Leonard Bernstein’s Candide opened on December 1, 1956 and the overture brought the house down.
ZealNYC have put together a pack of interviews with surviving participants, starting with Barbara Cook, who played the role of Cunegonde. She says:
I am extremely proud to have been part of the original cast of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. I have two distinct memories of opening night in New York, December 1, 1956 at the Martin Beck Theatre. First is that the overture stopped the show — people loved it, and to this day it’s one of the most frequently played pieces by symphony orchestras around the world. My second big memory from opening night was Lenny coming backstage to wish me luck. He was just about to leave when he added, “Oh yes, Maria Callas is out front.” I said, “Oh my God, I could have done without knowing that.” Lenny laughed and said “Don’t be ridiculous. She’d kill for your high E-Flats.”
The weekly tour-whirl diary of Anthea Kreston, American violinist in the Berlin-based Artemis Quartet:
As I wait for my train to Bremen, in the midst of a heavy 12 days of touring, I am reflecting on my transition into this new country, this new life, this new work. Now we have been here for 10 months, and what was once a constant feeling of bewilderment has transformed, in fits and starts, into a new sensation. Not comfort, not yet, butI feel my stride on these wide, cold sidewalks is longer, more confident, my shoulders sit back on the bone more, my head is up and I can take in the world, instead of it taking me in.
Our new repertoire is well-in-hand – I love our take on Haydn – strong, straight-forward, but with moments of surprising flexibility and fragility. Each member takes their place on the stage, four strong personalities, but eager to inspire one another, allow one another to take flight.
Our new series in Munich, in the glorious Prince Regent Theater (a 1,100 seat hall, with a wide generous arch of seats, delicately painted ceiling, and golden columns festooned with statuary) came off with a bang, with a full hall and great review. The following night, in Berlin, we were honored with the German Record Critics’ Award “Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik”, an award given solely by music critics, writers, editors and musicologists, which was delivered on-stage after intermission.
Following the concert (and champagne reception) I headed over to the Gendarmenmarkt, where old friends of mine from St Paul Chamber Orchestra had just finished a concert of their own, and who had already ordered a meal for me, waiting luke-warm on a plate amongst the laughter and camaraderie of this incredible group of musicians.
By the time I got home, my window of my brief Berlin stay had dwindled into a few short hours.I took the sleep that I could, woke early to repack and make breakfast for the family before heading to Frankfurt for the next leg of the tour. On my arrival at my hotel, I couldn’t help but laugh as I took off my “pair” of shoes – one boot and one sneaker. There went my dream of a little nap in the hotel, as I ran quickly to buy a pair of shoes which would get me through the next 4 days. I am not sure which is more disturbing (funny?) – what my state of mind must have been when I put them on, or the fact that it took me 6 hours to notice.
As I open to my place here, I have enjoyed reaching out and hearing of others’ transitions – whether new or old. In speaking with the inspiring and magical cellist Gary Hoffman, who is a colleague and master teacher at La Chapelle de Musique Reine Elizabeth in Brussels, I was struck by his beautiful reflections, which I will quote below.
“Hi Anthea,
I’ve been living In Paris for 26 years. I’m still Canadian/American but no doubt I see many things from a very different perspective after all this time in Europe. The transition from what it was to what it is now has happened very naturally. Of course music is based very much on what we know and feel and what we do. But after all this time, and it is something I repeat often to young musicians, my students and others, I’ve come to understand how much it has to do with what one is. And that has a great deal to do with what one has lived, the richness of personal experiences, of seeing the world in other ways, in short, the broadening of horizons and encompassing a larger scope of view. This probably more than anything has influenced my musical and, no doubt, personal development.”
Gary Hoffman
From an exclusive interview with Frances Wilson, who blogs as The Cross-Eyed Pianist:
What is your most memorable concert experience?
It actually took place after one of the very noisy successes. There was a reception and it turned out that the host, a very prominent and powerful person, had celebrated his birthday by participating in the organization of the event. The entire society of the city was in the concert hall and a good many very well known faces at the reception. There was also a piano in the room and all of a sudden someone pointed to the piano with an inviting gesture, where it became clear that I was expected to accompany the “Happy Birthday to you” tune. I was mortified as I realized that I had never played the tune. So I bravely stood up and said “I am sorry but I do not have this piece in my repertoire”. The host was elated as no one in the room could imagine that I actually did not know the music. Everyone thought that it was cute and witty and they all applauded again.
