Australian kid, 13, wins international contest
mainEdward Walton is the winner of the Piccolo Violino Magico for violinists aged 9 to 13.
He played the Mendelssohn concerto in the final at San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy.
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Hey Norman, you who’s so obsessed with equality of outcome between women and men musicians, how come you didn’t report on the upcoming ‘La Maestra’ International Conducting Competition in Paris?
I did.
Wow.
Outstanding!
Up bow AND down bow staccato in the Waxman. (Sigh.).
And there were other fine young talents in that competition.
But I do wonder about the swaying and gestures and head tossing and knee bends among violinists this young – have we gone past the era of some gentle and harmless copying of what was heard on recordings to not-so-subtle copying of what is seen on YouTube videos? Particularly those high-view-count videos by artists I sometimes would not suggest as first choices as role models. They’d benefit from watching Zino Francescatti or Leonid Kogan or Erica Morini vids instead, but they’ve likely never heard of those folks.
But there is no arguing with the talent on display by Edward Walton and the other competitors.
Or Mr. Heifetz who once said to a ‘swayer’, “do you want to be a violinist or a dancer!”
A good point well made.
He seems to have much dexterity and in this work it is all that is needed to succeed. It
is a brainless work but then contestants are not
on display because of their profound musical
knowledge, but in the novelty of their physical ability in mastering to a high degree these ridiculous works.It is all adult vanity under the
guise of serving the art form .
I wonder why such great artists as Heifetz, Kogan, and Stern bothered to record this “brainless work”. Perhaps they saw something in it that you can’t see?
What they saw was their audience…….
Just remember that the Waxman was written for Heifetz.
It is hardly “brainless” to write for the violin so knowingly as Waxman did, outdoing the Sarasate Carmen Fantasy in difficulty in many portions. While this version was done for Heifetz, the core of the piece was written for the film Humoresque, and Isaac Stern recorded the many violin solos from that film. I seem to recall reading that Leonid Kogan had to transcribe the violin part “by ear” from the Heifetz recording, and Joseph Silverstein had to do the same thing as the sheet music was not available for a time.
Particularly not brainless was Waxman’s decision to include, as Sarasate did not, a setting of the aria, En vain pour éviter — to me the emotional highlight of the opera – and to set it “straight” by which I mean no virtuoso additions, just glorious song in the perfect range for the fiddle. There was brain activity going on to be sure.
I’d stop sucking lemons if I were you.
Mendelssohn at 2:08:00, after Mozart.
Doesn’t look much like a baby goat to me …