Anna Paulova Performs Spohr 4th Clarinet Concerto with
the Prague Philharmonic
Prague, Czech Republic
25 November 2018
VIP Sabine
Grofmeier is with Henning Schumann and Sophie-Magdalena Reuter at
Hamburger Serenadenkonzerte
Hamburg, Germany
22 - 25 November 2018
Ekspresja Clarinet
Conference - International
Conference "Expression in clarinet performance”
Krakow, Poland
International Conference "Expression in clarinet performance”
took place from 22nd to 25th of November 2018, at the Academy of Music in Krakow
(Poland). There were involved great instrumentalists and composers from Poland
and abroad, such as: Stephan Vermeersch
(Belgium), Gabor Varga (Hungary),
Nicolas Bacri (France), Irvin Venyš
(Czech Republic), Kristine Dizon (USA),
Radovan Cavallin (Spain),
Francisco José Fernández
Vicedo (Spain), Jan Jakub Bokun
(Poland), Marcel Chyrzyński (Poland). The artistic director of the Conference
was clarinetist Dr. Barbara Borowicz. The goal of the conference was to pay
special attention to expression in clarinet performance, beside of the epoche
and style of the clarinet compositions. Science panel on 23rd of November began
with the lecture by Dr. Jan Jakub Bokun, with topic about harmonies and
dissonances in Krzysztof Penderecki music. It was also an honor to the composer
of the day of his 85th jubilee. Next was Dr. Barbara Borowicz with lecture about
Marcel Chyrzyński, his inspirations and characteristics of his clarinet pieces.
At the end Francisco José
Fernández
Vicedo introduced evolution of the
Spanish clarinet school to the audience, paying attention to its emotional
aspects. On the next day Kristine Dizon, Gabor Varga i Irvin Veniš were trying
to identify and understand expression in musical pieces, also considering
notation possibilities of this aspect. Radovan Cavallin made a lecture about the
role of clatinetist-soloist in the process of building expression in orchestral
excerpts, in solo clarinet parts. Also very interesting was lecture by Stephan
Vermeersch about musicians brain, and how the efficiency of its work supports
process of practicing on instrument and helps with public performances. The main
part of this day was meeting with composer – Nicolas Bacri, who told the
audience about his works, especially about clarinet pieces.
An important
part of the conference were also three concerts. During first one, participants
of the Conference could listen to Duo Bokun-Kościuszko, with Jan Jakub Bokun on
clarinet and Jakub Kościuszko on guitar. Duo made a world premiere of two pieces
by Łukasz Woś, polish composer who enriches wind instruments literature with his
works - Souvenir from Halamba and
Scherzino. Next concert took place on
23rd of November – the birthday of Krzysztof Penderecki, so in the beginning his
Three miniatures for clarinet and piano
were performed by Barbara Borowicz and Anna Miernik. Next all invited guests
presented works in different styles, showing tone and technical clarinet
capabilities as well as various expression means. Next day of the conference we
could listen two concerts. First was full of beautiful Spanish music, showed in
two contrasting styles of 20th century clarinet literature, performed by José
Fernández
Vicedo and pianist Dominika Peszko. The final concert was composed of pieces by
great Krakow composer Marcel Chyrzyński, interpreted by guests from abroad, and
compositions by Nicolas Bacri, which were presented by clarinetist from Krakow.
Group of Polish performers consists of lecturers, graduates and student of
Krakow Academy of Music: Jan Kalinowski - cello, pianists: Marek Szlezer,Agnieszka Riess, Anna
Miernik, clarinetists: Janusz Antonik, Barbara Borowicz, Tomasz Sowa, Oleh
Malovichko, Izabela Żurczak, Sara Ślemp, Jarosław Sroka. There were also
clarinet workshops, lead by invited guests. International Conference „Expression
in clarinet performance” was so far the greatest clarinet event in history of
our Academy.
