Interview with Magnus Walker
One in an occasional series of interviews with Scottish Artists who are making their mark on the Scottish cultural scene
One of the brightest young tenors of the moment is the Glasgow-born Magnus Walker, and here the Edinburgh Music Review gets to meet him.
BBS: You are described in your Biography as Glasgow-born. Can you tell us a bit about your origins, and the path you have followed to get to where you are now, on the cusp of a fine career? I’m thinking about schooling, higher education and important landmarks and prizes.
MW: Always good to start from the beginning! Yes, I was brought up in Knightswood just beyond the West End of Glasgow. I was lucky (or maybe cursed) to be brought up in a household of musicians, my father being the Organist at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral on Great Western Road and my mother having trained as a singer, both having trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama now known as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Both of my sisters and I were thrown into musical environments from a young age; in various instrumental lessons, singing for dad in the choir down at St. Mary’s and also in the Junior Chorus of the RSNO. I went to Douglas Academy in Milngavie, famous for its Music School which I was never actually a member of officially but I was fortunate enough to be able to take part in a lot of the ensembles and extra instrumental lessons despite this. It was a great school overall and full of great students and supportive staff.
My first foray into the real world was a choral scholarship at Gloucester Cathedral where I spent a year singing the daily services, learning what real sight reading was, how to use my voice on a daily basis in a healthy manner and also prepping for music college auditions. Towards the end of this year Gloucester hosted the world famous Three Choirs Festival. Our opening concert was to be Elgar’s The Kingdom. About two hours before our general rehearsal on the day of the concert I had a phone call from Adrian Partington, Music Director at the cathedral and conductor of the concert, telling me that our tenor soloist was indisposed and he had decided that I was going to sing it instead. By the end of the day I had managed to make my way through my first ever big orchestral rehearsal and a concert. I can never be grateful enough to Adrian for that experience and opportunity. That whole festival was one joyous goodbye to an amazing year of music making.
After that I went to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music, where I studied for 7 years. I wouldn’t even know where to start on that episode, whether it be the famous Sunday Bach cantata concerts, the various recital opportunities, many different opera productions or just the grade A level of teaching. I certainly learned a lot and had a great time.
I’d say that’s a reasonably abridged version of the story so far!
BBS: Who have you studied with to reach this stage of your vocal development? Who are your models? I was very impressed, in the Berlioz Requiem I heard you sing at the Usher Hall, by your controlled performance of a really difficult tenor solo, and by your ability to sing a refined mezza voce throughout. Is this something that comes naturally to you, or did you have to work particularly hard to achieve it?
MW: I’d say yes, it has always been a natural element in my voice I think. I’m lucky that all of my teachers so far have identified it as a dominant quality in my singing and have all helped me to utilise it as a core element throughout my entire voice. What is actually the biggest challenge is not relying solely on this type of singing. It’s a great tool to have up your sleeve but, as you know, we need to use a whole range of colours and qualities, not just the ones we find easy.
The biggest influence so far would have to be Richard Berkeley-Steele. Rich has taught me for the last 6 or 7 years both in and out of the Academy and both he and his wife, Susan Bullock, have been a great support and mentoring duo for me, especially coming out of education. I feel it’s very important to have these figures supporting you in the early stages of a career in such a complex and competitive industry.
BBS: In your biography, you quote the music of Britten and Schubert as major influences on your career so far, and it’s clear that you have a passion for art song. Do you see your career following the concert route, with a bit of opera thrown in, or do you plan do take on more opera? I studied with Sir Peter Pears in the late 70s and early 80s, and consider myself immensely fortunate to have worked with the singer for whom much of Britten’s music was written. I was also lucky to study with Hans Hotter, who, although the greatest Wotan of all time, had a huge passion for Schubert, and once told me, in all seriousness, that he preferred singing Schubert more than any other composer. He knew Richard Strauss quite well, and told me of an amazing afternoon in Bavaria, when he and Strauss sang through books of the master’s songs. I applaud your keenness to sing Lieder, and am wondering how you found yourself singing so much of it?
In opera, you have sung Tom Rakewell and Ferrando so far. Do you see your operatic career going in a certain direction? How about Baroque music? I see you have sung with my old friend Trevor Pinnock, with whom I sang and recorded many times, and still rate as one of the finest musicians I have ever met. Will you work more with him, and what insights did he bring to your singing?
MW: It’s an interesting one. If I had it my way I would be able to do a consistent mixture of everything. I love having a varied mix of pieces and experiences but I think there’s a bit more specialisation happening within the industry, but certainly for now I seem to be surviving on a bit of everything.
It’s true that I find a lot of inspiration from composers like Britten and Schubert. I was first introduced to Art song by both my father and my first singing teacher, and then mainly through recordings and learning some of the more staple repertoire. Dichterliebe, Liederkreis Op. 39, ‘Let us Garlands Bring’, the Songs of Travel (I enjoyed your recording very much by the way) and the big Schubert cycles and various of his other famous songs. I’m not sure how aware of it I was at the time, but I think there’s something about the simplicity of the art form that really attracts me - a pianist and a singer using poetry and music to create endless possibilities for expression. It’s the essence of what we do as singers and I could never imagine being without it.
