March 2019 Hot News

VIP Wenzel Fuchs performs Mozart Clarinet Concerto K622 with the Zabreb Chamber Orchestra

Blaz Sparovec ,1st prize and has been awarded the Junior Jury Prize and the Odense Symphony Prize
Aron Chiesa ,2nd prize
Víctor Díaz ,3rd prize
Ann Lepage has been awarded the Prize for Best Interpretation of the new composition by Tobias Broström

1st Prize
12.000 EUROS
A RECORDING DEAL WITH ORCHID CLASSICS (STUDIO/PR/CONDUCTOR, VALUE OF 13.000 EURO)
APPEARANCE WITH UP TO 10 EUROPEAN ORCHESTRAS AND/OR FESTIVALS, AMONG OTHERS:
Odense Symfoniorkester, Copenhagen Phil, Aalborg Symfoniorkester, Aarhus Symfoniorkester, Oslo-Filharmonien, Kungliga Filharmonikerna, Sveriges Radios Symfoniorkester, Göteborgs Symfoniker, Norrköpings Symfoniorkester, Jönköpings Sinfonietta, Västerås Sinfonietta, and more to come

2nd Prize
10.000 EUROS

3rd Prize
8.000 EUROS

Prize for Best Interpretation
2.000 EUROS
NEW PIECE COMMISSIONED FOR EACH OF THE VIOLIN, CLARINET AND FLUTE COMPETITION

Odense Symphony Orchestra Prize
1.500 EUROS
AWARDED AMONG 3RD ROUND VIOLIN CONTESTANTS, AND FLUTE AND CLARINET FINALISTS

Children’s Jury Prize
1.500 EUROS
AWARDED AMONG THE FINALISTS

Follow the competitions here:
https://nielsen2019.medici.tv/
https://www.facebook.com/carlnielsencompetition/

WA Concert Series - Golden Triangle with Senior VIPs Charles Neidich, Oshima Ayako and the Parker String Quartet

Wa Concert Series presents The Golden Triangle: Prague, Budapest and Vienna in Review

Charles Neidich, artistic director, C and A clarinets; Ayako Oshima, C clarinet;

Parker Quartet: Daniel Chong, Ken Hamao, violin; Jessica Bodner, viola; Kee-Hyun Kim, cello

Tenri Cultural Institute

The beginning of the baseball season seems an apt time for this metaphor: The Wa Concert Series hit another home run in its already estimable string of them last night. The Parker Quartet (Daniel Chong, Ken Hamao, violin; Jessica Bodner, viola; Kee-Hyun Kim, cello ) joined clarinetists Charles Neidich and Ayako Oshima in concert. The general theme of Central Europe was the pretext for a wide variety of expression through music.

The curtain-raiser, so to speak (Tenri does not have a curtain), was Bohuslav Martinů’s Serenade for two clarinets and string trio, a 1951 work from his American period that Mr. Neidich stated was also influenced by sojourns in Paris and New York. This was not always apparent. One thing that is always reliable is the high level of craftsmanship of Martinů’s work. For me, his expressivity lies in his slow movements, while the quicker ones can sometimes feel a bit like they are on autopilot, despite the interesting rhythmic difficulties. The piece was played masterfully by Mr. Neidich, Ms. Oshima, and three members of the Parker Quartet.

The complete Parker Quartet followed the Martinů with a beautiful performance of György Kurtág’s Officium breve, in memoriam Andreae Szervanszky, a double-requiem (without words of course) for his colleague, Hungarian composer/clarinetist Endre Szervanszky, and their Austrian serialist predecessor, Anton Webern. It also memorializes cellist Tibor Turcsányi, recorder player Zsolt Baranyai, close friend Gabriella Garzó, and pianist György Szoltsányi. The fifteen minuscule movements have maximal expressive power, and the Parker Quartet’s perfection of style and intonation allowed even the uninitiated listener to share in the sense of sorrow; Kurtág, still active at 93, was a mentor to the group. Kurtág is here fascinated with the procedure known as canon (so important to Webern as well), and he utilizes references to Webern’s final work, the Kantate No. 2, Op. 31, a setting of six poems by Hildegard Jone that are mystical in content, and which Webern himself saw as a Missa brevis (Officium breve). Kurtág also self-quotes from his piano cycle Játékok, “Hommage à Szervánszky,” and song cycle The sayings of Péter Bornemisza, “Flowers we are,” and he quotes Szervanszky’s Serenade for String Orchestra. The audience held its applause for quite some time after the ending, always a good sign that the intensity of attention being paid was great.