Hartt College Clarinet and Oboe Day - VIP
Ayako Oshima,
Director
Hartford, Connecticut USA
17 November 2018
VIP Eli Eban,
Renowned Solo Clarinetist, former Principal Clarinetist in the Israel
Philharmonic, and Distinguished Professor at Indiana University - performs
Mozart Clarinet Concerto K622 with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
Indianapolis, Indiana USA
ICO patrons get a chance to hear a stellar principal player in a major concerto
Anton Stadler was a bit of a mess as a person, but as the premier
clarinetist of his day he made posterity lucky in the music his excellence
as a musician drew from his friend Wolfgang Mozart (1756-1791).
Eli Eban is also acting principal of the Israel
Camerata/Jerusalem.
Among the the results is perhaps the greatest wind-instrument
concerto, the one in A major for clarinet, K. 622. Eli Eban, distinguished professor of clarinet
at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, played the work at the
peak of magnificence Saturday with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, of which he is
principal clarinet. In the Schrott Center for the Arts, music director
Matthew Kraemer conducted a program that also included Mendelssohn's
"Trumpet" Overture in C major, op.101, and Luciano Berio's "Rendering," a
restoration, with linking original material, of sketches for Franz
Schubert's Tenth Symphony.
The concerto is one of the marvelous products of Mozart's last year,
completed between two other miracles: "The Magic Flute" and the Requiem.
It's hard to imagine such work stress (and the health problems that were to
kill him by the end of the year) yielding such deathless benefits, but
that's among the wonders of genius.
Not much is known about Stadler, though he earned the disapproval of
Mozart's family, for reasons probably including his failure to repay an
unsecured loan of 500 gulden. Michael Steinberg points out that sum was more
than the composer's normal commission for an opera. The composer's affection
for Stadler was undercut by the realization that, as he wrote his wife in
October 1791, Stadler "is only a little bit of an ass, not much, but that
[Franz Süssmayr, who completed the Requiem after Mozart's death] — well,
yes, he's a real ass."
This old gossip is related here mainly to underline the way artistry can
supersede personal flaws. In this case, with a work that explores the
instrument's deepest range in addition to exploiting Stadler's feathery
pianissimos, Mozart handed something special down to posterity, available
for personalizing to any clarinetist who can manage it, as Stadler
presumably did.
Eban more than managed it; he brought out the work's stature in
chamber-music terms, working hand in glove with the accompaniment. The
orchestra is simply strings, with pairs of flutes, horns, and bassoons. It
showcased the soloist well, who never forced a note or executed an
unbalanced passage. His breath control yielded supple phrasing; even the
longest stretches of rapid notes in the finale were brought off neatly. On
top of Eban's thorough command of the piece, his performance was freighted
with the human warmth that makes Mozart's best music so appealing when
played superbly. For an encore, the word's literal meaning "again" held
sway, and Kraemer led Eban and the orchestra in a long excerpt to the end of
the second movement.
The concert opened with a precocious work by Mendelssohn, an overture whose
nickname points to the prominence of its hearty brass fanfare at beginning
and end. There is a wealth of contrasting material, including an exhibition
of the teenage composer's knack for counterpoint and a theme that breathes
the Black Forest atmosphere of Weber's "Der Freischutz," a sensation at the
time Mendelssohn composed both this overture and the incidental music to "A
Midsummer Night's Dream." The ICO offered a well-balanced, colorful account.
Completing the focus on the southern end of the German-speaking
world was the Schubert-Berio "Rendering," the three movements that Berio
concocted in 1990 out of Schubert's Tenth Symphony sketches, with linking
material reflecting the Italian composer's stylistic predilections. The
result is kind of a two-century teeter-totter, with what sounded like a new
direction the Viennese composer was taking from the Great C major Symphony
(No. 9) linked by sometimes unsettling, sometimes dreamlike washes of
modernism usually keyed to the ethereal sounds of the celesta.
