Sad news: Barenboim’s concertmaster has died

Re: Sharon Says

As an experienced Concertmaster of several American Orchestra’s, Sharon’s
musings regarding what the Concertmaster’s job is — writing, “it seems … a lot
like that of a ward nurse — a lot of responsibility and very little real authority”, need some answers from a professional violinist ~

What isn’t seen by the public re a Concertmaster’s job is a litany of musical – technical astute judgements which are revealed in all orchestral bowing’s to
the symphonic literature spanning Centuries of varying musical style’s, ease of
navigation depending on the ‘level’ of the given orchestra’s preparing bowing’s with fused phrasing of Wind & Brass ‘in sync’, not mentioning sitting in what is termed in the profession as “The Hot Seat” – requiring a Concertmaster leading the full String section (Violin I, II, Viola, Violoncello & Basso) to suddenly depart
the role of Leader to the role of Concert Soloist, projecting one’s tone to the back seat of the house and has been said for nearly a Century, ‘Concertmaster’s must suddenly sound like Heifetz!’ & certainly in symphonic works as Scheherazade,
Capriccio Espagnole, & Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, Zarathustra, ‘Til Eulenspiegel & Plus!!

To be sure, one has huge responsibilities to perform Concertmaster solo’s of the works listed above which equal the demands in many major violin concerti, and often times on incredibly short notice! One’s ‘authority’ is forever being reviewed & reassessed by every string player in the string section, including one’s “Boss”, the General of the Army of the Orchestra! Any Concertmaster must continually prove his/her prowess as a Leader & Soloist on an on going basis. As is said, ‘you are only as good as your last performance!”

Colleagues (even friendly one’s) have short memories! Great Concertmaster’s are now more of an endangered species due to the changing face of What is the role of the Orchestra & its relevance in this Internet Instant Replay Era w/ newer technology now capable of reproducing sounds of great violinist’s by clicking on a few buttons ~

Scary though it may be, this is a coming reality which will challenge the Greatest Violinist’s going far forward into this Twenty First Century, not to mention the fate
of The Major (or Any) Symphony Orchestra … (How do I know this? A smartplus guy in Spain sent me his ‘new composition’ for Strings & extra instruments. Upon
hearing it, I replied to his request for my opinion. Firstly, I praised him greatly re his composition being American premiere worthy, saying ‘you’ll need incredibly
brilliant string players to match the astonishing strings on your recording! They’ll
have to be richly experienced artists in sync w/ such technical demands as your
string magician’s on this recording!!’ (Please bare in mind, I’m a pupil of Heifetz & Nathan Milstein, having heard & been ‘bred’ as a concert artist w/ standards of beyond highest order!) He emailed me at once w/more than Thank You’s, then it
became shockingly clear Why the playing was so astonishing as he ‘confessed’ to “not being a musician, but a computer technology expert who used every skill
I have to make this piece sound like Live string players, but the computer played this piece!” If this is an indication of the future of Music & musical composition, it
suggests human geniuses Schoenberg, Berg, Bartok, Prokofiev & Brahms may become future relic’s of past Culture’s, as archeological ancient finds are notated
in our time …

Not wishing to upset music aficionados/ colleagues, we must guard & value our
Culture of Now, passing on all we know to prepare younger generations of string
players to be irreplaceable!!!

Apologies for going on a bit, but these thoughts have been wondered about in my mind for quite awhile and, no doubt, in more brilliant minds of other’s ~

Thank you, Sharon, for your musings which led to all expressed above …

With very best greetings from America

Elisabeth Matesky