From the Lebrecht Album of the Week:

…This is what makes Shai Wosner’s new release so frustrating. A fabulous pianist, incapable of touching an ugly note, Wosner interleaves miniatures of Schubert with matching — at times, surprising — snips by Dvorak, Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, Gershwin and Charles Ives. I enjoyed the record first time round. I revelled in the connections, especially Ives, on second hearing. But now I am poleaxed by the question of where to put this record once it leaves my desk.

Seriously, it’s a problem. How will I ever find ‘Impromptu’ again when I need it to compare with some other release? If you have a solution, do let me know….

Full review here.

And here.

And here.

I have written in today’s Spectator about the sufferings of Emil Gilels and other artists under Soviet rule:

Every musician had dealings with the ‘organs of state’ and we have no way of knowing which of them weakened and succumbed. What endures in my mind is this vision of a closed room in which members of a piano trio, a string quartet or a symphony orchestra would look around and wonder, which of my friends is about to betray me? That is the ultimate epitaph of Soviet culture.

Read the full article here.

The spate of cancellations continues at the Elbphilharmonie.

Thomas Hengelbrock has pulled out of two performances of Rhinegold (Marek Janowski steps in) and Christoph von Dohnanyi who has been poorly for much of this year has cancelled three concerts in May.  Hannu Lintu is his sub.

Serge Dorny, head of the Opéra de Lyon, has given account to France-Musique of his rather generous lifestyle.

He said he needs to travel widely to sell co-productions, a venture which he says has earned his company 600,000 Euros. He also needs to raise private donations, scoring well in Japan but failing in Dubai.

As for the luxury restaurant bills, ‘c’est une forme de coutume’ – it’s just business.

No mention is made of the pen he bought on expenses for 600 Euros.

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Norma Procter, in her home town Grimsby, at the age of 89.

After a 1948 debut in Messiah at Southwark Cathedral, Norma entered Kathleen Ferrier’s territory as an oratorio star. In 1958 Benjamin Britten picked her for the role Ferrier created in The Rape of Lucretia. In 1961, she sang her first opera at Covent Garden, Gluck’s Orfeo.

Through the 1950s she worked with great Mahler conductors – Bruno Walter, Jascha Horenstein, Rafael Kubelik and Leonard Bernstein – steadily recording almost all the alto roles that Mahler wrote.

She made the first complete recording of Das Klagende Lied (with Heather Harper and the Concertgebouw, cond. Haitink) and sang lustrously in Kubelik’s Munich recording of the second symphony, as well as appearing in Bernstein’s LSO Mahler 8th, and in Kubelik’s. But her most celebrated recording – and justly so – was in the Nietzschean recitation in Mahler’s third symphony, in Horenstein’s indelible LSO performance.

A lady with no airs and graces and a wicked sense of humour, she returned to Grimsby on retirement and was said to be always elegantly dressed. She died in hospital on May 2 of the effects of Parkinson’s Disease. The funeral will be in Grimsby on May 19.

According to a decision by the International Federation of Musicians (FIM), it’s … Air Canada.

Here’s the announcement picture from the FIM’s fourth international orchestras conference in Montreal.

 

We have no idea how this decision was reached.

Maybe they were just being nice to the hosts.

Slipped Disc has received many complaints about Ar Canada, most recently this shocker.

Oh, and this.

Whatever Air Canada are, they are not cello friendly.

Or guitar, either.

From our weekly diarist, violinist Anthea Kreston

I am on the 29 bus on the way home from my first rehearsal with the Berlin Philharmonic.

I love the 29 – it cuts through Berlin from the funkiness of Kreutzberg, through the middle of town (Checkpoint Charlie), and onto Charlottenberg, with the glitter and glam of K-Damm and the Michael Kors and dogs wearing Chanel.  It is a double decker, and in this way, feels like a free sight-seeing tour through Berlin. I have my favorite seat – top front window. 

This week I was busy preparing my part for Heldenleben, on the viola. I wanted to arrive with the part well-in-hand so I could get maximum enjoyment from every part of this amazing experience. I had a “check-up” lesson with my brother-in-law, and I got the green light.  