After intermission, Mr. Neidich took the stage, again with the Parker Quartet, for a shattering, expressive performance of a repertoire staple, the Brahms Quintet for clarinet and string quartet in B minor, Op. 115, a work written from the heart and addressed to the heart. Thank goodness Brahms didn’t retire from composition, as he had announced after his Op. 111; he drew new inspiration from hearing the great clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld (Brahms gave him the nickname Fräulein Klarinette), and he created a beloved series of chamber works including the instrument (as well as piano pieces and Lieder), in which he further cemented his “late style”—every note is related organically to every other note, every motif recurs and interpenetrates, and there is in the quintet cyclic reference also (music from an earlier movement recurs).

That five musicians functioned as one would be the greatest understatement of my writing career. Sometimes in this work one hears a “diva” clarinet way out in front and four “others” supporting. Not so on this occasion! Every breath, every color, every phrase taper, was absolutely unanimous, yet always managed to sound completely “lived,” never over-planned. I could go on and on about Mr. Neidich, one of the greatest clarinetists in the world, but the Parker Quartet here matched him for inspiration: they made the hearty, warm Romantic sound so essential to this composer. I was particularly drawn to the cello work of Kee-Hyun Kim, so expressive, and his interplay with the other members. Also wonderful was the violist, Jessica Bodner. I don’t mean to neglect the violins either, but everyone knows the inner voices are more interesting!

The sense of leave-taking was palpable in the Brahms, and I can’t imagine there was a dry eye in the house (another long pause before clapping); they were brought back for four bows, but of course there is no “encore” possible after such a journey. I was ruminating on a line from the Hildegarde Jone poem: “By holy love’s great power.” As Mr. Neidich explained, there are references to the “Clara” theme (Clara Schumann, perhaps Brahms’ greatest unconsummated love), and even J.S. Bach. Thank goodness there was no Prozac in the nineteenth century!

By the way, the excellent dinner, included with one’s ticket and handmade by the multitalented Ayako Oshima , included two of Brahms’ favorites: sardines and chicken paprikash. Anyone who hasn’t attended a Wa concert, what are you waiting for? Two remain in this season.

University of Nebraska MidWest ClariFest - VIP Diane Barger, Director with Guest Artist Denise Gainey

Karl Leister played last Friday in Abano Terme ( near Venice) in A Hotel with spa...yesterday in Bergamo Sala Piatti and this morning at 11 at the castle of Udine

Truman University Clarinet Master Class Day with VIP Jorge Montilla - Jesse Krebs, Host

VIP Wonkak Kim gives Master Classes covering New Music and Performance Techniques at Yale University, Senior VIP David Shifrin, Host, and at Princeton University

The Guardian has praised composer-clarinetist Jörg Widmann for having “much to say about the way we hear the music of the past.” This fascinating composer and world-class clarinetist does just that when he joins the Hagen Quartet as soloist in Mozart’s autumnal and ever beautiful Clarinet Quintet, and gives the US premiere of his own quintet, a work co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall. The Hagen Quartet, called the “ideal string quartet” by the Los Angeles Times, also performs selections from Dvořák’s Cypresses, tenderhearted works based on his youthful love songs.

JÖRG WIDMANN Clarinet Quintet

Many composers have been drawn to the euphonious combination of clarinet and string quartet. Just as Brahms echoed Mozart’s masterful K. 581 in the tenderly yearning slow movement of his own Clarinet Quintet, so too does Jörg Widmann pay homage to the Viennese master in his recent contribution to the genre. The German clarinetist-composer is known for his ability to evoke the past in a contemporary idiom; he once said that “the most important thing in my artistic career has been to combine tradition and innovation.”

MOZART Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581

The luminous, broadly lyrical slow movement is the heart and soul of Mozart’s masterpiece. Like his Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Trio, the A-Major Quintet was inspired by the extraordinary artistry of Austrian clarinetist Anton Stadler. Mozart’s love affair with the clarinet had been sparked by hearing the celebrated Mannheim court orchestra play, which convinced him that the Salzburg orchestra needed to upgrade its woodwind section. “Ah, if only we had clarinets too!” he wrote to his father.

