MARK FORKGEN
Short-listed for the Royal Philharmonic Society awards, Mark Forkgen talks about guest conducting, duets with Deep Purple and working with young musicians.
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It’s an animated scene. A group of seven musicians are all tuning their instruments independently, each one fiddling with reeds, tightening strings and even a drummer texting away on his mobile. People are joking around, teasing each other with jests only each other would understand. A dark haired man sits, taking his place upon the conductor’s chair. The noise dies down and people prepare their musical sheets for the rehearsal.
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| Mark Forkgen |
This is Kokoro. The small contemporary ensemble is led by conductor 41-year-old Forkgen, and derives from the Japanese word for Heart of Feeling. Born in London, Forkgen has been shortlisted for 2006 Royal Philharmonic Society awards – the highest recognised award for live classical music-making in the United Kingdom. In 1994, he won Second Prize and the Kenneth Tyghe Audience Prize at the Leeds Conducting Competition. Forkgen has also worked with big names such as Mstislav Rostropovich - widely considered to be one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century, and with such ensembles as Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the English Northern Philharmonia.
Clearly a man well established in the orchestral world, it begs the question what is he doing settling with the small Bournemouth based group? “I prefer the more personalised and relaxed atmosphere. Everybody trusts each other and it allows me to have better responsibility for the group.” Forkgen started working at BSO (Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra) in 1992 as an assistant conductor, before moving onto Kokoro in 1999.
Forkgen’s family brought him into a musical environment, and no doubt had their influence over his musical career. “It was actually a second generation thing, my mother’s parents were musical and my aunt used to play the organ.” It was as an Organ Scholar at Queen’s College, Cambridge that Forkgen began his lengthy résumé, soon winning a scholarship to study conducting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
“When I was younger I did a lot of choral work and played as an organist.” Forkgen says that learning with the Chapel choir gave a clear religious stimulus to the beginning of his conducting. Although now “Choirs and operas are not something I work with.” Forkgen also admits to no longer playing organ “I play a small amount of piano but it is impossible to keep up with everything.”
Now Forkgen decided that he no longer wished to specialise in operatic work, he describes the many different avenues for a conductor to specialise in “You just need to find your niche. I like variety.” Now a dedicated to the field of choral and contemporary music, Forkgen searched for his forte with years of guest conducting. Often travelling internationally, Forkgen has given performances of Handel’s Messiah in Siena, Handel’s Israel in Egypt at the Viterbo Early Music Festival in Italy and Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring in Denmark.
His recordings have been highly celebrated by BBC Radio 3 and in both musical and national press. It would appear that classical music is moving closer from the periphery edges of main stream music attracting more younger audiences than ever before. Whilst sat in the Bournemouth University Forkgen says his audience following is “Quite Mixed – Tonight performance’s a complete sell out.” He continues to say “initially it’s always an experiment; you never know for sure how it’s going to turn out, but art students tend to enjoy the contemporary.” “I think the music is philosophically linked rather than an age thing”.
It seems Forkgen’s knowledge of classical music is extremely comprehensive. Nick Thorne, BSO Fundraising and Ensembles Department states “You definitely do not have to have the same knowledge as he does for music (to be able to work with him) Mark is very easy to get on with.” This seems to be a key aspect of Forkgen working environment. “I’m not usually into moving groups, I prefer working with smaller groups.” Forkgen rarely guest conducts as this would mean a lack of personal connection with the orchestra. When everyone is relaxed and gets on well with each other this creates “a better quality (of music).”
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| Rehearsals at ACBU |
However what is most intriguing is the regular juxtaposition of rock and classical music that Forkgen brings together. July 2006 saw the compilation of Forkgen with the BSO alongside with Deep Purple at the Henley Festival and again with Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour at the Chelsea Festival. Both 70’s rock bands are recognised for pioneering different styles of rock with chart-soarers like Smoke on the Water and Another Brick in the Wall. It was a “slightly wacky project” said Forkgen. David Gilmour being a “Seventies rock God” it created a following that Forkgen was not expecting. “We arrived in the morning to see people queuing already - not exactly the norm for an orchestral performance.” Forkgen had nothing but praise for these rock bands, “They are fantastic musicians & instrumentalists, immediately earnt respect”.
Now as Head of Music at Tonbridge School Kent (boarding fees are £9,971 per term), Forkgen can now influence the young people he has always hoped to and gaining more interest in orchestral music from a younger audience. “Being a school teacher you have to be very adaptable to speaking to a wide range of people from those very keen on music to those not so, every project he takes on he does with great thought and assurance that there will be great success to his work” adds Nick.
Conducting requires a strong level of control, with poise in each flick of the arms and wrists whilst keeping the torso neatly held. Forkgen said “People are wowed, they wouldn’t normally think it, but to be fully appreciated orchestra needs to be live – It’s all part of the performance, it’s a visual experience as well”
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