Quantcast
Channel: Violinist.com
Viewing all 3122 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Big Gig Books for Violin and Viola Duet Combos, by Slapin-Solomon Duo

September 21, 2017, 1:35 pm
$
0
0
By Scott Slapin: It's nice to have a quartet gig, but sometimes violinists or violists are hired to play a wedding or other gig as just a duet. So what are you going to play, with no cellist? Or what can you play, if you are supposed to play quartets but your cellist is late? Presenting the Slapin-Solomon Duo's Big Gig Books, scored for various duet combinations of violin and viola, including two violins; or two violas; or violin-viola. Most gig music is pretty standard, and it was our goal to make duo arrangements of the absolutely most requested, most standard classical music to make this book as useful as possible. Often the goal with quartet and trio music for weddings is to have it be as simple (and therefore sight-readable) as possible. Who knows who might be called to fill in at the last minute? However, outside of the late-cellist scenario, we assumed that duos would have a more fixed personnel performing, so we felt freer to use more double-stops than is customary in order to make the arrangements sound as full as possible. Even though the cellist might not be there, we didn't want anyone in the audience to notice! There are more than thirty-five tunes in each book, and there are three separate versions: one for viola duo, one for violin duo, and one for violin/viola duo. The different books are not simple transpositions from one another; we redid each book independently in order to maximize the effectiveness of the arrangements for that particular combination. This also wasn't an exercise in fidelity to the original (which would have been much easier); we used every trick we could to adapt the music to be as idiomatic for the instruments involved as possible. To give you a sense of what they sound like, Tanya Solomon and I played through each piece -- some in the two-viola version, some in the two-violin version, and some in the violin-viola version -- in the YouTube video below. So whether your cellist is just late or you want to play gigs entirely as a duo, we hope you like our arrangements and that some might be of use! Best, The Slapin-Solomon Viola Duo (in this case also playing violins!) Music available from Violacentric Publications, click here for the music. You might also like:
↧
Search

How to Simplify the Mechanics of Violin-Playing

September 22, 2017, 9:18 am
$
0
0
By Paul Stein: One thing musicians share with athletes is the desire to eliminate tension. The first time a string player holds the bow, he or she is told to not squeeze the stick. At the same time, the student is asked to play loudly and with power. It’s not easy to do one without the other. A boxer is told to relax his wrist when he’s connecting with the opponent’s face. (Not the usual jargon boxers use, but I think it’s more appropriate for a violin blog.) A rock climber is told to relax his ankles while he or she is hanging upside down from Half Dome. And don’t forget to breathe. To begin the work of letting go of tension, the one prerequisite is that you accept and cherish the over-all uniqueness of your bow arm. Don’t obsess about relaxation, when there are bigger fish to fry. Violinists can alleviate the problems of stress and using unnecessary muscles without changing their entire method of holding the bow. The first step is to quit thinking about what you’re supposed to do with the bow and go directly to producing the sound that matches what you hear in your inner ear. The second is to recognize the advantage of changing the internal feel of the hand and working on the subtle manipulations that work beautifully with the bow’s properties and possibilities. The outer look is less important. No two accomplished violinists look the same, but all share the supple feeling that takes place within the bow hand, wrist and fingers. A simple way to take your mind off of how your bow hold looks is to think of the bow arm as a conveyor belt. Imagine the people mover at the airport, with no mechanical bells and whistles in sight. The bow glides over the strings, string crossings are maneuvered without crashing, and, as your bow changes direction, you concentrate on the string vibrating before and after. Give the arm simple instructions, and remind yourself how the bow hairs and the strings work together. Imagine in a carefree way, as if it were an afterthought, the way you hold the bow. Not as simple as it sounds. Creating your technique from the inside out is harder than the opposite. You have to deal with the obstacles as they arise. But here’s the positive side: the solutions are coming from you, not a teacher. There’s going to be tension, doubts and negativity -- all human responses. Do everything you can to realize the potential sound; sort out the method afterwards. We’ve all seen many a beautiful-looking technique, but listening to it is another story. A well-structured left hand doesn’t mean it plays in tune, for example. The detail work of knowing distances and structuring the fingerboard in a matrix type of design insures good intonation. Mentally Removing Knots Let’s say your bow hold is good but full of pressures, dents, and skewed balances. Start taking them away, one at a time. Mentally focus on the specific area and culprit (for example, thumb pressing too hard upwards against the stick.) Tell yourself to stop pressing. Then go one step further, and tell yourself again. Set up a continuum of thoughtful reminders. You can vary the amount of adjustment until the moment when you realize you’re not pressing at all. The pain is gone, but the energy is still there! The bad news is that once the pressure and pain are gone, there’s a possibility that the memory of the pain will linger. Evolving violinists can experience phantom limb syndrome in which the patient still feels the limb even after it has been amputated. The good news is that the violinist will be more careful about starting a new bad habit. Rube Goldberg There was a cartoonist named Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg (1883-1770) who was known for depicting complicated gadgets that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways, giving rise to the term “Rube Goldberg machines.”
Rube Goldberg-Violinist.com machine
If Rube Goldberg Played the Violin
This picture of good outcomes and great products built on an odd foundation resonates with me. No one wants effective and visually satisfying technique more than a violinist. However, only working on technique, or worse yet, changing it because a teacher asks the student to, prevents the student from finding a more direct access to the music. Let the music guide the mind, and subsequently the technique will reveal itself. Even in orchestras, whose practices have been refined by incredibly talented performers and conductors to transcend problems, there are plenty of Rube Goldberg possibilities. I made some regrettable mistakes my first week as principal second violinist of the Denver Symphony, now known as the Colorado Symphony. I got into an argument/fight with the concertmaster (Hi, Jesse!). I also turned around and told my section that, in Rimsky Korsakov’s Capricio Espagnole, it was OK to play on the D string a passage that every orchestra (including All State Orchestras) for the last 130 years has played on the G string. (You’re welcome!) In true Rube Goldberg form, no artistic endeavor is free of those traditional practices and rituals that can make the job more complex, rather than helping the music.
↧
↧

The Week in Reviews, Op. 199: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Hilary Hahn, Daniel Hope

September 25, 2017, 10:28 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world. Anne-Sophie Mutter performed the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony.
  • Chicago Sun-Times: "...she delivered a comfortably elegant interpretation with every detail immaculately in its place and a warm, silken tone that was ceaselessly ingratiating."
  • Chicago Tribune: "Her glamorous presence, typically swathed in a stunning, skin-tight, red-and-black gown, presaged the strong roster of guest artists and conductors promised in the 127th season."
  • Chicago Classical Review: "Mutter’s sound was remarkably chameleonic, shifting colors with each new melodic gesture, change in tempo, or adjustment in orchestral texture. Her refusal to submit to a predictable interpretive routine was as bracing as it was unsettling, providing interest to each bar of music, but sometimes making connections in the sprawling score difficult for the listener to trace."
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Anne-Sophie Mutter. Photo by Monika Höfler.
Anne-Sophie Mutter performed Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 with the Chicago Symphony.
  • Chicago Tribune: "Those listeners who favor a more straightforward, more classical view of this sunny music, as I do, went home disappointed. To my ears, Mutter’s penchant for extreme contrasts of dynamics, tone and speed sounded anachronistic and crossed the line from expressive refinement to mannerism."
Hilary Hahn performed the Dvorák with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
  • The Dallas Morning News: "Hilary Hahn...supplied her own big, bold sound; technical wizardry, including laser-pinpointed pitches on high; and suave expression."
Daniel Hope premiered the Alan Fletcher Violin Concerto with the New Century Chamber Orchestra.
  • San Francisco Chronicle: "Fletcher’s ingratiating three-movement concerto, written for Hope, is built largely on water imagery — lapping waves, little repetitive swirls of melody, and an overall sense of restless fluidity."
Christian Tetzlaff performed the Brahms with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.Daishin Kashimoto performed the Mendelssohn with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.
  • The Straits Times: "The natural fluidity of his technique meant that all the solo's twists and turns were more than comfortably negotiated....There was some getting used to to his slightly acidic tone, but this did little to detract from the overall picture, which also drew vociferous applause."
Finally, it's not a violin performance, but a play somewhat inspired by Philippe Quint leaving his violin in an airport taxi has premiered Off Broadway.
  • The New York Times: "'The Violin' aims to be a meditation on lives good, bad and unlived, though its philosophy never convinces. The crime-caper setup has some of the savor of early David Mamet and much of the macho posturing. But Mr. McCormick’s plotting, with its florid back stories and unsurprising revelations, is ploddingly predictable....I would have preferred Mr. Quint’s cab-stand concert."
Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!
↧