"Rendering" is a challenging novelty of the kind that speaks to the ICO's
artistic growth under Kraemer's direction. The performance was also a
suggestive tour of the connection between the fragility of artistic
achievement — sometimes seen retrospectively and deceptively as a series of
imperishable monuments — and life's uncertainties. In fact, there's more
than a hint in even great art of a tendency to vanish as unaccountably as
large loans of money to the likes of Anton Stadler.
Clarinet ensembles including the Participant
Clarinet Choir, and Chamber Ensembles from the Navy, Air Force and Marine Bands
Sean Osborne in Recital and Master Class with
High School Students
Clarinet Day Exhibitors
17 November 2018
US Navy Band Clarinet Day - VIP
Laura Grantier,
Director
Arlington, Virginia USA
In the 7th year, the US Navy Band had its annual Clarinet Day, held at the
Kenmore Middle School in Arlington, Virginia, in which the facility was
excellent for this event with a fine concert Hall and spacious evhubition
facilities. Sean Osborne, an acclaimed soloist and pedagogue, was the
Guest Artist, in which he played a recital and gave a Master Class for 3
advanced High School students from the local area, and performed that night with
the US Navy Band playing the Messenger Solo de Concours, and with Director and
Principal Clarinetist in the Band VIP Laura Grantier in the Mendelsohn
Concertpiece. During the day, activity was non stop, with a Mass
Clarinet Choir of over 50 players rehearsing with 3 Navy Band Clarinetists
conducting one piece each, and 'performing' each work as if in concert with
great resultsl the works included Grainger's 'Molly on the Shore', Vauhan
Williams 2 movements from the 'Folk Song Suite'. Chamber Music
performance was following with the Navy Band Woodwind Quintet, the Marine Band
Clarinet Quartet, and the Air Force Clarinet Quartet.
Sean Osborne gave a recital where he performed the 1st half of the Nielsen
Clarinet Concerto OP 57 with piano and a William O Smith Solo Piece of 5
movements with Clainet parts in various configurations. After the
recital, he coached 3 High School Students on important aspects of playing.
The Navy Band Clarinet Section gave a concert and Osborn was included on this
concert, headed by Laura Grantier.
The evening featured in totality the Navy Band with Sean Osborn Soloist with the
Messenger Solo de Concours, and joined by Grantier the Mendellsohn Concertpiece
for 2 Clainets with the Band. Program included other works including the
Rimsky Korsokov 'Cappricio Espagnol'
This Clarinet Day is a hallmark project that has evolved into a major event each
fall, and the genesis of it all is the Director Laura Grantier, with full
support from the Clarinet Section and the Commander of the Navy Band.
It can be only stated that this is a major accomplishment and by serving the
Local community and the Clarinet world community, commendation and more is
deserving.
17 November 2018
Furman University Single Reed Day - Dr Cecilia
Kang, Director
The Geneva Clarinet Competition 2018 was held from 3-14 November in Geneva,
Switzerland. The competition was open to all clarinetists born after 8 November
1988, regardless of gender or nationality. Out of over 30 invited
contestents, the above 3 winners have just been announced.
The Jury administrating the
judgements and selecting the winners included:
A Breguet watch will be presented to the
winner of a First Prize
Audience Prize: CHF 1,500.-
Young Audience Prize: CHF 1,000.-
Students Prize: CHF 1,000.-
The
Audience Prize is awarded by the audience at the Final performance. The
Young Audience Prize is awarded by young students of partner schools. The
Students Prize is awarded by students in musicology and of partner Universities
of Music.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
In addition to its official prizes, the
Geneva Competition offers a career development programme, providing precious
support and advice to help boost laureates' careers. The programme includes two
years of concert management, as well as CD recordings, international tours, a
festival and professional workshops. It is coordinated by the Geneva
Competition’s official concert agency: Promusica-Genève.
The Geneva Competition is one of the world's most
presdigious contests, offering the above prizes and professional development
programs to make possible the advancement and fulfillment of artist potential
for those participating.
