When my quartet played last season in Houston, I got in touch with a couple of my favorite old chamber music teachers who teach at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice – Norman Fischer from Tanglewood Quartet Program, and James Dunham of the Cleveland Quartet. There is something about chamber music, and that kind of deep, slow work, and the relationships you form with those teachers, which gives a foundation for a life-time friendship.
When I got to Houston, Norman folded me into a huge bear hug – it was as if we had just seen each other the day before. While deep and heavy into my preparation of the Bartok 4th string quartet this week, I was swarmed with memories of my 16-year-old self. We, the 12 high-school students at the Tanglewood Advanced Quartet Program, were selected by live auditions held in major cities in the States. 6 weeks, 3 groups, 2 works each. Amongst us would be, in the future, 3 Curtis alumna, several Juilliard grads, and members of the Avalon, Cassatt and Miro quartets. Norman was a caring and exacting teacher, and created in us all a never-ending love of the work and satisfaction of the string quartet.
Dear Norman,
Hope all is well! I have been spending a lot of time with Bartók 4 recently, getting ready for the next tours. I remember working with you on this at Tanglewood when I was 16 – those memories of the piece are so embedded in my fingers and brain. I know I was too young and immature to be able to play that piece then, but the work you did with us was so thoughtful, organic, and true – it is carrying over incredibly well right now. I did also play this on viola with the Avalon quartet, very intensely with Vermeer and some Cleveland guys, but it is always that first summer that comes back.
I was thinking about writing about this a bit, then I became more curious about your teaching approach and methods. How did you figure out how to teach a piece like this to a bunch of 16 year olds? What is your prep like? You had us singing combined rhythms. Things like this. I don’t even have to look at my part – I just sing along and play – it is quite amazing.
Do you have time this week or next to jot down some answers or ideas? I would love it!!!
All my best to you,
Anthea
Dear Anthea,
This is fun. In the summer of 1970, I was in a student string quartet program in San Francisco run at the Conservatory by the members of the Lenox Quartet. In my quartet was Andrew Jennings, violin 1, Sherry Kloss, violin 2 and Irene Breslaw, viola. We decided to learn Bartok 4, so I went down to the music store and bought two miniature scores (this is before photocopying was possible on chemically-untreated paper), figured out the page turns, cut them up and pasted onto art book paper. I still have the score I used. We learned most of the difficult rhythmic things by singing through first and working out the tricky parts. This was a technique that I learned from my cello teacher at Oberlin (Richard Kapuscinski) when he coached my quartet learning Milton Babbitt’s Second Quartet for a concert my freshman year in 1968 (in that quartet were members Ronald Copes, violin 1, Muriel Moebius, violin 2 and Nancy Ellis viola). Back in San Francisco, we rehearsed a lot more than the other quartets and I remember playing the performance at the Legion of Honor. In the front row was an elderly man who was intensely watching and listening as we played. When we finished the scurrying second movement, he shouted out a lusty, BRAVO! I nearly fell out of my chair. Afterwards we were introduced to Germain Prévost who had premiered the work as a member of the Pro Arte Quartet.
Skip ahead to Tanglewood and your quartet. I could tell that the four of you were a good match for each other and that you all had technical skill and imagination to boot. The Bartok 4 would be an ambitious but possible project. Remember that you were coached every day and that you played your work-in-progress for master classes three times a week for commentary by the other quartets. So there was a lot of attention. Of course, there was singing to work out the rhythm and ensemble issues. However, what I remember most was that when the second movement came up, I wouldn’t let you play it together unless you could sing it flawlessly from beginning to end. In order to keep the pulse, I had you walk in time and sing your parts off a score (as I remember it was 2 in front and 2 right behind, marching forward). After two day of this, the next morning you sat down and played from beginning to end without a problem. I almost burst into tears I was so proud of you!! By the performance it was really comfortable and you were just making music and not worried about anyone falling off the wagon.
At the core, one needs to know what every voice is doing in order to channel the entire score in performance. Combinatorial rhythms and feeling the full inner momentum of the phrase in its primal way is essential.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions….
Sending my best to you all,
Norman
Next week in Manchester, Omer Meir Wellber will be the conductor, Fatma Said the soloist.