Clarinetist, composer, and conductor Jörg Widmann is one of the most versatile and intriguing artists of his generation. The 2018–2019 season sees him appear as a soloist with such orchestras as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Susanna Mälkki, Taiwan’s National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Shao-Chia Lü, and NDR Radiophilharmonie conducted by Andrew Manze.

Mr. Widmann is artist in residence at Taiwan’s National Symphony Orchestra, appearing as clarinetist (in a performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto), conductor, composer, and lecturer. He is also in residence at the Orchestre de Paris, where his works feature in various concerts.

Chamber music performances in the 2018–2019 season include trio concerts with Tabea Zimmermann and Dénes Várjon, as well as quintet concerts with the Hagen Quartet. He gives chamber performances in the US in Baltimore and New York, and in Europe in Budapest, Freiburg, Hamburg, and Munich. In February, he gave the premiere of Peter Eötvös’s Joyce, a work written for him and commissioned by the Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical.

Continuing his intense activities as a conductor, Mr. Widmann performs this season with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Boulez Ensemble, and Kammerakademie Potsdam, and tours Germany with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. As the principal conductor, he leads the Irish Chamber Orchestra in concerts in Ireland, and embarks on a tour to South America with concerts in Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro.

In August 2018, Mr. Widmann conducted the premiere of his Violin Concerto No. 2, performed by Carolin Widmann with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. This season sees performances of this piece with the Orchestre de Paris, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mr. Widmann performs regularly with renowned orchestras, such as Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, and Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He collaborates with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, and Christoph von Dohnányi.

A once in a lifetime masterclass with Jörg Widmann at Peabody Conservatory yesterday working on his own compositions as well as Brahms. We were so fortunate to be there and he gave us so much. Bravo to Sheng Chen, Jay Shankar and Chad Thomas.

Cleveland Institute Faculty Chamber Recital with Senior VIP Franklin Cohen and Colleagues

Performed by

Joseph Eller and Thomas Russell Perform Clarinet and Organ Concert and Mr Eller conducts Master Class - VIP Timothy Phillips, Host

18.3. in Reduta, Olomouc and on Tuesday 19.3. in Castel in Konice, Czech Republic

VIP Sharon Kam performs Weber 2nd Clarinet Concerto Op 74 with the Staatsoper Orchester Hannover

VIP Annelien Van Wauwe performs Brahms Clarinet Quintet Op 115 with the Malibran Quartet

University of Alabama at Birmingham Clarinet Symposium - Dr Denise Gainey, Director - with Guest Artists Sean Osborn and Shawn Copeland

Wenzel Fuchs, the first clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic performed on Saturday, March 9., 2019 at the city house

On 12 March, Mr Fuchs conducted an extensive Master Class with students in Bremen for a full house of interested players and teachers.

Pierre Genisson Soloist with the Sichuan Symphony - Darrell Ang, Conductor, performing Mozart Clarinet Concerto K622 and Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante K297b

VIP and Solo Clarinetist in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Faculty at the Juilliard and Manhattan Schools of Music Alan R Kay performs Mozart Clarinet Quintet K581 with the Callodor String Quartet at the University of Delaware

by Mike Telin

It’s wonderful to hear great chamber music performances in a concert hall, but it’s an entirely different experience to hear it in someone’s home with light appetizers and your favorite beverage.

“As I get older I’m really enjoying situations where the audience is five feet away from you and you can feel everyone’s energy,” clarinetist and ChamberFest Cleveland co-artistic director Franklin Cohen said. “There’s something very special about that environment that I can’t even describe — it’s a wonderful thing.”

On Friday, March 8 at 7:30 pm, ChamberFest Cleveland will present the Cohen Candlelight House Concert, featuring Franklin Cohen and the Callisto Quartet. The program will include Ligeti’s String Quartet No. 1, “Métamorphoses nocturnes” and Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet. Light appetizers and beverages will be served after the concert. Tickets are available online, and the address will be provided upon purchase.

Cohen said that the House Concert Series provides the perfect opportunity to present “a local ensemble that has received national recognition.” Formed in 2016 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Callisto Quartet — Paul Aguilar and Rachel Stenzel, violins, Eva Kennedy, viola, and Hannah Moses, cello — were the grand prize winners of the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Additionally, in 2018 they were prize winners at the Melbourne and Wigmore Hall International Chamber Music Competitions. The ensemble is one of six quartets that have been invited to the 2019 Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition.