14 November 2018
Sean Osborn, Acclaimed Clarinetist/Pedagogue and
Director of the Clarinettissimo Festival at Pacific University in Seattle,
Washington, Recital and Master Class at the University of Maryland - VIP
Robert DiLutis,
Host
Luz Sedeño,
from Spain, 1st Prize winner in the above Competition in St
Petersburg, Russia, performing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto K622,
performing with the Academic Orchestra there. Information about the
history of this competition is hyperlinked and below. Along
with activities similar in Moscow, this points out the rich cultural and
educational committment in Russia along with several European countries.
FOUNDERS:
• Committee for Culture under Government of St. Petersburg
• Administration of Moskovsky District of St. Petersburg
• St. Petersburg School of Arts for Children named after E.A. Mravinsky
• Association of Music Competitions of Russia
• European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY)
International youth competition in memory of E. A. Mravinsky was founded in
1996. The competition was established in memory of the great conductor and
musician of our time Evgeny Mravinsky.
The main goal of the competition is to open and support the bright musical
talents, to acquaint the young musicians with St. Petersburg performance
traditions, to extend and enrich the cultural ties between different regions of
our country and foreign, near-abroad and far-abroad states.
The jury of the competition consists of the leading Russian and European
musicians. The serious programme requirements secure high professional level of
the participants.
Within 15 years the competition has been visited by more than 1300 young
musicians from around the world. Many Mravinsky competition laureates became
winners of the national project "Education".
The International competition in memory of E. A. Mravinsky is a member of
Association of Music Competitions of Russia (AMCR).
In 2002 the competition was included into
European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY). This opens new
opportunities for winners of Mravinsky competition for promotion at the
international level - participation in
European concerts together with the winners of music competitions from other
countries.
The International youth competition in memory of E. A. Mravinsky is held once in
two years in the specialities: string instruments (nominations "violin-viola"
and "cello") or wind instruments (nominations "woodwind instruments" and "brass
instruments").
It is wonderful that in our not simple time people organize such competitions
as Mravinsky International competition.
Owing to this the young talents
are given all opportunities to improve their musical abilities.
I'm happy that our country was never lack of talents. Good luck to
you, our young colleagues!
A. Nikitin
Peoples Artist of Russia,
professor of St.Petersburg Conservatoire named after N.Rimsky-Korsakov,
chairman of the jury in nomination " cello"
11 November 2018
Senior VIP
Franklin Cohen Chamber Concert at Washington University
Wa Concerts Series presents Virtuosity and Beyond in Review
Charles Neidich, Ayako Oshima, clarinet
Mariko Furukawa, piano
Tenri Cultural Institute, New York, NY
November 10, 2018
For a truly civilized evening in New York, you just can’t beat the
Wa concert series, held in the intimate gallery space of the Tenri Cultural
Institute in Greenwich Village, with Leschetizky’s Steinway, no less. For this
outing, “Virtuosity and Beyond,” our host, the superlative clarinetist Charles
Neidich, decried what he calls “empty virtuosity.” What he possesses is
certainly not “empty”! He was joined for this concert by his wife, Ayako Oshima
,who also caters the thoughtful hors d’oeuvres, wine, and dinner that are served
at each event, and the superb (and busy) collaborative pianist Mariko Furukawa.
It is a rare event when every single piece has not been heard “live” by a
reviewer. I previously had known only the John Ireland Fantasy Sonata from a recording.
The concert opened with an early Penderecki work, the 3 Miniatures for clarinet
and piano. If you are used to post-apocalyptic Penderecki, with foreboding and
giant tragedy, these brief (but well-crafted) utterances will surprise you. They
were perfectly captured by Mr. Neidich and Ms. Furukawa.
Mr. Neidich then turned his attention to a solo work
by Shulamit Ran: Spirit, composed last year, in its New York
premiere. His breath control is prodigious, so much so, that one forgets “body”
and thinks only “spirit.”
Then came the Ireland, a gorgeous late-Romantic extended work in which
songfulness (Ireland has five large volumes of art songs) predominates. Ms.
Furukawa clarified the often thick textures beautifully, and Mr. Neidich
provided what we now take for granted with him: perfection.