On-the-Spot Film Scoring with the Digital Natives

September 27, 2017, 11:56 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: Last Sunday I found myself in a wonderfully creative environment with a team of eight high school students who were creating a film, in just 64 hours. Not just a film -- a musical! I was there to add some acoustic violin to the sound mix. Another reason I was there: the director of the team was my son, Brian Niles, a senior cinematic arts major at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. This was his fourth "64-Hour" film, so by now he understood how to assemble a team and how quickly they need to complete each task: write a script, write the songs, record the songs, cast the movie, find the locations, get the costumes and props, shoot the scenes, assemble the video and audio, edit, do special effects, colorize. It kind of blows my mind. They randomly drew their topic at 4 p.m. on Friday, from a list of completely zany "genres." This year, his team (the "Space Bandits") drew "Oregon Trail: the Video Game, the Film, the Musical." (A few of the other topics: Kanye Western; Apocalyptic TED Talk Film; 1980’s Japanese Theme Park Family Vacation Cult Film ...) This is the second time he has been on a team that has drawn a musical. As a mom, I was thinking, it's a good thing I made him take those 10 years of piano lessons and pushed him to sing in the chorus... But even better: this time they had a music major on their team - a composer and vocalist named Charlotte Mirkovich. By the time I reached their base camp (they'd brought their equipment and were staying all weekend at one student's house) it was Sunday. They were past the shooting and well into the editing phase. My son and some others were in one bedroom editing video, and Charlotte was in another, editing music. As I was unpacking my fiddle she said from the computer, "Let me just loop this, and see what you think would work." She made the loop, got it playing so I could listen and learn it, then left the room to consult about which mic would work best for the violin. She already had recorded the singers (she was one of them; fellow music student Sara Watson was the other), and I was listening to the completed vocal tracks, with temporary backup to show the harmonies. She was composing the music in Ableton Live 9, a software program that allows for a fairly improvisatory musical process but then provides a lot of finely detailed options for editing. She had written three songs (in one night!) for the musical, using her own voice and synthesized backup, so that the actors could listen and quickly learn and record their own parts. They recorded the vocals on Friday night then used those tracks for shooting the scenes the next day, so they could lip-sync the musical numbers. Everything about this very compressed process was practical, I mused, all focused on the end product. The irony of digital natives like my son and his friends is that their comfort and competence with technology actually allows them to get back to creating and composing in a very natural way: sing it, do it, record it. Fix it and do it again, until it's just right. I could see, just from the set-up, Charlotte was obviously very adept at this style of music-making. As I listened, I noodled around until I found the notes that worked. Then I simply played around, making up descants and other accompanying figures. Charlotte came back into the room and sat at the computer. Occasionally she would hook into a figure - "That -- I like that!" she said. "Can you do that, but change it just a little here..."
Charlotte and Laurie
Composer Charlotte and me, working on the score. Photo by Jack Fuetterer.
She would sing, and I would adjust. While I latching on to the harmonies and musical figures she'd written, she was also tuned into the words of the songs, so occasionally she wanted to do something to emphasize a word or turn of phrase, or to parallel the vocal line. She recorded our efforts on her phone, so we could recall those things we liked best when we wanted to record them for the soundtrack a few minutes later. Before recording, I told her that I'd like to tune my fiddle to match whatever pitch system the program was using (I'm usually around a 442, so I was sensing correctly that I needed to be little lower). Lo and behold, the computer had a built-in tuner, so I could tune every string straight into that pitch world. When we settled on what she liked, we recorded it, with a microphone that she held in her hand. I put on the headphones so that I could hear the other parts and play along. "Do you want the metronome?" she asked, as she could add in a click track to help me align with the beat. I found it helpful. With each take, my little sound wave created a new line in the editing page on the screen. We recorded each one several different ways, and she could use several or just one of the tracks. Then we moved on to the next phrase, recording each separately. This is nice when you're doing everything by ear, without writing anything down! The very last thing we invented was an introduction to the song. Somewhere in the middle of this process, I realized that I hadn't thought at all about what notes I was playing, what key we were in, or the time signature. I stopped for a second to compute that, and it was all very straightforward: 4/4, C major, normal harmonic changes. No matter, the point is that this was certainly a different process for a lifelong classical musician, accustomed to reading from sheet music! I realized that, with the education she was getting at their arts high school in theory and vocal arts, Charlotte would be well-versed in both strains of knowledge: the traditional as well as the technological. What a powerful combination. When we finished, she played back the entire song. Other members of the team wandered into the room and listened, "Oh that adds so much!" they said happily. They really seemed to like that acoustic touch. I was happy to that my 200-year-old violin retains its special ability to pull at the heartstrings, even in the digital age! * * * If you are in Los Angeles, I invite you to attend the 64-Hour Film Festival at 7 p.m. Oct. 6. and see all these crazy films. You can get tickets here and all proceeds benefit the LA County High School for the Arts.
Space Bandits
The Space Bandits, one of 15 cinematic arts teams who participated in the 64-Hour Film Festival. Photo illustration by Brian Niles.
You might also like:
↧

For the Record, Op. 30: Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends; Takàcs Quartet Dvorák

September 28, 2017, 11:34 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening!Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends: New WorldsBill Murray, actor and comedianJan Vogler, celloMira Wang, violinVanessa Perez, piano
Actor and comedian Bill Murray met German cellist Jan Vogler on a trans-Atlantic flight. The two struck up a friendship and soon had the idea to work together on a project: New Worlds. Murray sings and narrates, with songs by Foster, Gershwin, and Bernstein, as well as readings by Whitman, Hemingway, and Twain. They have taken their show on the road, as well, including an upcoming performance at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 16. BELOW: Excerpts from the show.
Dvorák: String Quartet Op. 105, String Quintet Op. 97Takàcs Quartet Edward Dusinberre, violin Károly Schranz, violin Geraldine Walther, viola András Fejér, cello Lawrence Power, viola
The University of Colorado Boulder-based Takács Quartet performs two chamber works by Dvorák. The group is joined by violist Lawrence Power for the "American" Quintet, Op. 97, which dates from Dvorák's sojourn in the New World. The album also includes Dvorák's String Quartet Op. 105, from his return to old-world Prague. BELOW: Excerpts from the album:
If you have a new recording you would like us to consider for inclusion in our Thursday "For the Record" feature, please e-mail Editor Laurie Niles. Be sure to include the name of your album, a link to it and a short description of what it includes.
↧
↧

V.com weekend vote: How much liberty should a soloist take in a well-known piece?