Anna Netrebko had not sung Aida since her role debut at the 2017 Salzburg Festival, but judging from her exciting performance here, she could hardly wait to return to the role. It’s as if pent-up urgency found release in a portrayal that is sumptuously intoned, viscerally charged and consummate in musicality. Netrebko’s voice has attained a heft and an ever-so-slightly darker hue that make her unrivalled in Verdi’s classic dramatic roles. She meets squarely every challenge of Aida, not least that of producing a glorious high C in the aria “O patria mia”. And if her portrayal of the Ethiopian princess has gained a new dimension, it is the fevered intensity she brings to confrontational scenes (more here).
… the Russian soprano has rarely sounded better than in the title role of Aida on Wednesday night. There was no trace of the slight wobble that has occasionally crept into her singing. In this performance she showed an unusual focus along with the tremendous vocal power and passionate conviction that are her hallmarks as a performer.
“Ritorna vincitor” was an arresting moment early on, as she threw herself into the scene with abandon. Both here and in “O patria mia,” she showed her gift for playing in the grand style, making a convincing portrait out of the sort of wide gestures that from other singers can come across as over-the-top mugging (more here).
UPDATE: A crtical self-parody in the NY Times:
At this stage of her career, Ms. Netrebko’s voice abounds in richness, depth and dusky colorings. Yet there are still elements of the bloom and sweetness from her days as a lyric. In climactic outbursts, when she summoned all her smoldering power, Ms. Netrebko sent phrases slicing through the brassy orchestra and into the house. Yet in plaintive passages, the melting warmth of her tone and the supple way she shaped long lines held you in thrall.
Kerem Hasan, winner of the 2017 the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award, has been named chief conductor of the Tiroler Symphonieorchester Innsbruck, starting a year from now.
A protégé of Bernard Haitink, Kerem has conducted the Concertgebouw in Mahler 9 and is among the conductors who are standing in this season for the sacked music director Daniele Gatti.
The deal was sealed by Enrico Fischer at KDSchmid.
The Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has posted a picture of himself thanking Pierre Audi for 30 years of running Dutch National Opera.
Really nice.
Na 30 jaar neemt Pierre Audi afscheid als directeur van De Nationale Opera die onder zijn leiding uitgroeide tot een van de toonaangevende operahuizen in de wereld. Vandaag heb ik hem bedankt voor zijn grote verdiensten voor de ontwikkeling van de opera en het muziektheater. pic.twitter.com/5rkmTGTAaJ
Translation: After 30 years, Pierre Audi has retired as director of De Nationale Opera, which under his leadership has grown into one of the leading opera houses in the world. Today I thanked him for his great achievements for the development of the opera and the music theater.
Pentatone have signed Anna Lucia Richter, one of the most versatile German soprano recitalists.
Anyone recognise the arrangement?
The peeps in the line are waiting for a free rehearsal to begin.
Kristin Schuster, former Senior Vice President at IMG Artists, has joined CCM Classic Concerts Management in Turkheim, Germany.
She brings with her for worldwide management the pianist Igor Levit and conductor Antonello Manacorda.
Funny, you hardly ever hear of agents leaving somewhere else to join IMG. Any idea why?
CCM, a boutique management, has Diana Damrau, Philippe Herreweghe and Krzysztof Penderecki on its books.
Berlioz’s Les Troyens, which opens on Sunday, 14 October, marks the first time Joyce Didonato appears in a new production at the Vienna State Opera. In fact, she has only ever sung there twice before – as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia in 2009 and at a solo recital in 2016.
Les Troyens has not been staged at the Staatsoper since 1981.
Joyce sings Dido. Brandon Jovanovich is Enée. Cassandra is played by Anna Caterina Antonacci.
Sir David MacVicar directs (in a co-pro with Covent Garden), Alain Altinoglu conducts.
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has namedNikolaj Henriques as section leader bassoon.
He has been second bassoon with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra since 2016. He has also played with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. He moves to Brum in January.
Will such moves be possible post-Brexit?
Simon Rattle met Betsy Jolas at a dinner party, not knowing her music at all.
A trawl on Youtube led him to commission A Little Summer Suite, which the LSO will premiere in February.
It’s a busy season for Betsy. Side Roads by Betsy Jolas is coming soon with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Gérard Karsten on 18th October in Örebro.
The artistic director of the Jena Philharmonic, Juliane Wandel, has gone.
The orchestra says it is of her own volition, and both sides have committed to non-disclosure.
Wandel is Jena’s third orchestra chief this decade.