After intermission, Ms. Oshima played a work that was written for her, Le Maschere (another New York premiere) based on
stock characters from the Italian commedia dell’arte, by Larry Alan Smith (who was
present, explaining that he is Italian too, on his mother’s side). One heard the
Zanni, Vecchi, Innamorati, and Capitani in brief vignettes full of character. Ms.
Oshima’s breath control and her ability to taper even the highest notes to
nothingness were awe-inspiring.
Then Mr. Neidich showed another facet of himself- that of composer, in
presenting two of his own solo works in premieres: Firefly, and Icarus reborn (a world premiere), which depicts
the over-confident rise and ultimate fall of the Greek legendary son.
The evening closed with Arthur Benjamin’s Le Tombeau de Ravel. This reminded me of the
Parisian critic who, after the premiere of Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin stated acidly: “Yes, the
Tombeau de Couperin by Ravel is beautiful, but how
much more beautiful would be a Tombeau de Ravel by Couperin!” The Benjamin work,
composed a dozen years after Ravel’s death, is a gentle pastiche of many
gestures typically seen in Ravel, notably waltz rhythms. It was a delicious
close to a wonderful, thoughtful program.
Mr. Neidich offered two encores: Ravel’s Pièce en forme de habanera (which began life as a
vocalise), and a wild, fast rondo that I did not
know, that left him and the audience breathless, which he announced by saying
that the concert indeed needed some “empty virtuosity.
8 November 2018
Major Master Class with Jose Franch-Ballister at the University of
Michigan - VIPs Chad Burrow and
Daniel Gilbert, Hosts
A great evening at the Buffet Showroom
celebrating the release of Mitchell Estrin's Biography of his longtime mentor,
associate, and teacher Senior VIP Stanley Drucker, probably the most important
Clarinet Principal and Orchestral soloist of the last century and recipient in
the Guiness Book of Records as the longest performing clarinetist, and 61 years
in the great New York Philharmonic. The Book signing was overseen with
several VIP clarinetists and friends coming to enjoy the evening and get their
book signed by Dr Drucker and author Mitch Estrin. The Buffet President
and VIP Francois Kloc and Magoli Tricoche along with members of the NY Phil
Pascual Martinez-Forteza, Steve Hartman from the NY City Ballet Orchestra, and
many others in the Buffet Clarinet community enjoyed a rare and high profile
celebration of the living legend. The intangible greatness of this
evening cannot be expressed enough.
In a special celebration marking the release of Mitchell Estrin's new Biography
of his teacher, Orchestral Associate for over 20 years when the New York
Philharmonic was on tour Internationally, and the book in preparation for over 5
years, the event was a resounding tribute to one the Philharmonic's own legends.
Musicians of stature from New York and a special attendance of John Corigliano,
composer of the great Clarinet Concerto from 1977, dedicated to Drucker,
Bernstein, and the Philharmonic, made a valuable evening. Mr Estrin
gave a heartfelt speech about the book, his relationship as a student at
Juilliard with Stanley Drucker, and how it all made a huge difference in his
life as a player and fully explains the loyalty to Dr Drucker. The
Preface to the book was written by John Corigliano who explained the influence
Drucker had on him and his writing of the Concerto, which could be the most
important Concerto in the 20th Century given the huge substance of thematic
content in the 3 movements, one for Drucker, the 2nd movement, Elegy
to Corigliano's father, Concertmaster at the Phil, and the 3rd movement
showcasing Bernstein and the Philharmonic. It was a legend party
which will be remembered far beyond this date.
5 November 2018
Cambridge Music Consortium with concert and Master Classes with Slavko Kovacicand VIP Jonathan
Cohler at the Longy School of Music
VIP Anthony McGill,
(Solo Clarinetist in the New York Philharmonic)
performs with the University of Texas (Austin) Wind Ensemble including
Bernstein's Prelude, Fugue and Riffs and Bolcom's Clarinet Concerto and conducts
a Master Class