September 29, 2017, 10:50 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: How much is too much, when it comes to a soloist putting his or her personal stamp on a well-known favorite?
Beethoven is watching
This question came to me this week as I read the wildly differing yet passionate opinions inspired by a series of performances by Anne-Sophie Mutter with the Chicago Symphony. Mutter performed Mozart Concerto No. 5 for the orchestra's Gala Concert last Friday, followed the next night by the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto for its opening subscription series. While everyone acknowledged her technical skill and incredible presence as a performer, opinions ranged greatly over how much personal touch was there, and whether it was too little or too much. When it came to the Tchaikovsky, Sun-Times critic Kyle MacMillan found it "comfortably elegant" and wished for more "sparks of spontaneity" -- while Michael Cameron at the Chicago Classical Review called her approach "free-wheeling" and said that "her refusal to submit to a predictable interpretive routine was as bracing as it was unsettling." For John von Rhein at the Chicago Tribune, her Mozart 5 interpretation was so "overlaid with romanticized touches" that it "crossed the line from expressive refinement to mannerism." We like to think that we are open to an artist who "thinks outside the box," especially someone whose artistry we have trusted for many years, but are we? Speaking for myself, I have to say that sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not. For example, how about this notorious Mozart 3 cadenza by French violinist Gilles Apap, which pretty obviously leaves the classical genre and enters into whistling, country fiddle, jazz etc. Thrilling! Completely inappropriate! Which is it? To start the conversation, I wanted so see what people generally think about taking liberties in music such as the popular violin concertos, which are both well-known, frequently recorded and performed, and composed in detail. Is the highest aim to convey the composer's wishes? Or is it more interesting when the performer is expressing something through those ideas and finding their own take on them? Or is the score just a starting point? Please also add your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! You might also like:
↧

Review: Joshua Bell Performs Bernstein 'Serenade' with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

October 1, 2017, 1:32 pm
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: When I heard that violinist Joshua Bell would perform Saturday's season-opener with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra on Saturday I knew I wanted to go, without checking what he'd be playing. I assumed he'd play a well-worn violin work by Mozart, Lalo, Bruch, etc. When I realized he was playing the "Serenade (after Plato's Symposium)" by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), I no longer just wanted to see it -- I had to see it.
Joshua Bell, Leonard Bernstein
Joshua Bell; Leonard Bernstein.
The Bernstein "Serenade" is an extraordinary work -- arresting, relevant, and punch-it-out-of-the-park virtuosic. Somehow it manages moments both intimate and larger-than-life. Come to think of it, why hasn't this piece truly taken center-stage, in the universe of works for solo violin? My own theory: perhaps it has an identity crisis. The first time I encountered Bernstein's "Serenade," I immediately tripped over its name and "program." First, "Serenade" -- is this a violin concerto? Yes, it is. Second, do I need advanced coursework in Classical Greek history and philosophy to understand this piece? Program notes always dutifully describe its five movements as pertaining to a conversation between seven ancient Greeks who appear in Plato's Symposium: Phaedrus & Pausanias; Aristophanes; Eryximachusl; Agathon; Socrates & Alcibiades. The subject of their conversation is "in praise of love." Bernstein himself, while saying the piece had "no literal program," nonetheless wrote a detailed description based on the Symposium characters. I've always felt duty-bound to find -- and truly feel -- this connection. Yet I never have. Whatever Bernstein's inspiration, I simply find another piece in this utterly beautiful, meaningful, moving work that was written in 1954. I hear the ache of the 20th century in its harmonies. I hear the isolation and chill of the Cold War in its moments of stillness. I hear a harmonic kinship with contemporaries such as Shostakovich, who were shut off behind the Iron Curtain, yet I hear the joy and energy of the human spirit, skirting the extremes of pitch and volume as it breaks out in dance and exuberance. I hear the chaos and noise of the growing cities, even the march of modernism, in its angular rhythms. Love? Maybe. But as a distinctly 20th-century story -- not as a conversation between the ancients. Listening to Bell play this work with his 1713 "Huberman" Strad, backed up by LACO and guest conductor Jaime Martin on Saturday, I had another chance to search for meaning in the Serenade, and I still found myself immersed in its modern message. The piece begins with violin alone, a single voice tracing a kind of lament. In the hands of Bell, it was an unwavering voice, arresting yet vulnerable. That lament culminates in one of the highest notes possible on the violin - an A - then prances into a skittish dance, riddled with fast little leaps that made Bell dance a bit. Yes, Bell is a kinetic player, but even at his most physically emphatic, nothing harsh escapes his violin. (Note: Bell used the sheet music for this performance, though I never saw him look at it. Perhaps this piece is considered "chamber music," for which many feel proper protocol is to use the music.) Bell's singing double-stops and lyricism, over a mesmerizing orchestral line, had the audience in a state of exceptional quiet in the second movement. In the third movement, Bernstein creates an almost comical back-and-forth between the soloist and orchestra: several times the soloist rips off an impossibly fast and intricate lick, then the entire orchestra parrots it back. Bell and LACO executed this playfully, yet with the precision that made the joke work. The fourth movement pulses like a heartbeat, drawing on the aching motives of the first. With the violin riding high over this pattern, Bell brought it all to a single quiet yet full-bodied note. For all his movement, Bell is also a master of stillness. The orchestra grows enormously, then the soloist breaks into a cadenza of juicy double-stops. The last movement contains a duet between violin and cello (kudos to LACO Principal Cellist Andrew Shulman), then erupts into noise and anxiety, an out-of-control freight train, going 90 miles an hour, running through a landscape of constantly changing meters. For all that, it was a great ride with Bell and LACO. The audience gave him a standing ovation and three curtain calls; he did not give an encore. He did greet a long line of audience members during intermission. LACO's program also included Mozart's "The Abduction from the Seraglio," and in the second half, Brahms' Serenade No. 1 in D major, Op. 11.
Laurie Niles, Joshua Bell
V.com Editor Laurie Niles and violinist Joshua Bell, after his performance Saturday with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
* * * Bell and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra will play one more performance of this concert tonight at UCLA's Royce Hall, then at the end of October Bell will perform the Bernstein "Serenade" with the New York Philharmonic, as part of its series of Bernstein Centennial concerts this season.You might also like:
↧

The Week in Reviews, Op. 200: Joshua Bell; Pekka Kuusisto; Rachel Barton Pine

October 2, 2017, 9:28 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world. Welcome to the 200th edition of Violinist.com's "The Week in Reviews"!Joshua Bell performed Bernstein's Serenade with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
  • Violinist.com: "The piece begins with violin alone, a single voice tracing a kind of lament. In the hands of Bell, it was an unwavering voice, arresting yet vulnerable. "
  • LA Times: "Bell made a good, characterful Sony recording of the Serenade with David Zinman and the Philharmonia of London in 2001, one of the better versions issued since Bernstein’s death. At the Alex, though, some precious mannerisms crept into his interpretation, disrupting the line, and neither Bell nor Martín could quite get the jazzy swagger of the finale as well as Bell did in 2001. Yet Bell was at his formidable best in the tiny bustling scherzo, hitting the notes in an often barely audible whisper, and cutting loose in the finale’s rambunctious coda."
Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell.
Pekka Kuusisto performed the Bjarnason with the Philharmonia.
  • The Guardian: "It began with Kuusisto simultaneously whistling and plucking a melody, an idea taken up by the other violins. The music, highly detailed, lopes and swaggers with a wonky yet irresistible rhythmic pull, but there’s room too for passages of reflection, played by Kuusisto with achingly sweet tone."
  • The Arts Desk: "Daníel Bjarnason’s Violin Concerto, a rhythmic tour-de-force in total contrast, was obviously written for the idiosyncratic talent – close on genius – of Pekka Kuusisto (though you wouldn’t know it from a note which said absolutely nothing about the work itself)."
Rachel Barton Pine performed the Korngold with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra.
  • South Bend Tribune: "During the pre-concert talk, Pine spoke in terms of the work’s 'soaring melodies' and “schmaltzy slides,” and those were the kinds of passages where she seized her opportunities for deeply expressive playing."
Joshua Bell performed Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra.
  • Lincoln Journal Star: "Bell played from memory, exhibiting outstanding tonal projection and consummate communication with the musicians."
Alina Pogostkina performed the Berg with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
  • The Arts Desk: "Most violinists play it as a desperate struggle against death....For Alina Pogostkina, this was pure abstraction – not without emotion, but smilingly in focus throughout."[Listen to the performance, via the BBC]
Daniel Chong performed Bernstein's Serenade with the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra.
  • South Coast Today: "Chong blazed through some truly difficult music. He stood out especially in a challenging cadenza, set in the fourth movement. Barely a melody — all gesture, full of double-stops and challenging intervals — Chong carved it out of almost nothing, making complete sense of the thorny passage, and providing context to the audience."
Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!
↧
Search

