by Jayant S
The last two weeks saw an unprecedented enlivening of the classical guitar world in Pune.
Veet Ohnemus visited us from Germany, along with his Heubner guitar, a long and diverse recording and performing career at his fingertips, considerable cheerfulness and a patient, humorous outlook on life.
I’d first met Veet during his stay in Pune in the late 1990’s, and had taken a few lessons from him. I was meeting him for the first time since then. He didn’t seem a day older though. Veda, Kuldeep and I discussed the outline of a recital which we’d been able to arrange for him, as well as tentative plans for a presentation/masterclass session. And, of course, we were interested in lessons for ourselves.
During these two weeks, Veda, Kuldeep and I had the opportunity for two learning sessions with Veet. His teaching approach focused a lot on finer bio-mechanical nuances and their impact on tone, and on a more comprehensive understanding of harmonic movement in composition. While Veet’s focus as a teacher is totally unrelenting and he pays incessant attention to detail, somehow I always came out of these long sessions wanting to play more and more.
Veet performed at a recital which was arranged with the Gyaan Adab Center. We were taken by surprise at the number of people who attended, and the intense concentration with which they received a program of 20th century Argentinian and Brazilian guitar music, including works by Cardoso, Piazzola and Assad. Veet obviously prefers modern guitar music, with all its tonal variety, dynamic range and textural diversity, but his interpretations have a way of being very accessible to listeners and consistently expressive across styles. I was, of course, fascinated by his rendition of Sergio Assad’s magnificent Fantasia Carioca, a fiendishly difficult and yet musically sublime work. which Veet has also recorded for his Youtube channel.
Finally, towards the end of his stay, Veet was the focus of a one-day presentation and masterclass session organised at Enoch Harold’s new establishment in Pune. He took a group of attending guitarists through a systematic discussion on the connection between the body, the guitar and the music, making everyone closely aware of the impact that even slight changes in posture, hand position and the deployment of effort can have on musical expression. The second session familiarised participants with structure in Bach’s music, the nuances of Glenn Gould’s piano interpretations, and ways in which Astor Piazzola’s ensemble writings have been arranged effectively for a single guitar. Without actually saying so, Veet emphasised the need for guitarists to listen “beyond the instrument” – to not become too preoccupied with the instrument, its repertoire and its technical demands – but to hear and think about music as a far greater world, with its rich and threaded history and cultural presence. Apart from these discussions, Veet was his usual patient and engrossed self even when listening to young beginner guitarists, to whom he had plenty of good advice to offer.
For me, personally, this short encounter with Veet was a vindication of some of my own self-learned musical directions, while revealing opportunities for focused improvement in the future. We certainly hope he visits again, as he has that rare combination of articulate teaching and superlative recital abilities, and can also be an uproariously funny guy to talk with!
Weblinks for Veet J Ohnemus:
http://www.veetguitar.de/english/
https://www.youtube.com/user/veetguitar/videos
Veet’s rendition of Jongo by Bellinati which he played at Gyaan Adab – a nice example of folk mixolydian influences seeping into serious music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtEBKte5fxY
Photos from the concert at Gyaan Adab:
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Photos from the workshop at Enoch Guitars:
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