The full interview, which is published here today, coincides with the exclusive release of Pogorelich’s recording of two Beethoven Piano Sonatas on the IDAGIO streaming platform.
The new work, called It’s a Wonderful Life, is based on the deathless 1946 Frank Capra Christmas movie.
In an interview with Shawn E. Milnes, the composer reflects on Donald Trump’s recent presidential election victory:
‘It’s A Wonderful Life is a timeless story about community and the individual feeling like the outsider. You’ve made a huge difference by being in the community and participating and, yeah, it’s definitely a story of our time.
‘This feels like a very dark period. Nothing has changed outside. The sun is still shining and there’s still leaves and leaf blowers and there’s little kids running around. But it feels like something fundamentally shifted.
‘I’m figuring out how to move forward and channel the grief that I feel into something positive. Having this work at hand right now is the best thing possible. To be able to bury yourself in productive work with wonderful colleagues on a project that has a very important message: what more could you hope for?’
The music library of the late Dietfried Bernet, who died in 2011, has been donated to Bethlehem University by his widow, Johanna Bernet.
From the press release:
Mrs. Bernet shed light on the comparison her husband used to make between the situation in Vienna in the 1940s and the current situation in Palestine. He lived through the occupation in Vienna just like the students at Bethlehem University are living through the current occupation in Palestine. She believes that he would have been happy to know that his material has found a new home at Bethlehem University.
Former students and colleagues are sharing the sad news of the death of Donald Montanaro, a legendary teacher at the Curtis Institute from 1980 to his retirement two years ago.
Donald played in the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1957 to 2005.
A student of Daniel Bonade, the first clarinet teacher at Curtis, he represented a line of tradition that stretched back 90 years and more. His students occupy prncipal positions in many of the world’s premier ensembles.
Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, writes: ‘Deeply saddened by the passing of my dear teacher Donald Montanaro. You are a legend and I’m glad to have had the privilege to study with you. I don’t have enough words to talk about how much you taught me. We will all try to live up to and pass along the many gifts you gave us. Thank you.’
A fashion mag shoot with Cressida Pollock is going like wildfire around social media.
This waisted shirt dress retails at £295.
She wears trainers with it, apparently, ‘to navigate all those backstage stairs’.
Rudolf Buchbinder, who turns 70 today, is reckoned to have played the complete cycle of 32 Beethoven sonatas more than 50 times. In a flurry of Viennese press encomia for his birthday it is being recalled that Buchbinder caught the ear of the Austrian chancellor Julius Raab in 1957, when he was ten years old.
Bundeskanzler Raab found him a teacher and paid privately for his lessons. Buchbinder became the youngest student ever admitted to the Vienna Musikakademie.
Raab ruled Austria in a conservative-socialist coalition from 1953 to 1961. He is widely considered to be the most important founder of the post-war republic.
Fire drill at Croydon HQ this morning.
Or maybe fire sale.
LA Philharmonic associate concertmaster Nathan Cole has some cogent tips for those presenting themselves for audition.
Think about presentation, he advises. Make it easy on the committee. Look good, talk good, play good – in that order.
If you’ve ever suspected that audition winners have a psychological edge or secret weapon, then I’m here to tell you that you’re right. There is an edge. But it doesn’t need to remain a secret.
You already know that auditions are decided by committees. And committees are made up of irrational human beings just like us. Therefore, in order to maximize your chances at an audition, you must understand how committee members think and how to persuade them.
I’ve been on both sides of the screen enough times to know that perfection rarely persuades. What a committee craves is a player who makes their decision easy and enjoyable.
Do you want to be that player? Then study up on how people really make decisions.
The death is reported of Peter Borchardt, head of the Ulm theatre in the 1970s and of Berne in the following decade.
He founded the Berne Ensemble and worked often with the director Giancarlo del Monaco.
We hear that Gennady Rozhdestvensky pulled out on Monday at the Philharmonie de Paris a few minutes before the concert as due to begin. Apparently, he had seen a ticket from which his name was omitted.
The orchestra was fortunate that concertmaster Alexei Bruni was prepared to take over conducting the Scriabin concerto. Pletnev conducted the rest of the programme: Prokofiev’s classical symphony and Shostakovich 9th.
No review has yet appeared in French media. Our information is from a Russian source.