'5 Minute Warm-up'

October 3, 2017, 7:42 am
$
0
0
By Drew Lecher: This video blog offers an example of a "5 Minute Warm-up" for when the time is very short or as an over-all warm-up before focusing on specific technical areas and repertoire. In covering the entire range of the fingerboard, challenges and difficulties in the repertoire are easily met. It is my hope this will encourage you to expand your own system of warm-up that will broaden the scope of your present pattern. Directed toward the advanced and professional player — there will be a follow-up example in the first 4 positions.
↧
↧

The Well Aging Fiddler: I’m about to hit 10,000!

October 4, 2017, 7:43 am
$
0
0
By Michael Kennedy: Last Saturday, we attended a concert by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in Vancouver, Washington. Anne Akiko Meyers, the international concert violinist, was the guest. During intermission I had a brief conversation with her. "I'm 68 years old. I started playing violin last May. " She looked surprised. "Really? That's amazing!"
fiddle
Indeed it is, because at some point this week, with my lessons and practice sessions, I will hit that enigmatic number - 10,000! 10,000! The Beatles hit 10,000! Bill Gates hit 10,000! Now I've hit 10,000! It's a magic number! Of course, I'm talking about 10,000 minutes of playing the violin, and not 10,000 hours. As far as hours go, I have 9866 left to get to where Gates and The Beatles were, but let’s not split hairs. Life is all about the small victories. So, it’s report card time. What have I learned? How am I doing on the violin? What have I learned in four and a half months? I can safely say I've progressed from being squeaky and terrible, to being somewhat iffy, and occasionally pleasing. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way. 1. Have fun. Don’t make practice a chore. After all, even though nobody else is in the room, it is still playing the violin. Look forward to it. It won’t be perfect, but so what? Make a plan, set a goal or two, and go for it. I’ve missed four days since I started last May, but all four were due to days traveling either on an airplane or a train. I’ve had days when I didn’t feel like practicing, but the way to get past that is to get started. Just do it. It’s like getting into a swimming pool. Don’t think about it too much. Just pick it up, tune it up, tighten the bow, and go for it. 2. Look forward to the next practice session. Here’s a little hint – Years ago, through a series of curious events, I found myself in a comedy show with two writers from Saturday Night Live. I asked them how they write on a daily basis. “One thing we do when we come to the end of a session is we leave a sketch unfinished. We just walk away. That way, when we come back the next day, we start up in the middle of something. It keeps the ideas flowing.” Try that when you practice. Don’t expect it to be perfect. Save some of it for the next day. 3. It’s not about the length of your practice it’s about the quality of practice. Violin is not my first instrument. I also play Bluegrass guitar, and a mandolin. I can honestly say I learned how to develop some really bad practice habits with those two instruments. I can play them, however it took a lot longer to learn how to play them than necessary. I didn’t really practice and dig into the music. I just played it over and over again. I assumed practice was all about playing through songs from beginning to end and to simply hope the hard parts would work themselves out. It took quite a while to realize the hard parts don’t do that. Focus on basics, scales, arpeggios, exercises, and physical technique. Isolate the difficult passages, admit you need to work on certain aspects of your playing, and don’t gloss over the parts you find challenging. Just dig in, and work hard. The only way to get good at something is to get good at it. 4. Take it slowly. This makes it all a lot easier. It clarifies, it cleans out the cobwebs, and it boosts your confidence. Nobody is going to see you go at that slow speed. Get it all down before turning on the gas. There is a reason most of us practice alone. We have the luxury of making mistakes. I do a lot of photography. I’ve had photos in exhibits, coffee shops, and so forth. Some people think I’m a good photographer. That’s great. What they don’t see are the thousands of awful photos I took to get those twelve good ones. So take your time, it’s not a race. 5. It’s a steep learning curve. It ain’t easy. You knew that going in. When you get frustrated, take a deep breath. Calm down. Do something else and then come back to whatever it was that frustrates you. 6. Don’t think too much. I took a short story writing seminar with a wonderful writer and teacher, Cecil Dawkins. Her mantra was wonderful and very useful. “Don’t think. Write.” Learn to let it all go. It will take time to pull everything together, but let it happen as it goes along. Don’t stress about it. Remember, this is supposed to be fun. Yes, I’ve had 10,000 minutes, but I’ve got a long way to go with all of this. I get tense in my left hand, my right thumb wants to get straight, my left elbow seems directionally challenged, and my pitch still needs some fine tuning to say the least. When I play, especially in front of my teacher, Mirabai Peart, I don’t think about the right things. I don’t think about the music. I think about what she is evaluating, what she is going to say, how she is going to respond to what I’m doing. I think about that right thumb. I think about springing my fingers off the fingerboard. I think about that left thumb being too rigid. Man, I need to let all that go. It’s getting in the way of the music. Want a good book to help with all of this? Read Zen in the Art of Archery by Eugen Herrigel. It’s the best book I’ve ever read about overcoming all that background noise in our minds. It’s also one of the best books I’ve read about the arts. Check it out. 7. Playing a violin is an excellent excuse for getting regular massages. Why not? You’re standing there for a long time, your arms are moving all over the place, and your holding something up to your face for at least a hour or two. Give yourself a break. Go get a 90-minute massage! Why not? Nobody said you have to suffer for your art all the time. 8. Maintain your health. Exercise and eat well. Do yoga, Pilates, lift weights, ride a bicycle, take walks, keep your body moving. Let’s be honest here. If you’re like me – over 65 – you know health is very important. Playing a violin – or any musical instrument – is going to be amazing for your mental health, but don’t’ let your physical health slide. 9. Don’t compare yourself with others. Let’s face it. The odds of becoming a concert violinist at this age are a bit thin. However, they were always thin even if you started at 3 years old. So let that go. Just get into it for the joy of playing. Let’s face it. People are simply impressed you picked up a fiddle in the first place! You’ve started out a winner right from the get go. So don’t look around and compare how you’re doing with everyone else. Some are better, indeed at this point a lot of people are better, and some aren’t where you are, but so what? 10. Say “Thank You” when people are encouraging I think Julia Child once said – and I’m paraphrasing – “When you serve a meal, and people complement it, don’t tell them what went wrong back in the kitchen. Don’t tell them you dropped the turkey on the floor, or put too much salt in something, or anything else. Just say, ‘thank you’ and smile.” She’s right. If you play something and you know you missed a note here or there, just chalk it up as experience. Be grateful they wanted to listen to what you played, and thank them for listening. 11. Don’t take yourself too seriously and maintain a sense of humor. Play as well as you can, don’t cheat on practice time, and smile at all of it. After all, it is really pretty nifty that you are playing! Who cares how old you are? 68? 38? 28? 58? You’re doing it, and that’s great. Remember, it’s called playing a violin – not working one. Lighten up. 12. Keep an open mind and listen to all types of music. My daughter took piano lessons from the age of 4 until she was around 13. She was, and is quite good. One afternoon she took in the sheet music to “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis. Her teacher was furious and refused to go over the music with her, saying it was beneath both of them. So my daughter quit. “I want to do this for fun, not for status.” I agreed with her. It’s about the music, not about THE music. Don’t lock yourself in. Duke Ellington said, “There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.” Wise words. I’m not a big fan of Rap, but now and then I’ll hear something and I’ll like it. Contemporary Country ain’t my thing, but sometimes I’ll hear something and enjoy it. I wish I knew more about jazz. Classical music is amazing. I don’t know much about pop music these days – I’m from the 60’s with Beatles, Stones, Dylan, Zappa, and The Kingsmen. Sinatra is wonderful. Middle Eastern music is delightful, Japanese music is hypnotizing, and on and on. Just listen to all of it. Then play whatever you like. So that’s my report card. In any case, when I hit 10,000 minutes later this week, I'm tossing caution to the winds. I'm going to open the windows!
↧