“I knew Hannah when she was a student,” Cohen said, “but when they became prize winners at the Fischoff last year, I watched some videos from the competition and thought, wow! We always hear about the outside groups that are coming to town, but they’re right here in our backyard, so it was a no-brainer to invite them.”

When asked about the evening’s program, Cohen said that he “loves” Ligeti. “When I spoke to Hannah, she told me they were working on his first string quartet. I said, can we please put that on the program?” Cohen also looks forward to collaborating with the Callisto on a piece that “everybody loves,” Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet.

“I first played it as a student at Juilliard and I’ve probably performed it more than any other piece in the world — except for the Bartók Contrasts which I started playing when I was fifteen with Garrick Ohlsson. But people love the Mozart, and what better environment to hear it than in a house with friends and a little vino?”

Over the years, Mozart’s sublime quintet has become very close to Cohen’s heart, beginning with his first season as principal clarinet with The Cleveland Orchestra. “I came to Cleveland in my late twenties, and one of the first things that happened was that my brother passed away. He loved music, and even played clarinet, so I played it at his funeral. Over the years I’ve been asked to play it at many people’s memorials — for my brother, my mother, my father, and my late wife — for a lot of people that I love.”

Cohen said that what makes the work so special is that it has the perfect balance of optimism and something a little bit hard to describe — “what one would imagine if there is anything after this world, and how beautiful it could be. That’s how I always thought about this piece. I don’t mean to be morose, because it is one of the most joyful pieces in the repertoire. Brahms thought it was such an incredible piece of music that his own clarinet quintet is an homage to Mozart. The connections between the two pieces have been linked for years.”

Wrapping up our telephone conversation, Cohen said that Friday’s concert is all about the Callisto. “It’s going to be fun, and maybe I’ll learn something from them. I like it when things go in the direction of the young people teaching me new things — it makes me a better teacher.” He also noted that there will be a surprise addition to the program. “But I’m not even going to tell you what it is,” he said with a chuckle.

4 - 5 March 2019

Reeds Course with Hanstoni Kaufmann - how to make and to correct the Clarinet´s Reeds at the Universität Mozarteum - VIP Wenzel Fuchs, Host

Salzburg, Austria

VIP Alan R Kay - Faculty at the Juilliard School and Solo Clarinetist in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra gives Master Class with Colleagues - Montclair Clarinet Festival

Master Class and Recital with John Cipolla at Truman State University - Dr Jesse Krebs, Host

John Cipolla began the day by performing Donotoni's virtuosic "Due Pezzi" and then worked with two clarinetists in a master class (one played a Rose etude and the other performed William Albright's "Saints Preserve Us." He then guided everyone through a demonstration of how to make a single reed from tube cane and everyone got the chance to make their own reed using the equipment he brought. We had lots of fun and learned a lot!

VIP Ricardo Morales - Solo Clarinetist in the Philadelphia Orchestra - Master Class and Recital at Rowen University - Dr Rie Suzuki, Host

It was my great pleasure to host such an Inspiring clarinet masterclass & recital featuring Ricardo Morales, assisted by pianist David Pasbrig, at Rowan University today. Also, big applause goes to the performers in the masterclass, Alex Phipps, Liz Cicali, Anthony McDonnell-Johnson, and Lia Joelle Boncoeur, for their fantastic playing. Thank you all for attending this event, so wonderful to see so many people from NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, and DC 🎶🎵 #rowanuniversityclarinetstudio

We were extremely happy to invite you to a very special benefit concert for Music for Food. Currently in its 9th season, Music for Food created over 500,000 meals through donations made at concerts for nearly100 hunger-relief organizations. New York City, one of the wealthiest city in the world has thousands of people that have basic needs including food. With this concert we hope to address this issue and make a small but meaningful contribution to this rather large problem and we NEED your HELP! All proceeds from this concert will go to the St. Francis Xavier Mission. Please join us for an evening of Classical Classics, music for Clarinet and Piano.

Wa Concert Series presents The Golden Triangle: Prague, Budapest and Vienna in Review

Charles Neidich, artistic director, C and A clarinets; Ayako Oshima, C clarinet;

Parker Quartet: Daniel Chong, Ken Hamao, violin; Jessica Bodner, viola; Kee-Hyun Kim, cello

Tenri Cultural Institute

Performers

Program

JÖRG WIDMANN Clarinet Quintet

MOZART Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581

Performed by

ChamberFest Cleveland launches House Concert Series: a conversation with Franklin Cohen