact, the foundation on which I stand. From him, I immediately move on to other composers in music history. This is the approach I want people to appreciate: Schumann and Chopin not considered retrospectively from Rachmaninoff's perspective, but from Bach's. After all, these two didn't know Rachmaninoff, but they diligently studied their Bach!

What is your stance on contemporary music? You play relatively few pieces.
I'm always on the lookout for exciting works of our time. I recently met the Bochum-based composer Stefan Heucke. He writes wonderful music, and I included one of his pieces on my new Bach CD, which was released 10 days ago.

You visit schools and try to make classical music appealing to children and young people. What exactly do you do there?
I tell the children or young people about Bach's life and illustrate it with pieces, mostly from the Well-Tempered Clavier. Happy stories, but also very sad ones. This works very well because the children grasp the authenticity of the music. Especially with short pieces, which in Bach's case always remain within a specific emotional framework.

What were the most memorable experiences during these school visits?
It's often touching how the children or young people open up and share stories from their own lives when you talk about emotion in music. And when you take them seriously, as young people who know the whole emotional spectrum.

Are there any negative reactions?
Actually, never.

What works do you listen to and which do you enjoy playing most?
I always love playing Bach, of course. At the moment, I'm particularly enjoying Schumann's heartbreaking Humoresque and Chopin's Baroque études. Right now, I'm especially enjoying expressive Romantic music like Bruckner.

What question would you ask yourself in an interview, and how would you answer it?
I think you asked some interesting questions that made me think. There's one question I hope I'm never asked again: "You're often compared to Glenn Gould. What's your take on that?"


Interview by Florian Schär | Classicpoint.ch | October 1, 2014