Interview: Discovering Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No. 1 with Anne Akiko Meyers

October 5, 2017, 8:17 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: Back in 2010, I had my 15 minutes with the 1741 'Vieuxtemps' del Gesù, the violin that is now in the hands of Anne Akiko Meyers, for lifetime use. At the time, the violin was for sale, and the price tag was $18 million. It was a beautiful specimen, but a tricky partner. I played some Bach on it, some slow things. The fiddle seemed completely unimpressed with my efforts, even a little unwilling to play along. "Go big or go home, Girl," it seemed to say. It had such a thick and rich sound, with so many overtones, and yet it seemed to yearn for something fast and showy, something with sparkle. That was my fleeting impression, but it was a strong one. When Anne gained possession of it, I wondered what she would play on this finicky violin, and how it would respond. I also wondered if it might take some time to find the perfect three-way match between its qualities as an instrument, her qualities as a player, and the qualities of a particular work. To be sure, an excellent player and an excellent violin are going to make beautiful music together, period. But I suspected certain pieces would draw out the character of that violin more than others. Karol Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No. 1, the centerpiece of her new album called Fantasia, seems to be a piece that ignites those qualities. The album also includes Einojuhani Rautavaara's "Fantasia" and Maurice Ravel's "Tzigane," all played with the Philharmonia Orchestra, with Kristjan Järvi conducting. I was sure I knew the Szymanowski, based on the usual calculus: familiar composer + violin concerto = I know this piece. But I didn't -- not at all! It's a swirly, atmospheric work that sounds part-Debussy, part-Stravinsky. What did Anne think of it? I spoke to her recently in Los Angeles, about this album, and this piece. "It is one of the most seductive pieces, with very technically challenging moments. The harmonies are unlike anything I've heard before," Anne said. "Szymanowski wrote it for Pawel Kochanski, who was one of the great violinists of the 20th century. He was a Polish violinist who also helped Prokofiev with his first violin concerto. He actually wrote the cadenza of the Szymanowski - an amazing cadenza towards the end of the piece - it's kind of on steroids! The character and mood is whimsical and fairy-like, with exotic, erotic melodies, in a very lush, deliciously romantic style - it is so rewarding to learn and perform. At the very ending there is a whistling effect, with harmonics: the fairy going off into the light."
Laurie Niles and Anne Akiko Meyers
V.com editor Laurie Niles and violinist Anne Akiko Meyers.
Between the key changes and the rhythmic changes, it's a serious technical challenge, and "the tempo is always vivace and more vivace... Vivacissimo!" she said. "There are also glorious moments, with everything so up-high on the E string, really singing. It also has a lot of challenging double-stops. There's a passage with a moving double-stop for several lines, that took forever to master!" And how did the Vieuxtemps respond? "That violin is just a dream to work with, and it just loves super-intense works: high notes, low notes, fast notes," she said. "It's such a powerful instrument that it can handle everything. And the riotous color comes through as well - it's all there." If you are interested in the sheet music for Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 1, Anne used the Universal Edition of the Szymanowski. The album's title refers to another piece on the album, "Fantasia," a violin work commissioned by Anne that was the last work written by Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara before his death in 2016. "There's always a great moment of happiness and empowerment when you finally do hear a piece that has been incubating," Anne said. "It's a child that comes into the world, and you're always hoping that that child is going to find its own identity. Hearing it for the first time was a moment I'll never forget, that's for sure." "This music is so emotional to me, and it's so beautiful and atmospheric, in its range of color," Anne said. "Performing it almost felt like an elegy, after (Rautavaara) had passed. This was the last of his masterpieces. There's definitely a parallel between some of his other works - the Cantus Arcticus, which is the concerto for birds and orchestra, and the Angel of Light Symphony. I heard those parallels when I originally read it, and I was elated beyond belief." The piece is already available through Boosey and Hawkes, with a piano reduction. "I made sure to get a piano reduction, I think that's really imperative with any new work, as part of the commission request from the start," Anne said. Anne was actually scheduled to play the Szymanowski first concerto in the Sept. 9 season-opener for the Puerto Rico Symphony. "I performed the Szymanowski Concerto in Warsaw, Poland, last year with Maximiano Valdés, who is the current music director of the Puerto Rico Symphony," Anne said. "After that performance, he immediately invited me to play in Puerto Rico - how exciting to open up their new season with something as varied as the Szymanowski!" Unfortunately Hurricane Irma was headed for the island, and the concert was cancelled. "Thankfully it skirted the island, but then right after that Maria came barreling up. It's left a devastated island." BELOW: Anne's performance of Szymanowski Concerto No.1 from Warsaw, Poland, with the Sinfonia Varsovia, conducted by Maximiano Valdes. The piece is featured in her new album, Fantasia.You might also like:
↧

For the Record, Op. 31: Anne Akiko Meyers; Rachel Podger; Noa Wildschut; Amadeus Quartet

October 5, 2017, 2:24 pm
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening!FantasiaAnne Akiko Meyers, violinPhilharmonia Orchestra; Kristjan Järvi conducting
This album is named for the last work by Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, "Fantasia," which was written for and commissioned by Anne Akiko Meyers, who premiered the work after his death in 2016. The album also includes Karol Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No. 1, and Ravel's virtuoso showpiece Tzigane. Read more in our interview with Anne Akiko Meyers BELOW: Listen to excerpts from the album.
Grandissima GravitaRachel Podger, violinBrecon Baroque
Violinist Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque perform works by Pisendel, Tartini, Veracini and Vivaldi that explore the sonata form for violin and continuo. BELOW: Gorgeous stuff, I. Andante cantabile, from Violin Sonata No. 5 in A Minor, by Giuseppe Tartini.
MozartNoa Wildschut, violin Netherlands Chamber Orchestra; Gordan Nikolic conducting
Dutch violinist Noa Wildschut, 16, presents Mozart's Concerto No. 5; Sonata K. 454; and Adagio K. 261 in her debut recording with Warner Classics. "Mozart’s music has such a feeling of purity,” said Wildschut, "and the Fifth Violin Concerto is so gorgeous. Of all his violin concertos, this is the one that contains the most humor. It’s almost like a kind of opera, with all those different characters, really, a story is being told.” Noa composed the cadenzas she plays in the concerto, with some help from Dutch composer Max Knigge. "Max came up with the concept, and I invented some things around it … it really became something by us together. It has been written in a way that does justice to Mozart, including lots of little jokes." This week also marks the release of a documentary called A Family Quartet, about Noa and her family, which will run in cinemas in Holland this fall, with a worldwide release planned for early 2018. BELOW: Wildschut plays excerpts from Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5:
Amadeus Quartet: Complete Recordings on Deutsche GrammophonAmadeus Quartet Norbert Brainin, violin Siegmund Nissel, violin Peter Schidlof, viola Martin Lovett, cello
Founded 70 years ago, The Amadeus Quartet was one of the most highly regarded quartets of the 20th century until it disbanded in 1987. Deutsche Grammophon presents a 70-CD box set with several unreleased recordings, and an expansive book with an introductory note by cellist Martin Lovett, the sole surviving member of the Amadeus Quartet. Their Decca and Westminster recordings are also included in this set. BELOW: Selections from the CD set.
You might also like:
↧