I do also love Baroque music. I grew up listening to a lot of it (an occupational hazard of having an organist for a father) and it also became an integral part of my time at the Academy. I love the intimate collaboration it requires between singers and instrumentalists, really having to listen to each other and taking on new ideas and characteristics from your colleagues. My prime example of this is always the three tenor arias in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Each one has a completely different obbligato (flute, double violin, and double oboe d’amore) and Bach certainly writes in the style of each instrument rather than “vocally”. I love this though - you have to listen to how the players achieve this music and somehow re-invent yourself and incorporate their playing into your own singing. It’s challenging at times, but an amazing process to go through. It’s something I would certainly love to do with someone like Trevor. I agree, I think he’s an incredible musician and a lovely man. Working on the Rake’s Progress with him was a very formative experience for me. He, along with director Freddy Wake-Walker, really challenged me to look at the music and the drama of a piece and ask myself “but how would I do this best?”, and to really trust whatever conclusion I came to. One of the hardest things we have to learn is trusting our own instincts and abilities without second guessing ourselves on stage. Trevor was a very important figure for me, someone for whom I have enormous respect, and I hope I do get to make music with him again in the future.
BBS: The concerts with the RSNO were high profile events at such an early stage of your career. How did that engagement come about, and how did you feel, being the only vocal soloist in one of the loudest and grandest pieces of music in the repertoire? Have you an agent yet, and do you have a firm view of the career path over the next 10 years? After Brexit, life for a solo singer is vastly more complicated, with travel restrictions and visa problems. Have you plans to go abroad for work, and where would you like to go?
MW: Yes, that’s true. It wasn’t necessarily the first project I’ve had of that profile, but it was certainly the first in which I was the only soloist. That was the most daunting thing about those concerts. It was amazing to see and hear an orchestra of that size.
It actually came about from a ‘jump in’ I sang for them. I was asked to fly up and sing the 2nd of two War Requiems they performed in November 2022 (I had previously performed it with the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra). They seemed happy enough with me that they asked me back for the Berlioz, along with their Messiah back in January. It’s really lovely for me to come and do these concerts as I grew up singing with the RSNO in the Junior chorus and a lot of the orchestra and chorus have known me since I was a boy. It’s incredibly novel and rewarding to feel a personal connection to such a large ensemble, but it makes it all the more special. One of those “Full circle” moments in life, I guess!
At the moment, there’s no agent on the scene. I very much just look after myself professionally. I’m lucky to have quite a strong group of mentors who either are or have been in the industry to turn to when I need advice in any way. I certainly do see myself trying to move abroad, partly because I would love to spend time actually living in a non-English speaking country, and there are of course a vast amount of opportunities in Europe. But, you’re correct that Brexit makes this a lot harder for us Brits. Not impossible though!
BBS: Finally, what do you do in your spare time? The life of a singer is often lonely, especially on the concert circuit, and you are often left for days on end in places you don’t know, and with no one to talk to. Do you have a main accompanist? Do you have other interests. I was lucky that, having graduated from St Andrews in French and Mediaeval History, my education allowed me to have non-musical interests in the many places I sang, and I could often be found in museums, galleries and cathedrals in my spare time. Do you take an interest in politics? With the General Election having taken place on 4th July, we have a fascinating period coming up.
MW: It certainly can be tricky. I do love travelling, so any time I get to spend in a new place I will always try and find something fun to do. I’m a big food lover so it’s always a good game trying to track down the best restaurants in a new city!
It’s true that it can be very lonely, especially on the concert scene when you’re not so much a member of a “company” in the way you are in an opera production. I love cinema and have been a regular film goer since I was a kid, so I’ve come to find a certain refuge in film theatres. I do also have a strong love of Jazz. My grandfather was a professional Jazzer and it was always a presence in my upbringing, and I take a lot of inspiration from Jazz artists in my own music making. I will also confess to having spent a fair few nights in Ronnie Scott’s!
I’m also incredibly lucky to have a decent circle of people that I’m always in contact with. It really helps to have people you can share your adventures with and also to have someone on the end of the phone for whatever issues that might come up.
I don’t have a huge amount to say politically. From my point of view, the best thing we can do as artists is provide the highest quality of music we can, without making it complicated or exclusive in anyway. I think we have a lot of people in the UK who feel they can’t come to concerts or the opera because it’s too complicated or difficult to understand. I think we have a job to be as open and welcoming as we can without compromising the art form itself. This way we can show people it can be enjoyed just as much and as easily as TV, Cinema and every other mainstream art/entertainment.
BBS: Thanks very much, Magnus, for a fascinating interview, and we at EMR wish you all the best for your career.
