Concertgebouw has new solo viola
NewsThe Latvian musician Santa Vižine has won the vacancy for Solo Viola at the Concertgebouworkest in Amsterdam.
The late Mariss Jansons would have been pleased.
Santa has been playing in the Concertgebouworkest since 2017. Before that she was principal viola of Gidon Kremer’s Kremerata Baltica.
Why would Jansons possibly care if his Principle Viola is a Latvian or not? Rehearsals wouldn’t be held in the Latvian language. Why the concerns about race and nationality at all?
Perhaps because I knew him. Latvians are always proud of each other’s achievements. We’re quite a small country and it simply makes us happy.
BTW, that’s PRINCIPAL.
Congratulation. That’s mean I suppose that sh’e’s coming after the great Ken Hakii who retired.
Larry, go put in your units.
Viola envy again, Fred?
Poor Fred. Doesn’t have a unit to put in.
“Santa has been laying in the Concertgebouw since 2017”. Fine, but does she play the viola there too? One of the nicest typos I’ve seen on this site, with a sly undertone of work or anti-woke.
A very lively person
https://www.facebook.com/Concertgebouworkest/videos/concertgebouworkest-violist-santa-vi%C5%BEine/2939179862969150/
Yes. I like the itws before the concerts of the RCO by Dominic Seldis.
Niice!! I recently was thinking have their pick a new 1st solo viola and well well well, they have! 😀 Congrats to Santa! I’m sure that she will be a fantastic new leader of the section – supported by 2nd solo viola Michael Gieler and 3rd solo viola Saeko Oguma. Worthy successor for Ken Hakii
We know what Norman meant, but isn’t it slightly odd to refer to the position of Solo Viola? Yes Santa will play the odd solo, but 99% of the time she will be leading her Viola Section, one of 8 or 10 violas all playing the same line.
In North America we say “principal;” in Europe they say “solo.” Not sure why; but since they are different, one of them must be wrong.
Congratulations to Santa! Amid all the mentions of her predecessor Ken Hakii, who was one of the longest serving fiddle players in the RCO, I do want to mention the wonderful philosopher-violist Matthias Maurer who used to be solo viola thru the Eighties, before Hakii succeeded him. You get to see Maurer and Hakii sitting side by side in most Haitink Mahler xmas videos.