Warming Up, Going Back to Basics

October 5, 2017, 4:24 pm
$
0
0
By Clara Fuhrman: Happy Fall! Classes are steadily underway at the Conservatory, and this semester I’m in a wonderful string pedagogy seminar. Recently, we’ve had the opportunity to watch some expert violin teachers from around the Bay Area give lessons to little ones, and lecture us on how they begin their violin students, some as young as 2 or 3 years old, how they run their studios, handle parents, obtain students, etc. Each session is amazingly informative and helpful, especially since my primary goal is to be a teacher once I finish school.
autumn violin
These sample lessons and lectures have also inspired me to improve my own playing by going back to the absolute basics of playing the violin. These exercises that are taught in the beginning do so much good for our technique and sound! I’ve taken on so many new and fun warm-up ideas from these seminars on teaching beginners, and would love to share these new additions to my technical practice. I've included approximately how long to spend on each exercise. Posture and Bow (5 min): Before even making a sound on the instrument, I move around and find a good balance and core *(a good way to find solid core is to bend your knees, evenly distribute the weight on both feet, and find a solid posture that isn’t leaning too far back/forward…to test your posture, have a friend gently push you on your left shoulder, lower back, and scroll when your instrument is in playing position. If you don’t move either way, you have found a solid core). Once you’ve found a strong stance, make sure you bend your knees and move around as you like (sway from side to side, twist to stretch your back, shake out the hands, etc.) Then, still without the violin, I practice circle technique: drawing circles in the air with the tip of the bow, which simulates the motion of down-bow chords by using the whole arm and releasing the muscles in the back. I do about 30 circles, keeping my arm and shoulder as relaxed as possible; feel free to stop when your right arm gets tired! After I finish doing circles, I usually hold my bow vertically in front of me and double check my bow hold, lightly tapping each finger on the stick, making sure my fingers are relaxed and fluid. All of this is really great to do during your practice session every once in awhile as well, just to keep things relaxed and give your body a break! Violin Position and Open Strings (5 min): Now with the violin! A good way to start off with the strong core and relaxed right arm that you’ve just found is to start with long bows on open strings, inhaling and leaning slightly to the left on the up bow, and exhaling and leaning slightly to the right on the down bow. This was taught to me as a beginner group class technique during Twinkle variations, and I think it works just as well when playing long open strings and in order to focus on your breath and movement, something I’m consistently forgetting to take a second to do during a long practice session. Scales and Arpeggios (15-20 min): I usually try to do scales and arpeggios for a solid amount of time during the portion of practice I’ve set aside for my technique (depending on how much time I have to practice that day/how much repertoire I have to get through). I pick 2 or 3 keys and work through one, two, and three octave scales (sometimes with drone) in each key, using the Galamian acceleration pattern to start off slow and gradually gain speed in the left hand. I treat arpeggios the same way, focusing on light, relaxed shifts in the left hand *(a good way to practice relaxed shifts is to isolate the problematic shift, and slow it down, moving the finger ultra slowly and lightly so that you hear the harmonics on the string as you move toward the target note, then repeat several times). Etudes (10-15 min): I finish off my technique practice with a mix of études from the classic violin technique books that we all love so much. I’m always changing up the études I practice which I highly recommend for anyone, but I tend to favor those from Kreutzer, Dounis, and Sevcik, Op. 8. Kreutzer I use primarily for getting a strong, good sound and having an efficient right hand *(I’ve found études 2, 4, and 7 are great for this, among other things) and switch between practicing them in a slow rhythm/freely. Never forget to breathe and find your core! Dounis and Sevcik are great for several things as well; I mostly use them for shifting and just greater left hand dexterity. *(Make sure to take plenty of little breaks to avoid strain…especially when practicing Dounis!) Again, don’t forget to incorporate your breath and whole body into all of these exercises!! We study technique in order to improve the functionality and quality of our playing, but it’s equally as important, if not more so, to focus on releasing tension, finding our breath, and locating a powerful core. These are things that beginners are constantly being reminded of (or, at least, should be reminded of) and are what advanced players often forget from being under so much pressure and feeling that we must always sound good, all the time. This is a ridiculous standard! Sometimes, take a second and play really ugly on purpose in order to relax and find some movement and release on your instrument…without worrying about playing all the right notes all the time. Have fun while playing your instrument. Never forget the meaning behind music and the message you’re trying to convey. I guarantee you that things will improve from this mindfulness, and your desire to relax and have fun will enable you to successfully send your musical message to your audience. You might also like:
↧
↧

V.com weekend vote: What kind of shoulder rest works for you?

October 6, 2017, 9:22 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: Be wary of anyone who tells you the same thing works for everyone, when it comes to shoulder rests. Though there are some common principles when it comes to holding the violin and preventing injury, there are numerous solutions for the set-up that allows you do to so: the shoulder rest, chin rest, or the choice not to use one or both.
shoulder rests
Image by Violinist.com
Some people have broad shoulders, others more sloped. Some have long necks, or short, or in-between. Even the shape of your jaw and chin can make a difference, when it comes to holding the violin with ease and comfort. For some, the solution might be to have no shoulder rest at all. For those using a rest, there are many options, and it will likely take some experimentation to settle on the right one for you. Often the first option given to a student is some kind of foam cushion rest, as this tends to be the least expensive solution! A foam cushion rest can be cut from an old mattress pad, or one can buy something shaped especially for the violin such as the Acoustagrip, Komfort Kurve, Xeros and any number of other brands. More specialized are the clip-on rests such as a Kun, Wolf, Resonans or Viva. I've put "wooden" rests in another category, simply because they have such a different feel (and are considerably more expensive!); some of those include the Mach One, Kun Bravo, and Viva la Musica. Some swear by the "Playonair," which seems to be the only brand of air cushion shoulder rests. Which do you use? Please mark it off in our vote, and then share more specifics in the comments. You might also like:
↧

On Balance: Report from the Road

October 8, 2017, 11:05 am
$
0
0
By christian howes: Sitting in a cafe in Oslo during this 23-day tour of Europe, it hit me. I’m thinking about the balance between artistic goals and life goals, and how that balance is dependent on the need to pay rent. About things that change in us, and things that remain; priorities that do or don't shift as we grow. And how the things we want and enjoy sometimes cause us to suffer at least a little bit. unnamed (Rainy morning stroll in Oslo) Here's something that changed for me: At 25, I was preoccupied with making a career as an artist. At 45, being present for my family is way more important to me than being a successful musician. Here's something that's stayed the same: I still want to be a better musician, and I still want to travel the world sharing music. I'm practically obsessive about it, touring year-round via cars, trains, planes, buses, taxis, boats, bikes, whatever... Sleeping everywhere from 4-star hotels to couches and even in my car. It's crazy how transient, exciting, weird, scary, lonely, fulfilling, and miserable being on the road actually is. I love the road and I suffer on the road. I love/hate being out here, flying trapped in my traveling body. My family knows this. They understand it better than me. They miss me, but they appreciate that it's part of who I am, part of how I support them, and part of what makes us connect deeply when we're together. People ask me: "Do you like traveling so much?" and "Is it hard to travel so much?" The answer to both is yes. If I could go back to being 25 again, I would know that there is no "perfect" musical career in the future. Every career lifestyle has ups and downs, and part of enjoying it is accepting that the suffering, the missteps, and the messy trade-offs are all a part of it, no matter how successful you are. In a recent podcast from my brother's wildly popular "School of Greatness", his guest was talking about a 100-day tour. Lewis asked him, "Isn't that hard?" The guest gave the answer I was looking for, and I'm paraphrasing here: "It's incredibly awesome, and incredibly hard. Often things that are incredibly awesome are incredibly hard." When we envision a future destination, we should bear in mind that this destination is not necessarily what it appears to be. It could be messy! And we should always be mindful of how our priorities may have changed by the time we reach that destination. I worked for a year to set up this European tour, and a year before that on the last one. During my trip this time, I questioned whether it was worth it. During the writing of this email in Oslo I was having misgivings. Now, at the end of the tour, I've decided it is worth it. I'm already setting up returns to Europe. It's still what I want- for now. So.. How about you? I hope you can reflect on the trade offs your choices entail, and embrace them as part of your own pursuit of balance. Click here to learn more about the Music Biz Mastermind. (It's not just about business. It's really about helping people find their own balance.)
Christian and tiger
With the Tiger in Oslo.
↧
Search