I have been very nicely asked to refrain from comment about my time while in my seat at orchestra – and so I will talk a little about my preparation and about the most hilarious standpartner I have ever had. I will say, however, that I feel as if I have just taken a four-hour bath in the most glorious Bouillabaisse in the world. Each instrument, each section has a full-bodied character, and the broth – oh, the broth…….

In my mid-20’s I experienced my one-and-only injury which was caused by playing (the others were just silly knife slippages or random sports injuries).  I had been playing viola in the Avalon Quartet for 4 years, and in the mean time had met Jason and begun the Amelia Piano Trio. There was a sweet time when Quartet and Trio were both running with full pistons, which of course meant that I was doing double duty and playing two different instruments. My right forearm started to burn and have consistent pain.  I went to Dr. Alice Brandfonbrener, one of the foremost classical music doctors in the country (who happened also to be a family friend and neighbor from my childhood).  She asked me to bring my instruments. I played for her – and she said – “Anthea, there is nothing wrong with your position, but I have something to say to you that you won’t want to hear”.  I told her to go ahead. She said, “I have been watching you play since you were a little girl, and I know you love to play both instruments. But, you are on a collision course, and I must advise you, as your doctor, to pick one instrument over the other, and you and I both know that the instrument you have to give up is viola”.

Well, I certainly didn’t want to hear this. My whole personality is based on the word “yes”, and I knew I could do it. That day I began to experiment, knowing I had to try to find a solution. And, indeed I did – I continued in the quartet for another three years before committing to Trio full-time. And here is what my solution was. 

I made a mandatory down-time between instruments of four hours. And I couldn’t switch back the same day. This was an absolutely firm line – if I pushed it, my arm would react. But then, what to do if I ended the day on viola but had to practice violin for the next morning?  I made the mistake before of switching back – it didn’t work. So – I decided to practice all rep on the final instrument, no matter which instrument or what rep. So – I practiced violin parts on the viola, learned Bartok quartet viola parts on the violin. Then I would just switch back to the right instrument when the time came. 

Because the amount of playing I am doing these days is so intense, and because I am 20 years older, my arm is more fragile. Now I only play one instrument per day. So – that is how I learned Heldenleben this week. On the violin. Then, I switched to the viola permanently the night before the first rehearsal, and the violin will go dark for five days. I will practice my violin rep on the viola in the mean time. Strange, I know, but it works. It totally works. 

Funny Standpartner Story:

Dennis Kim was my standpartner at Curtis. He is from Toronto, and has a mischievous look about him, but only if certain people look at him – to most people he looks serious and well-intentioned. He plays it close to the vest, and he was quiet during rehearsals. At Curtis, at least when I was there, they would have two orchestra rehearsals per week with a full program, then have an open concert on Saturdays.  New rep every week. That is a pretty quick turn-around, and so everyone’s sightreading chops became honed quickly, because there was no other choice. To pick up a pencil during rehearsal was embarrassing – and let’s not even mention those poor unfortunate souls who would dare to bring their music home to practice. Oh my goodness. 

So – a couple of weeks into school, we are playing our Saturday concert, and a subito FF appears, and I go for it. But, I am the only one in the orchestra. Dennis doesn’t play the FF and doesn’t even look at me. Deadpan. Then I play a couple of really strange notes – again, Dennis seems to play the ones everyone else is playing. I am mortified. 

I take a close look at the part after orchestra, and notice that those markings are made in a very fine hand, to look just like printed markings, but done with a pencil. Dennis denies any wrong doing, and I notice he never takes the part home. The next week I am on guard to notice anything different in the part during the concert that wasn’t there in rehearsal. I catch a couple of things, but still lay down a couple of real dosies – surprise solos. He never really admitted any wrong-doing, and these “mystery marking” continued for my entire time as his standpartner – this was a crafty sly fellow with a big laugh and a twinkle in his eyes. 

He has gone on to be concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and now is concertmaster of Buffalo. I asked him the other day if I could talk about what a terrible standpartner he was on the Diary, and if I could use his name, and he said – “of course you have to use my name – I finally need credit!”.  Ha ha. Greetings Dennis! 

Owain Park, a British hopeful, signed this week to the Hazard Chase agency, which only represents male conductors. Look here.

In this day and age…

Here’s a rant on the subject.