'Aikido is not about performance, but about what it does to you' 

Chief conductor Anja Bihlmaier in conversation with Aikido sensei Francisca van Leeuwen.

Listening to Bruckner's Ninth Symphony takes time, attention and patience. The effort makes you lose yourself in it. So does practicing aikido. The Japanese martial art and its philosophy have influenced Francisca van Leeuwen's life for decades. Leading up to our Bruckner concert, conductor Anja Bihlmaier speaks to the aikido-sensei in her Japanese-style dojo in The Hague.

Aikido is inspired by techniques from other Japanese martial arts, but has a stronger philosophical slant. The word means: the path of harmonious spirit and life energy. The now 83-year-old Francisca came into contact with it when she was 43, through her mother's new boyfriend, she tells Anja.

How exactly did you start with aikido?

'I quickly went from one to five training sessions a week. You become the teacher's helper and automatically get a lot of chores, like cleaning the toilets. That humility is typically Japanese and seeps into your attitude. I think that's a good lesson. Aikido is not about performing, but about what it does to you. There is a certain development in that aikido brings you closer to the 'ki': the cosmic energy. You probably use that in your work as a conductor. Ki is about breathing and direction.'

We do a lot of breathing in rehearsals, including setting the tempo.

'In aikido, you also move on your breath, for example, to lift someone up. When you breathe in, you absorb the energy of the cosmos. With the exhalation you give it back. You do the same when you point to something, or signal someone. If you pay attention, you notice that the ki-energy does not stop at your body. It continues in the direction you point or move.'

The Bruckner Symphony is composed with a lot of energy. You have to release that with the orchestra. If you are too preoccupied with your own ideas it doesn't work, you are not sensitive enough. I can imagine that in aikido you also need a certain flexibility to respond to your partner.

'In aikido, you can't really be flexible until you're experienced. You start with so-called katas: mini-partitions with fixed forms, similar to scales. It takes a lot of practice to master them well. Just like musicians spend hours practicing on their instrument. First you work on your technique. When you master that, you get more freedom and can determine your own direction.'

How do you get so much discipline?

'The most important thing is not to compare yourself to others, but only to look at your own improvement. That is a liberation. You then recognize your own limits and become your own teacher. Talent also plays a part, of course. If you have no talent, fun and a click with your teacher are essential.'

Connection is important in all of life, I think. I don't see myself as an artist, but I do bring people together. In order to take the audience into the secret of music. The moments when that succeeds are priceless.

'I also call that a divine feeling, you are then completely in a flow. That requires complete surrender. In our classes we achieve that by first taking a bow. That already makes you calmer. We ask the students not to talk. Because by being silent, you strengthen your senses. You see and hear more. After all, in martial arts you have to watch your surroundings and be alert. I think this is also similar to conducting: you listen to the whole, not to notice a danger in time, but to get all the musicians in tune.'

In this age of always being online and accessible, that's hard for many people, just to listen.

'Oh, that's a disease. Students are not allowed to look at their phones here. And if something doesn't work out, you just try again. That's our guiding principle. It requires supreme concentration, focus and therefore discipline. That effort and challenge is what makes it fun and sets development in motion.'

Interview - Sobriquet

Join us March 19 at MasterClassics with Bruckner 9