Violinist Dylana Jenson Returns to the Concert Stage with Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2

October 9, 2017, 12:16 pm
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: Is Dylana Jenson really Superman? Most days, the wildly talented violinist is disguised as a typical middle-aged mom of four grown children. But when the concert hall calls, Jenson slips into a phone booth and emerges with a new concerto in her fingers, dressed and ready to solo with the orchestra!
Dylana Jenson
Dylana Jenson
Okay, maybe it doesn't happen in a phone booth. But let's just say that Dylana Jenson has never been the "typical" concert artist, and as an adult her creative output has come in bursts, with long periods in between. "Sometimes I forget: do I even know how to play the violin?" Jenson said, speaking to me over the phone from Grand Rapids, Mich. where she lives with her husband, conductor David Lockington. "I had a friend once, we were friends for two years, and she never even knew I was a violinist!" Of course, the world has known about her artistry from the time she began concertizing at age eight. By age 13 she was playing with major orchestras. At 17, she won a silver medal in the International Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow. She studied with Manuel Compinsky, Nathan Milstein and Josef Gingold. At the age of 19, she made a definitive recording of the Sibelius Concerto with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She married conductor David Lockington when she was 21, and the mad pace slowed down; even coming to a halt for a long while, after she lost the use of the 1743 Guarnerius del Gesu she'd been borrowing. In 2009, armed anew with a violin by the well-respected modern luthier Samuel Zygmuntowicz, she emerged to give us a fantastic recording of the Shostakovich Violin Concerto - a piece she said she learned in about three weeks, owing to a habit of procrastination. On Saturday, Jenson will play Prokofiev Concerto No. 2 with the Pasadena Symphony, with Lockington conducting. (Come see it, I'll be there too: click here for more information.) What is it like, to perform with your husband conducting? "Thirty-five years ago, when we first played together, I would just look up and start laughing, 'What is this? This is so bizarre!' I just thought it was hilarious," she said.
David Lockington and Dylana Jenson
Violinist Dylana Jenson and Conductor David Lockington, 35 years ago.
Back then, Lockington was just starting out as a 25-year-old conductor, while Jenson had already performed hundreds of concerts. "I knew what made for a great conductor, working with a soloist," Jenson said, "so I really started to impart my knowledge and help him -- He is an amazing accompanist, I've obviously watched him over the years. So I don't even give it a thought. With some conductors, you have to watch out, you have to be aware of what they're doing -- with him, I just do my thing." Last January, Jenson took a two-week retreat to her sister's house in California to learn the Prokofiev. Like the Shostakovich, Prokofiev's second violin concerto is a piece she hadn't previously performed. "The Prokofiev is a very interesting piece to learn. On first approach, it didn't seem to me like it was going to be the same kind of massive work as the Shostakovich, in terms of length and technical difficulty," Jenson said. "But in the end, it's an incredibly exposed piece, which is quite delicate in its singing. It doesn't have a strong, bombastic kind of technicality to it, and I have found it to be profoundly challenging - and wonderful!" But learning the Prokofiev was not the only obstacle that Jenson faced. In June, her mother fell ill from something doctors had trouble diagnosing. When they finally named the disease -- full-blown, metastasized bone cancer -- she had only a week to live. "The day before she died, I told her that I would play her the Prokofiev," she said. Caring for her mother, she had not touched her violin. "But I called my pianist friend, and we rolled my mother's Spinnet into this three- or four-foot area in front of her bedroom. I stood in the doorway, and while she was still very lucid, I played it for her. "I just pulled myself together. I just said to myself, I can't be emotional, I have to be in this piece, to give it to her, in these last hours. I have to tell you, I played it so well for her, I don't know how. I pulled it together and I really went for it." Just like a Superman. * * * If you are in the Los Angeles area, come see Jenson play with the Pasadena Symphony at either 2 p.m. or 8 p.m. this Saturday. Click here for more information. On a personal note, find me in the second violins for this concert. I'm looking forward to performing Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony for the second time with David Lockington conducting - the first time I was a 15-year-old member of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, and Lockington was our new conductor!You might also like:
↧

The Week in Reviews, Op. 201: Tessa Lark; Gil Shaham; Arabella Steinbacher

October 10, 2017, 8:55 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world.Tessa Lark performed works by Korngold, Ravel, Franck and Lark herself in recital with pianist Ellen Hwangbo.
Tessa Lark
Tessa Lark.
Gil Shaham performed the Tchaikovsky with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
  • Boston Globe: "His approach to the popular concerto had hints of old-time fiddling in the breadth and zest of his tone. His intonation was out of synch with the orchestra at points, and some moments of crucial build in the solo line became plateaus, but one couldn’t have asked for a more rip-roaring cadenza or thrilling finale."
  • The Boston Musical Intelligencer: "Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto certainly stands as a dusty old crowd pleaser, but Shaham managed to transform it into a thrilling and joyful revival."
Arabella Steinbacher performed the Brahms with the National Symphony Orchestra.
  • The Washington Post: "Steinbacher...(brought) firm assurance to her reading, though I would have welcomed more clarity in some of the rapid passages."
  • Washington Classical Review: "The technical side of her playing was formidable, making for an exciting finale, paced just fast enough to be playful and folksy."
Anne Akiko Meyers played Ravel and Saint Saens with the the Vancouver Symphony.
  • Northwest Reverb: "She conveyed the emotional depths of “Tzigane” and the charming elegance and fire of the “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso."
Nicola Benedetti performed the Elgar with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
  • The Herald: "There may be virtuoso content aplenty in the solo part, but it was the intensity of the dialogue between her final movement cadenza and the combination of strummed and bowed notes across the sections that was unforgettably breath-catching."
Dennis Kim performed the Glass with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
  • The Buffalo News: "Kim was particularly affecting at the start of the slow movement, articulating his scant, austere lines with understated emotion."
Augustin Hadelich performed the Mendelssohn with the San Francisco Symphony.
  • Berkeley Daily Planet: "Throughout this concerto, Hadelich had me moving in and out of the work, questioning what I was hearing from him."
  • The San Francisco Chronicle: "I’ve heard Hadelich play with much more robustness and rhythmic freedom than he showed on this occasion, in which even the slow movement sounded a bit thin and reedy."
Jonathan Carney performed Bruch's Scottish Fantasy with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
  • The Baltimore Sun: "Concertmaster Jonathan Carney took on those challenges in his usual intrepid form. If he lost clarity of articulation in some of the trickiest passages, he maintained vivid expressiveness throughout."
Please support music in your community by attending a concert or recital whenever you can!
↧
↧

Violinist.com Provides Its First Instrument Grants to LA High School Students

October 11, 2017, 5:31 pm
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: For a violinist, there is nothing more frustrating than being held back by the sound of an inadequate instrument. As a young student, I played on a laughably inadequate violin, and I blamed myself when I couldn't find the right tone, could not make it speak in certain registers, or could not project. I realized the value of a better-sounding violin only later in life, when I finally found and bought one for myself. That violin continues to teach me and help me grow as a musician. Because of this experience, as a teacher I'm even less patient when I discover a hard-working student laboring with an instrument that will never allow him or her to progress beyond a certain point. In fact, I feel a keen need to do something about it. That is why I am happy to announce that on Monday, Violinist.com awarded violins to two students at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) The students are Ruka Nagashima, a senior, and Cayla Mendoza, a freshman.
Violinist.com Instrument Grant winners Ruka Nagashima and Cayla Mendoza
R-L: LACHSA string orchestra director Fung Ho; LACHSA freshman Cayla Mendoza; Violinist.com editor Laurie Niles; and LACHSA senior Ruka Nagashima.
LACHSA is a competitive, audition-based, public arts school that draws students from all over the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The music department's need for some better-quality instruments came to my attention through my son, Brian Niles, who is a senior at LACHSA in the Cinematic Arts department. The Violinist.com Instrument Grants were based on merit and need, through an application process involving both an essay and audition, in consultation with LACHSA's string orchestra director Fung Ho. Nagashima, a senior, received a new, 2015 Hiroshi Kono violin as a permanent grant. Another Hiroshi Kono violin was awarded to LACHSA's instrumental music program, to loan on a yearly basis to a promising student in need of a better-sounding instrument. This year, the violin was awarded to Mendoza, a freshman. I hope these violins allow these students a chance to start hearing the difference at an early age, to enjoy the new possibilities and to grow as musicians. You might also like:
↧

For the Record, Op. 32: Tomás Cotik; Dover Quartet; Altius Quartet; Quatuor Arod

October 12, 2017, 11:03 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening!Astor Piazzolla: LegacyTomás Cotik, violinTao Lin, piano
"Part of my interpretation and understanding of (the music of Piazzolla) comes from my own perception of the noisy, dirty, crazy and yet wonderful megapolis of Buenos Aires," said violinist Tomás Cotik, who grew up in Buenos Aires and has lived in Germany, Canada and the U.S. "Raw, edgy, intense, violent, sexy...not cheesy, nor kitsch, ultra-romantic or pseudo-crossover. Piazzolas' music, informed by a multicultural upbringing, resonates with my journey." The album commemorates the 25th anniversary of Astor Piazzolla’s death with some of the composer’s most memorable works, such as "Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas," "Milonga del ángel," "Adiós nonino," and "Balada para un loco." Cotik and Lin previously collaborated on the Piazzolla album Tango Nuevo. BELOW: Tomas Cotik performs Piazzolla's "Revirado," with pianist Tao Lin:
Voices of DefianceDover Quartet Joel Link, violin Bryan Lee, violin Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola Camden Shaw, cello
The Dover Quartet’s second album celebrates three "Voices of Defiance," with Viktor Ullmann’s String Quartet No. 3 (1943), Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 2 (1944), and Simon Laks’s String Quartet No. 3 (1945). Austrian composer Viktor Ullmann (1898–1944) was deported by the Nazis to Theresienstadt in 1942, and remained active in the camp’s music program until he was murdered at Auschwitz two years later. It was in Theresienstadt that he composed his Third String Quartet, a life-affirming work whose vigorous ending belies the circumstances of its creation. Like Ullman, Polish-Jewish composer and violinist Simon Laks (1901–83) was deported to Auschwitz, but as head of the prisoners’ orchestra, he became one of its few inmates to survive the Holocaust. Composed after the war in Paris, his Third String Quartet combines Polish motifs with a neoclassical predilection for balance, directness, and clarity. Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–75) is one of the towering figures of 20th-century composition, and the Second String Quartet is one of his longest works. Yet its tone is characteristically elusive, reflecting the game of cat-and-mouse that he was forced to play with Stalin’s Soviet Party throughout his career. Sometimes designated an “enemy of the people,” and at others a model citizen, Shostakovich bore continual witness to the horrors of political repression and the devastation of war. "Recording this album was an emotional process," said cellist Camden Shaw. "Even disregarding historical context, the music itself is so powerful that it can bring tears to one’s eyes. But in the case of these particular works, knowing the darkness from which they emerged gives each note extra weight: they become at once even more tragic and more beautiful, the fragility and evanescence of the composers’ lives standing in sharp contrast with the immortal nature of their music.” BELOW: The Dover Quartet discusses Shostakovich's second string quartet from their upcoming album "Voices of Defiance."
Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 7, 8 & 9Altius Quartet Andrew Giordano, violin Joshua Ulrich, violin Andrew Krimm, viola Zachary Reaves, cello
The Colorado-based Altius Quartet releases its second album: three Shostakovich quartets from the 1960s, one in memory of his first wife, one composed after being forced to join the communist party, and one for his third wife. BELOW: From the album, the Altius Quartet performs Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110: II. Allegro molto:
MendelssohnQuatuor Arod Jordan Victoria, violin Alexandre Vu, violin Corentin Apparailly, cello Samy Rachid, cello
The Arod Quartet, founded four years ago in Paris, was named after Legolas’ horse in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings --the name means "swift." The ensemble won the ARD Competition in Munich in 2016 and are now artists-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels. On this debut album of Mendelssohn, the Arod Quartet performs with the young mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa. Mendelssohn has played an important part in their musical life together: "Four years ago the four of us met. We opened our first score in a small, badly-lit room at the Paris Conservatoire, and we started to play. The music was Mendelssohn’s Op. 13," said a member of the quartet. "We were overwhelmed with love for the quartet as a form... op 13 has remained close to our hearts … We have grown up with it, learned with it and won our two biggest competitions with it. We decided to conceive this album as a narrative of his life as a composer." The album includes Mendelssohn: Op. 13, Op. 14 No. 2, Four Pieces Op.84, Lied No. 1 "Frage."BELOW: Quatuor Arod performs Mendelssohn Quartet, Op. 13, live in the Carl Nielsen Competition 2016.
If you have a new recording you would like us to consider for inclusion in our Thursday "For the Record" feature, please e-mail Editor Laurie Niles. Be sure to include the name of your album, a link to it and a short description of what it includes.
↧

V.com weekend vote: What is your hand size or shape?

October 13, 2017, 10:40 am
$
0
0
By Laurie Niles: A few days ago I saw a lecture by a violist -- a very petite woman -- who said very decisively that she preferred to play a viola that was 17 inches or larger. That's a big viola! Someone in the audience observed that this seemed unwieldy, even for a large person, but the violist responded that her hands are actually pretty large. The size and shape of our hands does make a difference in how we experience the various difficulties in playing the violin, and yet people of all sizes and shapes make it work.
hands
If Itzhak Perlman can play the violin with such precision with his large, thick fingers, so can the rest of us! But that doesn't mean there aren't challenges. I've known a number of players that have a pinkie that is substantially shorter than the other fingers, and they cope by using alternative fingerings and, on occasion, substituting some notes. Having long fingers would seem like a great advantage, but it can also require a technique that is different from the way most teachers set things up: for example, a higher-looking thumb in the left hand. Being double-jointed has its own set of challenges - it just might not be possible to shape the hand in the way that most teachers and textbooks advise. Do you have any issues with your hands? How have you or your teachers coped with them? And when it comes to teachers, what are strategies for students who have these issues? You might also like:
↧
Viewing all 3122 articles
Browse latest View live
Search